400 NATURAL HISTORY. 



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 

 the womb, and some shorter. Women go commonly 

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

 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 fabu 

 lous. For birds there is double inquiry ; the dis 

 tance between the treading or coupling, and the lay 

 ing 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 : Query, of 

 others. The cause of the great difference of times 

 amongst living creatures is, either from the nature 

 of the kind, or from the constitution of the womb. 

 For the former, those that are longer in coming to 

 their maturity or growth are longer in the womb ; as 

 is chiefly seen in men : and so elephants, which are 

 long in the womb, are long time in coming to their 

 full growth, But in most other kinds, the constitu 

 tion of the womb, that is, the hardness or dryness 

 thereof, is concurrent with the former cause. For the 

 colt hath about four years of growth ; and so the 

 fawn ; and so the calf. But whelps, which come to 

 their growth, commonly, within three quarters of a 

 year, are but nine weeks in the womb. As for birds, 

 as there is less diversity amongst them in the time 

 of bringing forth ; so there is less* diversity in the 



