METAMORPHOSES OF INSECTS. 51 



time of Octavian. This he considers a very rare and 

 extraordinary occurrence, not however, it would seem, 

 because it was of blood, but because, as he states, it fell 

 in a country where showers of any kind are unknown. 



Stowe, the old British Chronicler also speaks of sev- 

 eral cases of what he calls blood-rain. " In ths days of 

 Rivalla," says he, " it rained bloud three days, and then 

 a great mortalitie caused almost desolation." Again, 

 " in the time of Brithricus of the bloud of Cerdicus, who 

 was king of the West Saxons for seventeen years, it 

 rained bloud, which falling on mens' clothes appeared 

 like crosses." Nor does Hollingshed fail to record some 

 scraps of the same history. He relates that in the fifth 

 century, " at Yorke it rained bloud," and that in the 

 seventh, " corne, as it was gathered in the herveste-time, 

 appeared bloudie." From Batmans' "Doome" we find 

 that in 1553, it was deemed among the fore warnings of 

 the deaths of Charles, and Philip, Dukes of Brunswick, 

 that "there were drops of bloude upon herbs and 

 trees." 



In the days of Nero it is said that blood-rain fell in 

 such quantities as to tinge some rivers of a red color. 

 It is likewise recorded by historians that the phenome- 

 non, or miracle of falling blood, either seen on the leaves 

 of plants, or on stones, or fences, has occurred at vari- 

 ous times and places, ever since the Christian Era. But 

 after having quoted the above authorities, it will be 

 needless to specify others to establish the general fact of 

 such records. It will therefore be sufficient to state 

 that two instances of bloody rain are recorded to have 

 fallen in the tenth century ; one in the eleventh ; two 

 in the twelfth ; one in the thirteenth ; two in the four- 

 teenth ; one in the fifteenth ; and five in the sixteenth. 



Thus, although it appears that almost from the earli- 

 est times of history, it has been understood and believed 

 that showers of blood actually falling from the air, were 

 not uncommon, still no one as we shall see directly, until 

 about the beginning of the seventeenth century, under- 

 took any serious investigations for the purpose of ac- 

 counting for phenomena so extraordinary. 



It is most probable this neglect of inquiry arose from 

 a superstitious dread of interfering with so sacred a 



