GENERATION OF INSECTS. 7 



of Samson, who, having killed a young lion in the 

 vineyards of Timnath, ^ after a time turned aside to 

 see the carcass of the lion: and behold a swarm of 

 bees and honey in the carcass.'* It only requires 

 us, however, to examine the facts, to show that 

 this does not disagree with the preceding statement. 

 Bochart, in his Sacred Zoology, tells us that the 

 word rendered ' carcass' literally signifies skeleton; 

 and the Syriac version still more strongly renders 

 it a dried body (corpus exsiccatum). Bochart fur- 

 ther contends, that the phrase ' after a time' is one 

 of the commonest Hebraisms for a year. But when 

 we consider the rapid desiccation caused by the sum- 

 mer suns of Palestine, this extension of time will be 

 unnecessary; for travellers tell us that the bodies of 

 dead camels become quite parched there in a few 

 days. We have the testimony of Herodotus, that a 

 swarm of bees built their cells and made honey in 

 the dried carcass of a man placed above the gate of 

 Athamanta. Soranus also tells us of a swarm of 

 bees found in the tomb of the celebrated Hippocrates. 



* I have been told,' says Redi, ' by Albergotto, a 

 man of profound erudition, that he had seen a swarm 

 in the cranium of a horse. Bees,' he adds, ^ not 

 only do not live upon dead bodies, but they will not 

 even come near them, as I have often proved by ex- 

 periment.' ' It is probable,' says Svvammerdam, 

 ' that the not rightly understanding Samson's ad^ 

 venture of the lion gave rise to the popular opinion 

 of bees springing from dead lions, oxen, and horses,' 

 Kirby and Spense seem disposed to consider Sam- 

 son's bees, as we have done those of Virgil, to be 

 flies resembling bees; but the ' honey' which Samson 



* took in his hands and went on eating,' is fatal to 

 such an exposition. 



The ancients had another fancy respecting the 



•^ Judges, xiv, 8. 



