The history of four-footed beasts and serpents describing at large their true and lively figure, their several names, conditions, kinds, virtues ... countries of their breed, their love and hatred to mankind, and the wonderful work by Edward Topsell ; whereunto is now added, The theater of insects, or, Lesser living creatures ... by T. Muffet ...

CHAP. XX.

Of Worms of Fruits, Pulse, Corn, Vines, Herbs.

UPon the lower Willow (especially when swelling gals break forth) sometimes there are found like to roses, that are full of Worms, as it also happens in the leaves of the Ma∣stick-tree. Quinqueranus saith there are two kindes of scarlet Oak, one like a great tree, the other a small shrub, about a foot and half high; it spreads very broad, and the leaves are smooth and shining, with a numerous thorny beard in the circumference rising up with many siences like to the Rose-bush. Our Countreymen call it a Beech-tree, though it be nothing like to a Beech-tree. It growes on plain ground, but that stands high, with little dry hillocks, and unfruit∣full: when the shrubs are bedewed with showres in the midst of the Spring, the Cochineal be∣gins thus: When the lower stalk divides into two branches, and in the middle of these there comes forth a thing that is round, and of the colour and bigness of a Pear, they call this the Mo∣••her, because from this the other grains proceed. Besides every one of these shrubs hath com∣••••only five Mothers, which at the beginning of Summer and in hot weather put forth a great com∣pany of little Worms, and they cleave in the top. A new off-spring of shoots growes up severally on high of a white colour, that produce living creatures. But wheresoever they meet with the hollow places of the twig budding where the Worms are, they fall down, and become as great, as Millet-seed. Then growing up more freely, the white colour changeth into ash-colour, and then they appear no more living creatures, but again like unto Pease. Then those grains being ripe gathered, now great with colour'd Worms: whilest they are carried to the Merchants, the thin skin that goes about them breaks. The price of a pound of these Worms that are come forth of the skin is a gold noble; but that part which is yet in the skin, is sold for a fourth part of it: the mean while the little Worms are as if they were dead, and move not. But when the sea∣son of the year comes, they are hastned by putting them in linnen cloths, and exposing them to the Sun. Then but seeling the heat, they presently creep forth, and strive to fly away; but by the keeper of them, who watcheth them continually, they are shaked back into the middle of the linnen cloth till they die; whilest this is doing, and for three daies after, there is so sweet a smell and delightful, that no Civet, Musk, or Amber-greece, nor yet Lemon flowers can surpass it.

But if any grains escape from him that gathers them, they presently send forth a numerous army of winged creatures into the air.

It was observed one year, that in a stony field in the Countrey by Arles, the profit of this increase was reckoned at 11000 crowns. So writes Quinqueranus. And Carolus Clusius saith, that in his time, the same fashion of gathering Cochineal was observ'd about Narbon in France, and also in Spain. For they have plats of ground in the open air provided for the purpose, with the sides something high, and they lay a•• linnen cloth upon them and pour forth the Cochineal upon that; the kee∣pers stand ready about it with little wands continually when the Sun shines very hot, and they

strike the outsides of the linnen cloth, that they may drive back into the middle of the cloth these little Worms that hasten to come forth. But Petrus Bellonius l. 1. observ. c. 17. tels us of another manner of preparing Cochineal.

There is (saith he) in Crete a great increase of Cochineal: shepherds and boyes do gather it. They finde it in June upon a small shrub, of a kinde of holm that bears Acorns sticking to the stock of that shrub, without any stalk, and the colour is ash-colour with white, but because the leaves of that shrub are full of prickles like to Holly, the Shepherds have a staffe in their left hands to press down the boughs, and hold them so; and in their right hands they have a pruning knife, wherewith the cut off the smal boughs, from which they pull off little round bladders as great as smal pease, on that side they grew to the wood they are chapt and open, full of little red creatures smaller than nits, that fly forth at that cleft, and leave the bladder empty. The boyes when they have gathered their Cochineal, bring it to the Treasurer, and he gives them victuals for it. He parts these little creatures from the bladders with a sieve, and then he takes them gently with the tops of his fingers, and makes bals of them as great as Hens eggs: for should he press them too hard, they would turn to juice, and the colour be lost: wherefore there are two kindes of dying stuffe, one of the pulp, another of the bladders, and because the pulp is more usefull for dying, the price of that is four times beyond the price of the bladders. Gesner also saw small Worms of a yellow and red, upon the uppermost boughs of the Juniper-tree; in the sponge of the Eglantine or wilde Rose, white worms breed, from which Aristotle saith that Cantharides do come. Gesner saith, that after two moneths the sponge being kept in a stove will send forth a great number of little live Worms. Also the Thorn and the Bramble, the Rose, Heath, Broom, tree Trifoly, Raspis, the Myrtle-tree, Capers, Bush, the Goosberry-bush, the Palm-tree, the white Thorn, the Privet, Park-leaves, Licorice, and indeed every shrub, and under-shrub is eaten by Worms: nor could Palma Christi (which afforded shadow to Ionas, that divine Prophet, when he was very hot) escape this plague, as we finde it written. Also Pulse, the gifts of Ceres, are (to use the Philosophers word) most Worm-eaten, but how that comes to pass is most uncertain: whe∣ther is it, as Theophrastus seems to say, when the juice cannot be diffused, by reason of the great heat, and the foulness of them? or should we rather say, that the dry part desires the humour, but the humour s••ees from it as its contrary? So we see drops hanging on a dry wall: or whether the over great heat corrupts both the natural heat and moisture contained within? That cor∣ruption comes that way, most sickly Aethiopia can testifie. A little worm eats Beans, Theo∣phrastus cals it Midas, and Hesychius 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is a worm breeding in Pulse, but chiefly in Pease, and hath its name from eating: and such a one breeds in chich Peason, after that the saltness of it is washed away with showrs, as besides the Scholiast upon Hesiod, Phavorin••••, and Theophrastus determine. They often breed in the sweeter Pulse, both by reason of the fitness of the nourishment, and the nature of the air fit to breed worms, and when they are bred they nourish them, and shew them forth. Worms bred in corn are generally called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which feed on the roots, stalks, reeds, and prickles of winter Wheat, Panick, Oats, Rice, Miller, Rie; others there are that feed upon Wheat-flour, as those that are called Farinarii; others of that which is whole Wheat, not yet ground in a mill, as Weevils. The English call the Farinarii Meal-worms; they are like to ships worms, they have six feet, with a little shining red head, a round body, and divers coloured as the meal is: for the best and whitest meal breeds them white, the elder meal breeds them yellow, the lean meal full of bran hath dark colour'd. Cardan cals them Meal-moths, (but as it fals out frequently) not well considering of it. Those that

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are fed with bran, it is wonderful how great they will grow, and frons ten in a short time you shall finde three hundred. They are found amongst woollen weavers at all times almost; for they make a mixture of Bran, Vinegar, and Hogs grease, from whence they breed abundant∣ly. The Weevil is the bane of whole Wheat, be it raw or torrefied (as in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of Aetius (which the English call Mault, the mother of Ale.) For so my Comedian hath it, though Virgil and Varro call it Gurgulio or Curgulio. The English call the Wheat-worm Kis, Pope, Bowde, Weevil, and Wibil, as if you should say double Bill, yet it is indeed a living creature with three beaks. It destroyes wheat chiefly, yet it will destroy any other grain, lea∣ving nothing but the hull, and the thin skin. For as Virgil hath it in his Georgicks:

The Weevil spoils a mighty heap of corn.

It is formed like a small Beetle, it hath a beck proper to it self, and with three forks. Some of them are with black bodies, others with brown, but others that are the greater are greenish, and the middle of their body very small. This creature is so dry, that with the least touch it will turn to dust. It is bred chiefly in the Spring, some few daies before that Bees swarm. Theophra∣stus saith they breed of one part of the grain, and the other part they feed•• on. Our Countrey-men finde by experience that this wheat-worm will lay eggs in chinks of wals, and under the tyles, and from thence by procreation comes a new off-spring. They speak of three wonders con∣cerning these little creatures. First, that though they be but few at first, yet in a short time they will increase infinitely. Secondly, that they will lie between the tyles and in chinks of wals without any meat at least three years. Thirdly, that if they be put into water three daies

with Wheat or Barly, when they are taken forth they wil live again. Our Countreyman Siliardus (a diligent observer of Nature) describes the propagation of Weevils thus: when Ants have ea∣ten off the top of the ear of wheat, the Weevill goes up, and in that little hole he laies one or two eggs (but seldom three) so great as a grain of Millet, long and yellow, full of liquid yellow matter; from this afterwards proceedeth another Weevill. This little Insect hath both sexes, for they copulate before they do this mischief. Petrus Comestor affirms that they proceed from Beans corrupted, to whom no man but Guillerinus de Conchis assents, lest they should falsly con∣found a Weevil with Midas, or Bean-worm. Beside this Weevil commonly known, Joach. Cae∣merarius sent two others to Pennius out of the barns of Germany, with a far greater belly; one of them was a kinde of ash-colour, and the other green. Also Scaliger saith there is in wheat a worm without a beck, which perhaps Pliny meant by his corn-beetle. To this I will refer a cer∣tain little creature that is frequent in barns, that creeps with six feet, and with two short sail-yards it tries its way, it is spotted on the middle of its back and sides, and the rest of the body is black, which I therefore call the spotted Weevil. This creature doth no great harm to corn, be∣cause it is still alone, and seldom two of them are found in one barn. About Lentzbourg, a Town of Germany, a certain insect is found in the fields, which some call Ʋlput, some Korn-worm, others Kornevele. It is said to be so venomous and hurtful, that the Husbandmen will leave their plough when they meet it, and run after it to kill it. It is black from a little red, dwelling amongst wheat and eating up the corn: worms bred in Vines, the skarlet Oak worms are like them, such as Brassavolus doth strongly maintain and think that they are bred on the roots of Pimpernel. Amongst herbs, both for physick, and for meat, the Violet, Radish, Rue, Basil, and many more are molested with worms. The worms in Violets are very small and black, and run very fast, as Jacobus Garetus a most diligent Apothecary, and very famous in the knowledge of simples as there are not many, affirms, out of the root of the Hartichoak a worm comes, that hath six feet, like to a Catserpiller, and whitish, with a reddish black head; where it bites the roots of Hartichoaks it makes them black, and at last kils them. The Radish produceth the like. Cardan saith, men report that there is a worm found in the leaves of Rue, and it will grow wonderful great, as the Hazel-nut worm will do if it be fed with sheeps milk. A little worm that is the childe of the dew, and a guest in basil with a body almost upright, he sticks fast by his hinder feet, whilest he takes hold with his forefeet. Sugar is made of the Sugar cane, the sweetest of all Salts, and as the common sort of Physicians suppose, it is altogether free from corruption. Yet under the au∣thority of Scaliger, I assert that a little worm is bred in Sugar, long, black as a flea, and (if you take away his beck) like to a Weevil; and therefore we may justly call it a Sugar-worm. Bellonius also makes mention of this. But that Insect which the Germans call Mayen Wormlen, seems to breed very seldom, saith Camerarius. For in the moneth of May dewes often fall that are very unhealthful, and if they fall upon the leaves of Hops, they turn to little living creatures called Hoppen. Amongst thousands of these you shall sometimes see one far greater than the rest (though it is scarse greater than a fat lowse) it hath yellow circles about the belly, the back is cham••er'd, the tail is somewhat long, the colour of the body for the greatest part is blackish. This when it wants aliment from dew, devours one by one all of his own kinde, ever beginning with that is next to him: he changeth his skin like to Silk-worms: lastly, when he is almost transparent, he putting off his last skin, he hangs by his head and feet by a kinde of thin bird-lime, by some leaf, and so he dies: why may we not call this worm the Hop-worm? In the stalk of the Asphodil, a worm is bred of a clear colour when the herb begins to flower, out of his shoulders wings grow by degrees, and then when he can fly, he forsakes his habitation. In the swoln joynts of the cod∣ded Arsmart, and the wilde Thistle, little white worms breed, as yellow ones do in the purple flowers of the bastard wilde Chervil, and red ones in the root of Pimpernel. I often have seen in the female Smallage downy worms; in Mushroms and Coleworts, small black worms; in the root of Acorus, white ones: in the root of Elecampane whilest it is green and growing, white worms breed in ten or eleven joynts that are visible, that are as thick as a Goosquil, with a lit∣black head, and six short feet, and the body all black. The Kings of the Indians, as Aelian testi∣fieth, use to eat for their second course, a worm found in a certain plant, when it is rosted at the fire, and they commend it for the daintiest and sweetest meat. In the head or stalk of the Fullers Teasil, we have seen a worm very small, with a little head, and six black feet, with ten or eleven incisions. First it eats up the spongy pith of the stalk, and when that fails it dies for want of food. It is easily found at the beginning of October, though Marcellus upon Dioscorides, doth most shamefully deny it. If I am not deceived, this is that worm the Ancients call Tatinum. Xeno∣crates cals a plant like to double Camomel Galedragon, (saith Pliny) it hath a stalk like Fennel Gigant, with a tall and prickly head, and like to an egg in form: in this with age they say little worms breed, that are good against the tooth-ach.

In the roots of white Thistle (which plant is luxuriant in the high mountains of Savoy) there is a little worm found, breeding in some, in others it growes great, and in most of them it grows to have wings and ready to fly, it is white, and hath some joynts that it is divided by, and very black shining eyes. It may be there is great use in physick of a little worm bred in wilde Tansey: but I leave the enquiry of that to those that are curious in the secrets of Nature.