The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

HISTORY OF LIFE AND DEATH. 477
32. The dunghill cock is venereous, martial, water, is found to last longest, sometimes to forty
and but of a short life; a crank bird, having also years; he is a ravener, of a flesh somewhat dry
white flesh. and firm.
33. The Indian cock, commonly called the 46. But the carp, bream, trench, eel, and the
turkey cock, lives not much longer than the dung- like, are not held to live above ten years.
hill cock; an angry bird, and bath exceeding 47. Salmons are quick of growth, short of life;
white flesh. so are trouts; but the perch is slow of growth,
34. The ringdoves are of the longest sort of long of life.
livers, insomuch that they attain sometimes to 48. Touching that monstrous bulk of the whale
fifty years of age; an airy bird, and both builds or ork, how long it is weiled by vital spirit, we
and sits on high. But doves and turtles are but have received nothing certain; neither yet touchshort-lived, not exceeding eight years. ing the sea-calf, and sea-hog, and other innume35. But pheasants and partridges may live to rable fishes.
sixteen years. They are great breeders, but not 49. Crocodiles are reported to be exceeding
so white of flesh as the ordinary pullen. long-lived, and are famous for the times of their
36. The blackbird is reported to be, amongst growth, for that they, amongst all other creatures,
the lesser birds, one of the longest livers; an are thought to grow during their whole life.
unhappy bird, and a good singer. They are of those creatures that lay eggs, raven37. The sparrow is noted to be of a very short ous, cruel, and well fenced against the waters.
life; and it is imputed in the males to their lasci- Touching the other kinds of shell-fish, we find
viousness. But the linnet, no bigger in body nothing certain how long they live.
than the sparrow, hath been observed to have
lived twenty years. Observation.
38. Of the ostrich we have nothing certain; To find out a rule touching length and shortthose that were kept here have been so unfortu- ness of life in living creatures is very difficult, by
nate, but no long life appeared by them. Of the reason of the negligence of observations, and the
bird ibis we find only that he liveth long, but his intermixing of causes. A few things we will set
years are not recorded. down.
39. The age of fishes is more uncertain than 1. There are more kinds of birds found to be
that of terrestrial creatures, because living under long-lived than of beasts; as the eagle, the vulthe water they are the less observed; many of ture, the kite, the pelican, the raven, the crow,
them breathe not, by which means their vital the swan, the goose, the stork, the crane, the bird
spirit is more closed in; and, therefore, though called the ibis, the parrot, the ringdove, with the
they receive some refrigeration by their gills, yet rest, though they come to their full growth within
that refrigeration is not so continual as when it is a year, and are less of bodies; surely their clothby breathing. ing is excellent good against the distemperatures
40. They are free from the desiccation and de- of the weather; and, besides, living for the most
predation of the air ambient, because they live in part in the open air, they are like the inhabitants
the water, yet there is no doubt but the water, of pure mountains, which are long-lived. Again,
ambient, and piercing, and received into the pores their motion, which (as I elsewhere said) is a
of the body, doth more hurt to long life than the mixed motion, compounded of a moving of their
air doth. limbs and of a carriage in the air, doth less weary
41. It is affirmed, too, that their blood is not and wear them, and it is more wholesome. Neiwarm. Some of them are great devourers, even ther do they suffer any compression or want of
of their own kind. Their flesh is softer and more nourishment in their mother's bellies, because the
tender than that of terrestrial creatures; they eggs are laid by turns. But the chiefest cause of,
grow exceedingly fat, insomuch that an incredible all I take to be is this, that birds are made more
quantity of oil will be extracted out of one whale. of the substance of the mother than of the father,
42. Dolphins are reported to live about thirty whereby their spirits are not so eager and hot.
years; of which thing a trial was taken in some 2. It may be a position, that creatures which
of them by cutting off their tails: they grow until partake more of the substance of their mother
ten years of age. thant of their father, are long-lived, as birds are,
43. That which they report of some fishes is which was said before, Also, that those which
strange, that after a certain age their bodies will have a longer time of bearing in the womb, do
waste and grow very slender, only their head and partake more of the substance of their mother,
tail retaining their former greatness. less of the father, and so are longer lived; inso44. There were found in Cesar's fishponds much, that I am of opinion, that even amongst
lampreys to have lived threescore years; they men, (which I have noted in some,) those that
were grown so familiar with long use, that Cras- resemble their mothers most are longest lived:
sus, the orator, solemnly lamented one of them. and so are the children of old men begotten of
45. The pike, amongst fishes living in fresh young wives, if the fathers be sound, not diseased