DRAGON.] NATURAL HISTORY. 91 



IF the viper find their nest, because she cannot eat all 

 the young ones at one time, at the first she filleth herself 

 with one or two, and putteth out the eyes of all the 

 residue, and afterwards bringeth them meat and nourisheth 

 them being blind, until the time that her stomach serveth 

 her to eat them every one. But if it happen that in the 

 mean time, any man chance to light upon these viper- 

 nourished-blind Dormice, and to kill and eat them, they 

 poison themselves through the venom which the viper hath 

 left in them. Dormice are bigger in quantity than a 

 squirrel. It is a biting and an angry beast. 



Topsell, "Four-footed Beasts," p. 409. 



Dove. 



He eats nothing but doves, love, and that breeds hot blood. 



TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, iii. I, 140. 



WHEN the Culver [i.e., Dove] hath birds [i.e., young], 

 anon the male ruleth the birds. And if the female tarry 

 over long ere she come to the birds for soreness of the 

 birth, then the male smiteth and beateth her, and com- 

 pelleth her to sit herself upon the birds. And when the 

 birds wax, the male goeth and sucketh salt earth ; and he 

 giveth and putteth it in the mouth of the birds, to make 

 them have talent to meat. A Culver hath no gall, and 

 hurteth and woundeth not with the bill, but his own peer. 

 And hath groaning instead of song. 



Bartholomew (Eerthelet\ bk. xii. 6. 



DOVES are very hot, and eat small stones to temper the 

 stomach. The fresh flesh of a Dove helps against serpents. 



Hortus Sanitatis, bk. iii. ch. xxxii. 



V. Pigeon. 

 Dragon. 



A lonely dragon, that his fen 

 Makes fear'd and talk'd of more than seen. 



CORIOLANUS, iv. i, 30. 



THE Dragon is most greatest of all serpents, and oft he 

 is drawn out of his den, and reseth up into the air, and 



