THE COMPLETE ANGLER 101 



place for his abode, nor any certain kind of herb or flower 

 for his feeding, but will boldly and disorderly wander up 

 and down, and not endure to be kept to a diet, or fixed 

 to a particular place. 



Nay, the very colours of caterpillars are, as one has 

 observed, very elegant and beautiful. I shall, for a taste 

 of the rest, describe one of them ; which I will, some time 

 the next month, shew you feeding on a willow tree ; and 

 you shall find him punctually to answer this very descrip- 

 tion : his lips and mouth somewhat yellow ; his eyes 

 black as jet ; his forehead purple ; his feet and hinder 

 parts green ; his tail two-forked and black ; the whole 

 body stained with a kind of red spots, which run along 

 the neck and shoulder-blade, not unlike the form of St. 

 Andrew's cross, or the letter X, made thus crosswise, and 

 a white line drawn down his back to his tail ; all which 

 add much beauty to his whole body. And it is to me 

 observable, that at a fixed age this caterpillar gives over 

 to eat, and towards winter comes to be covered over with 

 a strange shell or crust, called an aurelia : and so lives a 

 kind of dead life, without eating, all the winter ; * and, 

 as others of several kinds turn to be several kinds of flies 

 and vermin the spring following, so this caterpillar then 

 turns to be a painted butterfly. 



Come, come, my scholar, you see the river stops our 

 morning walk, and I will also here stop my discourse ; 

 only as we sit down under this honeysuckle hedge, whilst I 

 look a line to fit the rod that our brother Peter hath lent 

 you, I shall, for a little confirmation of what I have said, 

 repeat the observation of Du Bartas. 



God, not contented to each kind to give, 

 And to infuse the virtue generative, 

 By His wise power made many creatures 'breed 

 Of lifeless bodies, without Venus' deed. 



* See Sir Francis Bacon's Exper., 728 and 90, in his Natural 

 History. H. 



