268 INSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. 



literally, when we know that one mother of an allied 

 species {M. caniaria) produces about 20,000, and 

 that they have been proved by Redi to increase in 

 weight two-hundred-fold within twenty-four hours. 

 The most extraordinary fact, illustrative of the voracity 

 of these maggots which we have met with, is the 

 following, given by Kirby and Spence, from ' Bell's 

 Weekly Messenger:' — 



' On Thursday, June 25th, died at Asbornby, 

 Lincolnshire, John Page, a pauper belonging to 

 Silk-WiUoughby, under circumstances truly singular. 

 He being of a restless disposition, and not choosing 

 to stay in the parish work-house, was in the habit of 

 strolling about the neighbouring villages, subsisting on 

 the pittance obtained from door to door: the support 

 he usually received from the benevolent was bread and 

 meat; and after satisfying the cravings of nature, it 

 was his custom to deposit the surplus provision, par- 

 ticularly the meat, betwixt his shirt and skin. Hav- 

 ing a considerable portion of this provision in store, 

 so deposited, he was taken rather unwell, and laid 

 himself down in a field, in the parish of Scredington; 

 when, from the heat of the season at that time, the 

 meat speedily became putrid, and was of course 

 struck by the flies: these not only proceeded to 

 devour the inanimate pieces of flesh, but also literally 

 to prey upon the living substance; and when the 

 wretched man was accidentally found by some of the 

 inhabitants, he was so eaten by the maggots that his 

 death seemed inevitable. After clearing away, as 

 well as they were able, these shocking vermin, those 

 who found Page conveyed him to Asbornby, and a 

 surgeon was immediately procured, who declared that 

 his body was in such a state, that dressing it must be 

 little short of instantaneous death; and, in fact, the 

 man did survive the operation but a few hours. 

 When first found, and again when examined by the 



