Book II, chapters 11–16: Mingling and generating living creatures

CHAP. XI.

Of some other commixtions, whereby other beasts of divers kinds are generated.

WE will speak yet farther of the commixtion of divers beasts differing in kinde; as also of other mixtions derived from these, so to find out all such kinds: and moreover we will shew, that of their young, some take after the Sire most, and some after the Dam. And first, that

A Leopard is gendred of a Libard and a Lioness.

The Lionesse is reported to burn in lust; and because the Lion is not so fit for copulation, by reason of his superfluity of heat, therefore she entertains the Libard into the Lions bed: but when her time of bringing forth draws neer, she gets away into the Mountains, and such places where the Libards haunt: for they bring forth spotted whelps, and therefore nurse them in thick woods very covertly, making shew to the Lions, that they go abroad only to seek some prey; for if the Lions at any time light upon the whelps, they tear them in pieces, as being a bastard brood, as Philostratus writes. In the wilde of Hircania, there are Leopards, as it were, another kind of Panthers, which are known well enough, which couple with the Lionesse, and beget Lions; but they are but base Lions, as Solinus writes. Isiodore saith, that the Libard and the Lionesse coupling together, procreate a Leopard, and so make a third kind. Pliny saith, That those Lions which are generated of Libards, do want the mones of Lions. And Solinus saith, that the Lion can find out by his smell, when the Lionesse hath played the Harlot; and seeks to revenge it upon her with all his might: and therefore the Lionesse washes her self in some River, or else keeps aloof from him, till the scent be wasted. Now as there are two sorts of Mules, one of a Horse and an Asse, the other of an Asse and a Mare; so there are two sorts of Leopards, one of a Libard and a Lionesse, the other of a Lion and a Panther, or She-libard: that is in body like a Lion, but not in courage; this is in body and colour like a Libard, but not in stomack: for all double-kinded creatures, take most after their mother, especially for shape and quantity of their bodies. Claudianus saith, that there is a kinde of Libard, which he calls a Water-libard, that is generated of a mingled seed, when a strong and vigorous Libard meeteth with a Lionesse, and happily coupleth with her: and this kinde of Libard is like the Sire for his spots, but his back and the portraiture of his body is like his Dam. Now there is another copulation of the Lionesse, when the

Hyaena and the Lionesse gender the beast Crocuta;

for the Lionesse is very furious in lust, (as we shewed before) and couples with divers kinds of beasts: For Pliny writes, and Solinus writes the same, That the Hyaena and the Lionesse of Aethiopia, gender the beast Crocuta. Likewise the Panther is a most lustful beast, and she also couples with beasts of divers kinds; with a Wolf especially: of both which, the

Hycopanther, or beast called Thoes, is gendred;

for the Panther, when her sacoting is come, goeth up and down, and makes a great noise, and thereby assembles many, both of her own kind, and of other kinds also. And amongst the rest, the Wolf oft-times meets and couples with her, and from them is generated the beast Thoes, which resembles the Dam in the spots of his skin, but in his looks he resembles the Sire. Oppianus saith, That the Panther and the Wolfe do gender this Thoes, and yet he is of neither kinde: for, saith he, oft-times the Wolfe cometh to the Panthers Den, and couples with her; and thence is generated the Thoes: whose skin is very hard, and is meddled with both their shapes; skinned like a Panther, and headed like a Wolfe. There is also a

Thoes gendred of a Wolf and a female Hyaena.

This medley, Hesychius and Varinus have described; That of them comes this Thoes, as the Greeks call it. The Scholiast upon Homer saith, That it is like to the Hyaena: and some call it Chaos. Pliny saith, That this Chaos, which by the French is called Raphium, was first set forth for a shew, in the games of Pompey the Great: and that it hath spots like a Leopard, but is fashioned like a Wolf. But the Greeks make mention of a very strange adultery, that

The Bactrian Camel is gendred of a Camel and a Swine;

for Didymus, in his workes called Geoponica, reporteth, that in certain Mountaines of India, Boares and Camels feed together, and so fall to copulation, and gender a Camel: and this Camel so gendred, hath a double rising, or two bunches upon his back. But as the Mule which is generated of a Horse and an Ass, is in many qualities like the Sire, so the Camel which is begotten of a Boar, is strong and full of stiffe bristles like a Boar; and is not so soon down in the mud as other Camels are, but helps himself out lustily by his own force; and will carry twice so great a burthen as others. But the reason of their name, why they are called Bactrian Camels, is this; Because the first that ever was so generated, was bred in the Country of Bactria.

CHAP. XII.

Of sundry copulations, whereby a man genders with sundry kinds of Beasts.

I Am much ashamed to speak of it, that Man being the chief of all living Creatures, should so foully disparage himself, as to couple with bruit beasts, and procreate so many half-savage Monsters as are often seen: wherein Man shews himself to be worse then a beast. I will relate some few examples hereof, thereby to make such wicked wretches an obloquie to the World, and their names odious to others. Plutark saith, That bruit beasts fall not in love with any, but of their own kinde; but man is so incensed with lust, that he is not ashamed most villanously to couple himself with Mares and Goats, and other Beasts; for Man is of all other Creatures most lecherous, at all seasons fit and ready for copulation; and besides, agrees with many living Creatures in his time of breeding: all which circumstances make much for the producing of monstrous, and half-savage broods. And howsoever the matter we speak of is abominable, yet it is not fruitlesse, but helps much to the knowledge of some other things in the searching out of the secrecies of nature. Plutark in his Tract, which he calls the Banquet of the wise men, sheweth, that a shepherd brought into the house of Periander,

A Babe gendred of a Man and a Mare,

which had the hands, and neck, and head of a Man, but otherwise it was like a Horse; and it cried like a young child. Thales, as soon as he saw it, told Periander, that he did not esteem it as a strange and monstrous thing, which the gods had sent to portend and betoken the seditions and commotions likely to ensure, as Diocles thought of it; but rather as a naturall thing: and therefore his advice was, that either they should have no Horse-keepers; or if they had, they should have wives of their own. The same Author in his Parallels, reporteth out of Agesilaus his third book of Italian matters, that Fulvius Stella loathing the company of a woman, coupled himself with a Mare, of whom he begat a very beautiful maiden-child; and she was called by a fit name, Ep[…]na. And the same Plutark reporeth also of

A maiden that was generated of a Man and an Ass;

for Aristonymus Ephesius, the Son of Demonstratus, could not away with a womans company, but made choice of an Asse to lie with; and she brought him forth after a certain time, a very comely maiden, and in shew exceeding beautiful: she was called Onoscelis, that is to say, one having Asses thighes: and this story he gathered out of Aristotle, in the second of his Paradoxes. But Galen cannot think this possible; nay, it is scarce possible in nature, seeing a Man and an Asse differ so much as they do: for if a man should have to do with an Asse, her wombe cannot receive his seed, because his genitories are not long enough to convey it into her place of conception: or if it were, yet she would presently, or at least not long after, marte his seed. Or, if she could so conceive, and bring her birth to perfection, how, or by what food should it be nourished after the birth? But, though this can hardly be, yet I do not think it altogether impossible, seeing all men are not of a like complexion, but some may be found, whose complexion doth not much differ from a horses; and some men also have longer and larger genitories then others; as also some Mares and Asses have lesse and shorter genitories then others have: and it may be too, that some celestial influence hath a stroke in it, by enliving the seed, and causing the Dam to conceive it, and bring it forth in due time. And because all these things do very seldom concur together, therefore such births are very seldom seen. Aelianus writeth another story, That there was once generated

A half-beast of a Man and a Goat.

There was a certain young man in Sybaris, who was called Crachis, a luster after Goats; and being over-ruled by his lust, coupled himself with a fair Goat, the fairest he could light upon, and lived with her as his Love and Concubine, bestowing many gifts upon her, as Ivy and Rushes to eat; and kept her mouth very sweet, that he might kisse her; and laid under her soft grasse, that she might lie easie, and sleep the better. The He-goat, the Ring-leader of the Herd, espying this, watcht his time when the young man was on sleep, and fell upon him and spoiled him. But the She-goat, when her time was come, brought forth an infant that had the face of a man, but the thighs of a Goat. The same Author writes, That

Women lie with He-goats, and with the Cynocephali;

for the He-goats are so lecherous, that in the madnesse of their lust, they will set upon Virgins, and by force ravish them. Herodotus in his second book, writeth of a He-goat, that had to do with a woman openly, and in the sight of many men standing by. Strabo saith, that in the Mediterranean Sea, a little without the mouth of a River neer to Sebenis and Pharnix, there is an Island called Xoas, and a City within the Province of Sebenis, and the Cities Hermopolis and Mendes, where Pan is honoured for a God, and with him is likewise honoured a He-goat; and there, as Pindarus reports, He-goats have to do with women: In the utmost corner of the winding of the River Nilus, saith he, are fed certain Herds of Goats; and there the lecherous He-goats are mingled with women. Aelianus also writes of the Indians, that they will not admit into their Cities any red Apes, because they are oft-times mad in lust towards women; and if at any time they find such Apes, they hunt and destroy them, as being adulterous beasts. Pliny writes also, That

Man couples with divers kinds of beasts:

for some of the Indians have usual company with bruit beasts; and that which is so generated, is half a beast, and half a man.

CHAP. XIII.

That divers kinds of birds may be generated of divers birds coupling together.

BEfore we come to speak of the commixtion of birds, it is meet to prescribe certain observations for the more easie effecting thereof; that if we have need to supply any defects in any birds, we may be the better instructed how to perform it readily, to make them fitter for our uses. Se shewed before out of Aristotle, that if we would mingle Creatures of divers kinds, we must see that they be of like bignesse, of a like proportion of time for their breeding, of a like colour; but especially, that they be very lecherous; for otherwise they will hardly insert themselves into a strange stock. If a Falconer be desirous to produce fighting Hawks, or Cocks, or other birds, he must first seek our good lusty males, such as be strong and stomackful, that they may derive the: same qualities into their young ones. Next, they must procure strong and couragious females: for if but one of them be stomackful, the young ones will rather take after the dulnesse and faint-heart of the one, then after the quicknesse and courage of the other. When you have thus made choice of the best breeders, before their copulation, you must keep them together within doors, and bring them by little and little acquainted with each other; which you may best do, by causing them to feed and to live together. Therefore you must prepare a pretty little cottage, about ten foot long, and ten foot broad; and let all the windows be made out toward the South, so that there may good store of light come in at the top of the house. In the middle you must make a partition with lattises or grates, made of Osiers: and let the rods stand so far asunder, as that the birds head and neck may go in between them: and in one side of the room, let that bird be alone by her self, which you would make tame; in the other side, put the other birds which you purpose to join in copulation with the strange bird. So then, in the prime of the Spring, (for that is the time wherein all Creatures are most eager in lust) you must get you fruitful birds, and let them be of the same colour, as is the bird which you desire to become tame. These you must keep certain daies at the same boord as it were, and give them their meat together, so that the strange bird may come at it through the grate: for by this means she will learn to be acquainted with them, as with her fellows, and will live quietly by them, being as it were kept in prison from doing them any wrong: whereas otherwise she would be so fierce upon them, that she would spare none, but it she could, destroy them all. But when once by tract of time, and continual acquaintance with his fellows, this male-bird is become somewhat gentle, look which of the females he is most familiar with, let her be put in the same room where he is; and give them both meat enough. And because commonly he either kills, or doth not care for the first female that is put unto him, therefore, lest the keeper should lose all his hope, he must keep divers females for supply. When you perceive that he hath gotten the female with young, presently you must divorce one of them from the other, and let him in a new mate, that he may fill her also: and you must feed her well till she begin to sit upon her egges, or put the egges under some other that sits. And thus shall you have a young one, in all respects like the Cock: but as soon as the young ones are out of the shell, let them be brought up by themselves, not of their mother, but of some other Hen-bird. Last of all, the females of this brood, when they be come to ripenesse, that they stand to their Cock, their first or their second brood will be a very exact and absolute kinde.

CHAP. XIV.

Divers commixtions of Hens with other Birds.

WE will begin with Hens, because they are in great request with us, and are houshold-birds, alwayes before our eyes; and besides, they may be very profitable and gainful, if we can tell how to procreate and bring up divers kinds of them. Cocks are of all other most lecherous; and they spend their seed, not only at the sight of their Hens, but even when they hear them crake or cackle; and to represse their lust, they are oftentimes carved. They tread and fall to their sport, almost all the year long. Some Hens are very lusty, and withal very fruitful; insomuch that they lay three-score egges before they sit to hatch them: yea, some that are kept in a pen, do lay twice in one day; and some bring forth such store of egges, that they consume themselves thereby, and die upon it. We will first shew

How to couple a Partridge with a Hen.

Partridges are much given to lust, and very eager of coition, and are mingled with other birds of divers kinds, and they couple betwixt themselves, and so have young ones; as first with Hens, of whom they procreate certain birds, which partake of both kinds in common, for the first brood; but in processe of time, when divers generations have successively passed, they take meerly after the mother in all respects, as Aristotle writeth. The field-cocks are usually more lustful then houshold-cocks are, and they tread their Hens as soon as ever they are off the roust; but the Hens are more inclinable to coition, about the middle of the day, as Athenaeus writes, out of Aelianus and Theophrastus: of which circumstances we may take our best advantage in coupling them with Partridges. After the same manner

A Hen and a Pheasant may gender together;

for, as Florentius writes, the Pheasant and the Hen agree both in their time of laying, either of them bringing forth egges one and twenty daies after conception. And though she be not so wanton as other birds are, yet in their treading time they are glad of coition, and not very wilde, especially those that are of the smaller sort: for these may easily be made tame, and suffered to go amongst Hens; but at their first taking they are very fierce, insomuch that they will not only kill Hens, but even Peacocks too. Some men bring up Pheasants to make a game of them: but some breed them for delight and pleasure, as I saw at Ferraria in the Princes Court, where was brought up very great store, both of Hens and Pheasants too. And this hath been an old practice: for in Athenaeus we find a saying of Ptolomy, that not only Pheasants were sent for out of Media, but the Country Hens, they also afforded good store of them, the egges being conceived in them by the treading of a Cockpheasant. First then, you must take a Cock-pheasant, and be very careful in keeping of him tame amongst your Hens: after that, you must seek our Country-hens of divers colours, as like the colour of the Hen-Pheasant as you can, and let them live with the Cock-Pheasant, that in the Spring-time he may tread the Hens; and they will bring forth speckled egges, everywhere full of black spots, far greater and goodlier then other egges are. When these are hatched, you must bring up the chicken with barly-flour, and some leaves of smallage shred in amongst it; for this is the most delightful and nourishing food that they that they can have. There is also

A Chick gendred of a Pigeon and a Hen:

the Pigeon must be young, for then he hath more heat and desire of copulation, and much abundance of seed; for if he be old, he cannot tread: but young Pigeons do couple at all times, and they bring forth both Summer and Winter. I had my self at home a single Pigeon, & a Hen that had lost her Cock: the Pigeon was of a large size, and wanton withal; the Hen was but a very small one: these lived together, and in the Spring-time the Pigeon trode the Hen, whereby she conceived, and in her due season laid egges, and afterward hatched them, and brought forth chicken that were mixt of either kind, and resembled the shape of them both. In greatnesse of body, in fashion of head and bill, they were like a Pigeon; their feathers very white and curled, their feet like a Hens feet, but they were overgrown with feathers; and they made a noise like a Pigeon: and I took great pleasure in them; the rather, because they were so familiar, that they would still sit upon the bed, or nuzzle into some womans bosom. But there is, yet another mixture, when

A Cock, and a Pea, gender the Gallo-Pavus;

which is otherwise called the Indian-hen, being mixt of a Cock and Pea, though the shape be liker to a Pea then to Cock. In body and greatnesse it resembles the Pea, but it hath a combe and chackels under the chin like a Cock: it hath the voice of a Pea, and spreads forth her tail, and hath such varietie of colours as she hath. The taste of her flesh relishes like a compound of them both; whereby it appears, that both kinds are not unfitly matcht together. But afterward, when the she Gallo-pavus and the Pea-cock were brought up tame together, we had of them very fruitful egges, which being hatcht, yeelded very goodly chickens, whose feathers were of a most orient and glistering colour: and these young ones afterward growing bigger, were mingled in copulation with Pea-cocks and Pea-hens, and the brood which was so generated of them, were in a manner all of the kind and fashion of the Pea. The like a man may conjecture of other kinds of birds.

CHAP. XV.

How to generate Hawkes of divers properties.

WE will shew some commixtions of Hawks, by the example whereof, you may imagine of your self the like in other birds: and hereby it shall appear how we may amend divers faults and defects in Hawks, and engraffe in them some new qualities to be derived from their sundry progenitets. And first, how

The bird Theocronus is gendred of a Hawk and an Eagle.

Hawks are exceeding hot in lust; and though there be divers kinds of them, yet they all couple together among themselves without any difference, as Aristotle writeth: they couple with Eagles, and thereby engender bastard Eagles. Eagles are most lecherous: and whereas among other creatures, the famale is not alwayes ready and willing to yeeld to the male for coition; yet the Eagles never refuse it: for though they have been trod never so oft, yet still, if the male desire copulation, the female presently yeelds unto him. Aelianus accounts ordinary and common Hawks in the kind of Eagles. Oppianus in his Ixeutica saith, that there is a bird known well enough, called Theocronus, which is generated of a male Hawk, and a female Eagle. There is a kind of Hawks so wholly given over to lust, that in the Spring-time they lose all their strength, and every little bird snaps at them; but in the Summer, having recovered her strength, she is so lusty, that she flies up and down to revenge her self upon those little birds; and as many of them as she catches, she devours. If the male of this kind do but hear the voice of the female Eagle, presently he flies to her, and they couple together: but the egges which she conceives by this base copulation, she scorns to hatch and sit upon, and that she may not be known of it to the male Eagle, she flies far away from him: for the male Eagle, if once he perceive that she hath played the harlot, divorces her from him, and is throughly revenged upon her. These birds are now commonly called Sea-eagles. There is also a commixtion, whereby the Hawk mingles himself

with a Faulcon, and with a Buzzard, and the Eagle Nisus;

for Hawks do not only couple with their own kind, but with Faulcons, Buzzards, and Eagles of divers kinds, as also with most of those fowles that live upon the prey and spoil of other birds; and according to the diversity of those kinds, divers kinds of Hawks are generated. Besides, they couple with strange Faulcons of other Countries, and other kinds: for as soon as they be hatcht and Pen-feathered, if their parents see that they are not right Faulcons, presently they beat them away; and so partly because they cannot endure their parents rage, and partly to get their living, they flie away into strange places; and there finding no mates of their own kind, they seek out a mate of another kind, the likest to her own kind that the can meet with, and couples with them. So then, if you have Hawks that descend from the right and best kind, art may more easily work upon them, then upon such as come of the baser sort. In like manner there may be generated of divers kinds of Eagles divers fowles, as

The Osprey, the fowl called Ossifragus, and Ravens also.

Pliny discoursing of the Osprey, saith, That they have no proper kinde of their own, but are descended from divers sorts of Eagles mingled together: and that which cometh of the Osprey, is of the kind of Ossifragi: and that which cometh of the Ossifragi, is a kind of little Ravens, and of these afterward is generated a kind of great Ravens, which have no issue at all: the Author of which assertions before Pliny, was Aristotle in his book of Wonders. Oppianus saith, that Land-eagles are a bastard brood, which their parents beat out of their nests, and so they are for a while nourished by some other fowles, till at length they forsake the Land, and seek their living in the Sea.

CHAP. XVI.

Of the commixtion of divers kinds of fishes.

IT is a very hard thing for a man to know, whether divers kinds of fishes be mingled together or no; because they live altogether under the waters, so that we cannot observe their doings; especially such as they practise against the ordinary course of nature. But if we rightly consider that which hath been spoken, before, we may easily effect their commixtion, namely, if we take such fishes as are much given to venery, and match those together which are alike in bigness; in time of breeding, and in other such conditions as were before required. Aristotle in his book of living Creatures, saith, that divers fishes in kind never mingle their seeds together: neither did ever any man see two fishes of divers kinds couple in generation, excepting only these two,

The Skate and the Ray, which engender the Rhinobatos;

which is so called of both his parents names compounded together. And out of Aristotle, Pliny reporteth, that no fishes of divers kinds mingle their seeds, save only the Skate and the Ray; of both which is gendred the fish Rhinobatos, which is like the Ray in all his former parts, and hath his name in Greek answerable to his nature; for it is compounded of the names of both his parents. And of this kind of fish I never read nor heard any thing besides this. Theodorus Gaza translates the word Rhinobatos into Squatin[…]-raia in Latine, that is, a Skate-ray: and though some deny that there is any such fish, yet surely it is found in the Sea about Naples; and Simon Portus, a very learned Philosopher of Naples, did help me to the sight of one of them; and the picture thereof is yet reserved, and it is to be seen.