356 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



fanciful descriptions to be met with in the works of 

 the ancient Fathers, who, as Mariana, the Spanish 

 historian, remarks, considered its alleged appearance, 

 in the reign of Tiberius, as a prognostic of the Resur- 

 rection, because it revives out of its own ashes. The 

 following will, we think, satisfy the curious in this 

 respect : 



" St. Ambrose, in Exameron, saith, of the hu- 

 mour or ashes of phcenix ariseth a new bird and 

 wexeth, and, in space of time, he is clothed with 

 feathers and wings, and restored into the kind of a 

 bird, and is the most fairest bird that is, most like 

 to the peacock in feathers, and loveth wilderness, 

 and gathereth his meat of clean grains and fruits. 

 Alanus speaketh of this bird and saith, that when the 

 highest bishop Onyas had builded a temple in the 

 city of Heliopoly in /Egypt to the likeness of the 

 temple of Jerusalem, and the first day of Easter, 

 when he had gathered much sweet-smelling wood, 

 and set it on fire upon the altar, to offer sacrifice to 

 all men's sight ; such a bird came suddenly, and fell 

 into the middle of the fire, and was brent anon to 

 ashes in the fire of the sacrifice ; and the ashes abode 

 there, and was besely kept and saved by the com- 

 mandment of the priest: and, within three da}s of 

 these ashes, was bred a little worm, that took the shape 

 of a bird at the last, and flew into the wilderness*." 



This account of a worm being generated out of 

 the ashes of a sacrifice and afterwards becoming a 

 bird, is precisely similar to the directions given 

 by Virgil and Columella for the generation of bees 

 from dead carcases, which originated in an imperfect 

 knowledge of the natural history of insects f; while 



* Bartholomew Glantville, de Propriet. Rerum, translated by 

 Trevisa, fol. clxx. Black letter, Wynkyn de Worde, London, 

 1498. 



t This may be seen explained at length in ' Insect Transforma- 

 tions', pp. 1 10. 



