in ON ANIMAL LIFE jqS 



Fish the Carp is sai^o reach 150 years ; and 

 a Pike, 19 feet long, and weighing 350 lbs., 

 is said to have been taken in Suabia in 1497 

 carrying a ring, on which was inscribed, " I 

 am the fish which was first of all put into the 

 lake by the hands of the Governor of the Uni- 

 verse, Frederick the Second, the 5th Oct. 

 1230." This would imply an age of over 267 

 years. Many Reptiles are no doubt very long- 

 lived. A Tortoise is said to have reached 500 

 years. As regards the lower animals, the 

 greatest age on record is that of Sir J. 

 Dalzell's Sea Anemone, which lived for over 

 50 years. Insects are generally short-lived ; 

 the Queen Bee, however, is said by Aristotle, 

 whose statement has not been confirmed by 

 recent writers, to live 7 years. I myself 

 had a Queen Ant which attained the age of 

 15 years. 



The May Fly (Ephemera) is celebrated as 

 living only for a day, and has given its name 

 to all things short-lived. The statement 

 usually made is, indeed, very misleading, for 

 in its larval condition the Ephemera lives for 

 weeks. Many writers have expressed surprise 



