160 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



whereas others content themselves to feed on particular 

 herbs or leaves, 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 content- 

 ing 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. 2 



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

 served, 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 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 

 several kinds of flies and vermin the spring following, 

 this caterpillar then turns to be a painted butterfly. 3 



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



