256 STUDIES IN INSECT LIFE, ETC. 

 took her proper position as a home of great and 

 public collections. The way was led by John 

 Ray and by John Tradescant and his son of 

 similar name, whose museum was acquired in 

 1659 by Elias Ashmole, and by him presented 

 to the University of Oxford in 1682. 



If we make a classification of the various animals 

 mentioned by Shakespeare we shall find that 

 with the exception of the coral whose skeleton 

 alone he knew, his knowledge did not extend below 

 the leeches and worms, the Annelida. He knew 

 that leeches suck blood, and incorrectly, like Job, 

 he extended this practice to the horse-leech 

 Aulostoma, which as a matter of fact feeds on 

 earthworms. The word worm is used in his plays 

 in the most comprehensive way for all long, 

 wriggly creatures, not only for Annelids but for 

 reptiles and for dragons. " Civil dissension is a 

 viperous worm" (i "Hen. VI.," III. i. 72). Cleo- 

 patra's asp is "the pretty worm of Nilus" ("Ant. 

 and CL," V. ii. 243). In " Measure for Measure" 

 (III. i. 17) " the soft and tender fork of a poor 

 worm " is in all probability the forked tongue of 

 a snake. Most insect larvae were also termed 

 worms. " The worms were hallow'd that did 

 breed the silk" ("Othello," III. iv. 73), and again 



