ON GENERATION. 319 



generation on his own merits, because the first impulse toward 

 generation proceeds from him, so may the hen in some mea- 

 sure be put down as the first cause of generation ; inasmuch 

 as the male is undoubtedly inflamed to venery by the presence 

 of the female. " The female fish/' says Pliny, 1 " wiU follow the 

 male at the season of intercourse, and strike his belly with her 

 nose ; at the spawning time the male will do the like to the 

 female." I have myself at times seen male fishes in shoals 

 following a female that was on the point of spawning, in the 

 same way as dogs pursue a bitch, that they might sprinkle the 

 ova just laid with their milk or seed. But this is particularly 

 to be remarked in the more wanton and lascivious females, 

 who stir up the dormant fires of Cupid, and inspire a silent 

 love ; hence it is that the common cock, so soon as he sees one 

 of his own hens that has been absent for ever so short time, 

 or any other stranger-hen, forthwith feels the sting of desire, 

 and treads her. Moreover, victorious in a battle, although 

 wounded and tired from the fight, he straightway sets about 

 treading the wives of his vanquished foe one after another. 

 And that he may further feed the flame of love thus kindled 

 in his breast, by various gesticulations, incitements, and caresses, 

 often crowing the while, calling his hens to him, approaching 

 and walking round them, and tripping himself with his wings, 

 he entices his females to intercourse as by a kind of fascina- 

 tion. Such are the arts of the male ; but sometimes a certain 

 sullenness of the female, and an apparent disinclination on her 

 part, contribute not a little to arouse the ardour of the male 

 and stimulate his languishing desire, so that he fills her more 

 quickly and more copiously with prolific spirit. But of allure- 

 ments of this kind, and in what degree they promote concep- 

 tion, we shall speak more hereafter. For, if you carefully 

 weigh the works of nature, you will find that nothing in them 

 was made in vain, but that all things were ordered with a pur- 

 pose and for the sake of some good end. 



Almost all females, though they have pleasure in the act of 

 intercourse and impregnation, suffer pain in parturition. But 

 the reverse is the case with the hen, who loudly complains dur- 

 ing intercourse and struggles against it; but in parturition, 



1 Hist. Nat. lib. ix, cap. 50. 



