82 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



for most think those very leaves that gave them life and 

 shape, give them a particular feeding and nourishment, and 

 that upon them they usually abide ; yet he observes that this 

 is called a pilgrim, or palmer-worm, for his very wandering 

 life, and various food : not contenting himself, as others do, 

 with any one certain 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, show you feeding on a willow-tree ; and you shall find 

 him punctually to answer this very description : 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 cross- 

 wise, 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, yon see the river stops our morn- 

 ing walk, and I will also here stop my discourse ; only as we 

 sit clown 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. 



So the cold humour breeds the salamander, 

 Who, in effect like to her birth's commander, 

 With child with hundred winters, with her touch 

 Quencheth the fire, though glowing ne'er so much. 



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



