CENTURY VIII. 37 



if rain come early about the middle of September, they 

 go to rut somewhat the sooner ; if drought, somewhat 

 the later. So sheep, in respect of their small heat, 

 generate about the same time, or somewhat before. 

 But for the most part, creatures that generate at 

 certain seasons, generate in the spring ; as birds and 

 h shes ; for that the end of the winter, and the heat 

 and comfort of the spring, prepareth them. There is 

 also another reason why some creatures generate at 

 certain seasons: and that is the relation of their time 

 of bearing to the time of generation ; for no creature 

 goeth to generate whilst the female is full ; nor whilst 

 she is busy in sitting, or rearing her young. And 

 therefore it is found by experience, that if you take 

 the eggs or young ones out of the nests of birds, they 

 will fall to generate again, three or four times, one 

 after another. 



759. Of living creatures, some are longer time in 



~ O 



the womb, and some shorter. Women go commonly 

 nine months ; the cow and the ewe about six months ; l 

 does go about nine months ; mares eleven months ; 

 bitches nine weeks ; elephants are said to go two years; 

 for the received tradition of ten years is fabulous. For 

 birds there is double inquiry ; the distance between the 

 treading or coupling, and the laying of the egg ; and 

 again, between the egg laid, and the disclosing or 

 hatching : and amongst birds there is less diversity of 

 time than amongst other creatures ; yet some there is; 

 for the hen sitteth but three weeks; the turkey-hen, 

 goose, and duck, a month: Qucere of others. 2 The 



1 These statements are very inaccurate. Tessier assigns 282 days in the 

 former case, and 151 in the latter, as mean periods. See Mem. de I&quot; Ac. des 

 Sciences. (1817). 



2 The pigeon sits about eighteen days, the swan about thirty-three. The 



