86 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART I. 



Topsd, and others, say of the PALMER-WORM, Cater- 

 pillar : 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 parti- 

 cular feeding and nourishment, and that upon them they 

 usually abide ;) yet he observes, that this is called a pil- 

 grim, 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 dis- 

 orderly 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 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 des- 

 cription: 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 f 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 stiange shell or crust, called an aurclia : and so 

 ir Fra. lives a kind of dead life, without eating, all 

 the wi ^er. And as others of several 

 History, 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, you see the river stops our 

 morning walk : and I will also here stop my discourse : 



