登陆注册
4698900000060

第60章

The calamary and the cuttle-fish are short-lived, as, with few exceptions, they never see the year out; and the same statement is applicable to the octopus.

From one single egg comes one single sepia; and this is likewise true of the young calamary.

The male calamary differs from the female; for if its gill-region be dilated and examined there are found two red formations resembling breasts, with which the male is unprovided. In the sepia, apart from this distinction in the sexes, the male, as has been stated, is more mottled than the female.

19

With regard to insects, that the male is less than the female and that he mounts upon her back, and how he performs the act of copulation and the circumstance that he gives over reluctantly, all this has already been set forth, most cases of insect copulation this process is speedily followed up by parturition.

All insects engender grubs, with the exception of a species of butterfly; and the female of this species lays a hard egg, resembling the seed of the cnecus, with a juice inside it. But from the grub, the young animal does not grow out of a mere portion of it, as a young animal grows from a portion only of an egg, but the grub entire grows and the animal becomes differentiated out of it.

And of insects some are derived from insect congeners, as the venom-spider and the common-spider from the venom-spider and the common-spider, and so with the attelabus or locust, the acris or grasshopper, and the tettix or cicada. Other insects are not derived from living parentage, but are generated spontaneously: some out of dew falling on leaves, ordinarily in spring-time, but not seldom in winter when there has been a stretch of fair weather and southerly winds; others grow in decaying mud or dung; others in timber, green or dry; some in the hair of animals; some in the flesh of animals; some in excrements: and some from excrement after it has been voided, and some from excrement yet within the living animal, like the helminthes or intestinal worms. And of these intestinal worms there are three species: one named the flat-worm, another the round worm, and the third the ascarid. These intestinal worms do not in any case propagate their kind. The flat-worm, however, in an exceptional way, clings fast to the gut, and lays a thing like a melon-seed, by observing which indication the physician concludes that his patient is troubled with the worm.

The so-called psyche or butterfly is generated from caterpillars which grow on green leaves, chiefly leaves of the raphanus, which some call crambe or cabbage. At first it is less than a grain of millet; it then grows into a small grub; and in three days it is a tiny caterpillar. After this it grows on and on, and becomes quiescent and changes its shape, and is now called a chrysalis. The outer shell is hard, and the chrysalis moves if you touch it. It attaches itself by cobweb-like filaments, and is unfurnished with mouth or any other apparent organ. After a little while the outer covering bursts asunder, and out flies the winged creature that we call the psyche or butterfly. At first, when it is a caterpillar, it feeds and ejects excrement; but when it turns into the chrysalis it neither feeds nor ejects excrement.

The same remarks are applicable to all such insects as are developed out of the grub, both such grubs as are derived from the copulation of living animals and such as are generated without copulation on the part of parents. For the grub of the bee, the anthrena, and the wasp, whilst it is young, takes food and voids excrement; but when it has passed from the grub shape to its defined form and become what is termed a 'nympha', it ceases to take food and to void excrement, and remains tightly wrapped up and motionless until it has reached its full size, when it breaks the formation with which the cell is closed, and issues forth. The insects named the hypera and the penia are derived from similar caterpillars, which move in an undulatory way, progressing with one part and then pulling up the hinder parts by a bend of the body. The developed insect in each case takes its peculiar colour from the parent caterpillar.

From one particular large grub, which has as it were horns, and in other respects differs from grubs in general, there comes, by a metamorphosis of the grub, first a caterpillar, then the cocoon, then the necydalus; and the creature passes through all these transformations within six months. A class of women unwind and reel off the cocoons of these creatures, and afterwards weave a fabric with the threads thus unwound; a Coan woman of the name of Pamphila, daughter of Plateus, being credited with the first invention of the fabric. After the same fashion the carabus or stag-beetle comes from grubs that live in dry wood: at first the grub is motionless, but after a while the shell bursts and the stag-beetle issues forth.

From the cabbage is engendered the cabbageworm, and from the leek the prasocuris or leekbane; this creature is also winged. From the flat animalcule that skims over the surface of rivers comes the oestrus or gadfly; and this accounts for the fact that gadflies most abound in the neighbourhood of waters on whose surface these animalcules are observed. From a certain small, black and hairy caterpillar comes first a wingless glow-worm; and this creature again suffers a metamorphosis, and transforms into a winged insect named the bostrychus (or hair-curl).

同类推荐
  • 呻吟语

    呻吟语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 为政善报事类

    为政善报事类

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 修真十书杂着指玄篇

    修真十书杂着指玄篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 处世悬镜

    处世悬镜

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 菩萨念佛三昧经

    菩萨念佛三昧经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 美漫大幻想

    美漫大幻想

    一个穿越者成为变种人的挣扎史。PS1:第三卷恢复记忆。PS2:漫威,DC都有,以漫威为主线,DC为辅。PS3:影视为主,漫画为辅。****新书已发,《九星毒奶》,欢迎品读。
  • 飘邈之旅

    飘邈之旅

    也许会看到先进的文明,也许会看到诱人的法宝,也许会看到仙人的遗迹,也许会看到西方中世纪的古堡,也许会看到各种稀奇古怪的野兽……不用奇怪!这就是缥缈之旅!
  • 精灵公主林黛玉

    精灵公主林黛玉

    精灵公主,历劫而来。在庭院深深的红楼里,有着怎样的爱情纠葛?精灵公主,因缘巧合带着记忆托生成林黛玉,表面柔弱伤感的黛玉,背地里是巾帼不让须眉的天之傲女。傲颜公主在红楼里,慢慢的改变着命定的轨迹,她的爱归属于谁?风流皇帝乾隆、冷酷少主凌云寒、逍遥亲王允估,谁是为爱为她而来的萧清轩?习翩然(转生为林黛玉)九世的恩怨牵绊,九世的爱恨情缘,今朝的释然,让我们聚首白头。萧清轩(转生会是谁?)九世的伤,换来今生的你,这次上黄泉下碧落,无论如何我都会抓紧你......!~~~~~~~~~~性情刚烈的萧清清为爱转生,怨恨着从小一起长大的好友精灵公主。心中的怨恨,宿世的恩怨。蒙蔽了她内心的纯真,却忘不了心爱之人!“清清,等我!”谁是清清?等我亦或我等?奇怪的梦境。深情的爱意,心动的呼唤!是属于我的吗?你是谁?你在哪?九世的桑田,已经平复了心中那份执念,慢慢羽化。释然于今世,只为知心人白首不离!萧清清(转生会是谁?)爱你爱到疯狂,爱你爱到毁灭,受尽宿世的恩怨,成就今天的转变。习默然(转生又会是谁?)记不住你的身影,记不住你的容颜,只记住心中的牵挂,海角天涯短如寸尺。~~~~~~~~~~~~~~身为精灵界的公主,她为何转世为林黛玉,步入红楼,她的命运是泪尽而亡还是扭转乾坤?不辞辛劳的找寻视如姐妹的好友她今后的历程到底如何,面临一系列的事情她又该如何处理!既是命运让他们相遇,既是命运让他们邂逅,那身为林黛玉的她,她的爱又甘愿为谁。在痛苦中挣扎,在艰难中磨练,一切的恩恩怨怨是继续扎根生长还是随风而去?故事,便在《精灵公主林黛玉》中一一揭晓……本人新文《九少很倾城》女生最爱玩的宫廷游戏:《宫廷计》http://m.wkkk.net/@@推荐好友@@燃烧的烟火《穿越之绝色倾妃》凤舞阁主《白发魔姬》清玉冷《红楼别传之黛玉》尔乃笑《错生》素素是盘菜《穿越之冰尊》笛染相思《弑传》冰雨飘飘《祸世魔女》
  • 成语中的科学:成语淘宝话健康

    成语中的科学:成语淘宝话健康

    《成语中的科学:成语淘宝话健康》围绕着中华文化中的瑰宝——成语,依据中医学理论知识剖析其中深藏的医学道理,针对人体生理、病理、疾病的不同状态,从以下几个方面对养生所涉及的问题进行论述:饮食养生(汤液醪醴)、运动养生、衣饰养生、情志养生、起居养生、脏腑养生、依病养生、四时养生、导引养生、针灸养生等。
  • 沫上花开夜无霜

    沫上花开夜无霜

    他是上古四大神兽之一,一心护卫天下;她是一介凡人,无欲无求。一念之差,受尽十世轮回之苦,魂飞魄散。他为爱成魔,她因爱成佛…终是站在了对立面上,相爱而不得善终“白夜,你可曾对我有过心动,哪怕只有一点点”
  • 佛说婆罗门子命终爱念不离经

    佛说婆罗门子命终爱念不离经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说宝生陀罗尼经

    佛说宝生陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 呆萌小财妃

    呆萌小财妃

    二十一世纪的艺术学院才女白秋水,因空难穿越到古代,成了天运朝左相嫡女,传闻她:无色.无才.堪称第一无盐女。天运朝堂堂摄政王,一人之下万人之上,三国公认的第一美男子,冷情孤傲,惜字如金,不近女色,当换了灵魂的她碰上孤傲的他。片段:一曲沧海一生笑,促成了他们的相识,片段:王爷,王妃带着春桃去了天香阁,听说约了常胜将军....暗卫话未说完,感觉一阵轻风飘过,书房已没有了摄政王的影子,暗雨擦汗,王爷的武功又精进不少。
  • 相逢是首歌

    相逢是首歌

    本书收录了阎耀明的作品,包括《相逢是首歌》、《女孩的金秋》、《不买车票的小女孩》、《重逢的意义》等,主要以情感类、校园类小说为主。阎耀明的小小说大都把笔触延伸到社会的最底层,在关注那些小人物的际遇和命运的同时,营造着一个具有他自己特色的文学空间。 作品立意深刻,构思巧妙,情节曲折,于质朴中见幽默,于调侃中见温情,于娓娓叙述中蕴含人生哲理,展现了作者对生活的深厚体验和独特思考,对广大读者和写作者有着极其特殊的启悟意义。
  • 北使录

    北使录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。