54 NATURAL H I S T O R Y of NO R WAY. 



generation, from the femen of the male, without the affiftanco 

 of the female egg; but in the mean time, it is in this cafe as 

 in many other branches of the ftudy of nature, in which one may 

 with a certainty aflert what a thing is not, though, at the fame 

 time, one cannot pofitively fay what it is. I remember to have 

 heard, though only by report, and that not the beft warranted, 

 that in France, from the like ihells, yet hanging to their necks, 

 have been feen feveral finall Worms crawling into life and liberty. 

 Georgius Marcgravius feems to have been of this opinion ; and in 

 his Hiftoria Naturalis Brafilise, Lib. iv. cap. xxii. p. 188, fays of 

 the fame Sea -worms or Infects growing on trees, what here fol- 

 lows : Reri apiya Brafilienfibus, vulgo Long-neck, Hydrum vo- 

 cari poffe puto. Oriuntur a pice navali, fubter navem imme- 

 diate adhserentes tabulis innumera copia. Corpus autem eft unum 

 aut duos digitos longum, teres, sequaliter crarTum, craffitie du- 

 pla, pennse anferinx. Huic annata eft conchula figurae ovalk, 

 magnitudine olivse, major aut minor, conftatque quinque parti- 

 bus, albi coloris, fed ubi partes coaluerunt crocei. Non dura 

 fed 'molliufcula eft conchula. In uno latere rimam habet, per 

 quam capitulum fuum exferit, conftans multis elegantibus quail 

 tornatis filamentis, lunatis, femi-digitum longis. _ Color corporis 

 eft fufcus feu nigricans, ut & filamenta capitis. Immediate 

 autem pici adhserent, quad corpus abfciffum effet, & aggluti- 

 natum abfciffa parte, nee unquam a navi fe poflunt folvere, nifi 

 vi abftrahuntur : Multa millia fepe uni navi adherent, prsefer- 

 tim proram verfus inferius, & navis curfum retardare dicuntur. 

 Vivunt multas horas detra£ti extra aquam. What I have to 

 obferve on this is, that though Marcgravius does not allow this 

 creature to be a young Duck, but properly a Water-worm, 

 yet he is miftaken to fay, Oriuntur e pice navali ; rather better in 

 pice : it is only becaufe the Worm perhaps finds abetter opportu- 

 nity to ftick his eggs there. Our Bergen flappers fay, that when 

 they come home from a long voyage from Spain, or the Me- 

 diterranean, and have their Ihips clean'd, they find a great 

 many of thefe creatures hanging in bunches all under the bot- 

 toms • that the pitch does not breed thefe worms is iuHiciently 

 feen •' for at any time, by fearching for them, they are to be found 

 on bulwarks and piles, which are never pitched; not to men-, 

 tion thofe which I have of the fame kind, hanging upon branches 

 of thofe deep growing fea-trees, as has already been laid. To 

 confirm the truth of this, more will be (aid in the folbwtng 

 chapter, and will be found in the article of Ducks. I mail further 

 quote O. Wormius's words, in Mufeo, p. i57> ^e harum avium 

 1 generation© 



