THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 101 



small peascod, which had fourteen legs ; eight on the belly, 

 four under the neck, and two near the tail. It was found on a 

 hedge of privet ; * and was taken thence, and put into a large 

 boz, and a little branch or two of privet put to it, on which I 

 saw it feed as sharply as a dog gnaws a bone : it lived thus, 

 five or six days, and thrived, and changed the colour two or 

 three times, but by some neglect in the keeper of it, it then 

 died, and did not turn to a fly: but if it had lived, it had 

 doubtless turned to one of those flies that some call flies of prey, 

 which those that walk by the rivers may, in summer, see 

 fasten on smaller flies, and, I think, make them their food. 

 And 'tis observable, that as there be these flies of prey, which 

 be very large, so there be others, very little, created, I think, 

 only to feed them, and breed out of I know not what ; whose 

 life, they say, nature intended not to exceed an hour ; f and yet 

 thac life is thus made shorter by other flies, or by accident. 



'Tis endless to tell you what the curious searchers into 

 nature's productions have ' observed of these worms and flies : 

 but yet I shall tell you what Aldrovandus, our Topsel, and others, 

 say of the Palmer- worm, or Caterpillar: that 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 contenting himself, as others do, with any 

 one certain place for his abode, nor any certain kind of herbs 

 or flowers 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. J 



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 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 ihe 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, 



* The Caterpillar of the Privet Hawk Moth, (Sphinx Liguttri,) which 

 is not, as Walton suspects, fly of prey, or Dragon-fly. J. R. 



f This is quite fabulous. J. R. 



j These absiiul notions arose from confounding some hundreds of 

 species under one common name. J. R. 



