The Zoologist — October, 1871. 2791 



Cockchaffer. — " The worm of the 111th Table is in Dutch called 

 the Corn wornie, because it consumes the roots of corn ; it is also 

 found in gardens and orchards. I took this wonxie on the 2'2nd of 

 August, 1659, and I kept it a whole year in a glasse bottle with 

 earth put in the bottom : To which I injected the seed of henbite 

 with a white flower (for there is another herb of that name with 

 purple flowers), and I observed in the evening the worm to be wont 

 to come forth, up from the bottom of the bottle that it might feed 

 upon the herb and Flower before described ; this being done again 

 it hid itselfe; for never or very seldom it does appear in the day 

 time above ground. After the ivorms of this kind have eaten enough 

 and have come to the just magnitude of body they seek high places, 

 that they may safely quiesce, and that they may pleasingly com- 

 pose themselves to Transformation, which they expect. This worm 

 seems to come from the seed of those beetles which eat the leaves 

 of trees, and which is very frequent in Holland upon the tops of 

 trees in May, for then their nourishment every where abounds. 

 This kind is wont to stay above ground two whole months or a 

 little more; the rest of the months of the year it lies hid under- 

 ground, and useth no nourishment like to a dead thing, and it do's 

 always, unmoved, plainly quiesce, but touched with a hot hand, or 

 otherwise it forthwith stirs, as I have often tryed. And this also of 

 this kind of Beetle never to be found two or more joyned under 

 ground, but always solitary. Before the worms hitherto described 

 were transformed into Beetles they had lived over the fourth year. 

 The worm of this table did begin to change its form on the 3rd of 

 September, 1658, and I have described the manner of its Trans- 

 mutation ; and in May, 1659, from that came a beetle, depicted 

 also. It lives long provided it be not starved, for want of food, 

 or through the vehemence of the cold."* 



Ladybirds ? — " I find by accurate search that about the middle 

 of June a greasie and fat substance doth drop out of both the 

 upper and the under side of the leaves of the Moth mullen. Some- 

 times sooner, sometimes later, but the I5th of June I found out 

 this thing. This fat juice did become a living Animall the 20th of 

 June, to. wit a little worme, which was in the middle of the body 

 pellucid like water, was of a saphire colour, greenish, which slowly 

 and gently was agitated by the sun's heat; but the 24th of June it 



* The reader will notice a confusion of dates in this description. The author 

 seems to refer to two distinct experiments. — G. R. 



