Book II, chapters 21–22: Mingling and generating living creatures

CHAP. XXI.

How we may procure either males or females to be generated.

EMpedocles was of opinion, That males or females were generated according to the heat or cold that was in them; and thence it is, saith he, that the first males are reported to have been generated in the Eastern and Southern parts of the earth, but the first females in the Northern parts. But Parmenides quite contrary affirmed, That males were especially generated towards the North, as having in them more solidity and thicknesse; and females especially towards the South, as being more loose and open, according to the disposition of the place. Hipponax held, That males and females are generated, according as the seed is either strong and solid, or fluid, weak and feeble. Anaxagoras writes, that the seed which issueth out of the right parts of the body, is derived into the right parts of the wombe; and likewise that which issueth out of the left parts of the body, falleth into the left parts of the wombe: but if they change courses, and the right seed fall into the left cell or receit in the wombe, or the left seed into the right cell, then it generates a female. Leucippus held, That there was no cause either in the seed or heat, or solidity, or place, that they should be different sexes, but only as it pleases nature to mark the young ones with different genitories, that the male hath a yard, and the female a wombe. Democritus affirms, that either sex in every part proceeds indifferently from either parent; but the young one takes in sex after that parent which was most prevalent in that generation. Hipponax saith, if the seed whereof the young is begotten, prevail most, then it is a male; but if the nourishment which it receives in the breeding, prevail more then the seed, then it is a female. But all Physitians with one consent affirm, that the right side hath most heat in it; wherefore if the woman receive and retain the generative seed in the right side of her wombe, then that which she conceives, is a male; but if in the left side, it is a female. The experience whereof may be evidently seen in such living Creatures as bring forth many at one burthen: for if you cut open a Sow that is great with Pig, you shall find the Boar-pigs lying in the right side, and the Sow-pigs in the left side of her wombe. And hence it is, that Physitians counsel women, as soon as they have taken in mans seed, to turn them presently on their right side. And hence it is, that if you knit up a Rams right stone, he begets Ewe-lambs only, as Pliny writeth. A Bull, as soon as he hath rid a Cow, gives evident signs to any man to conjecture whether he hath begotten a Cow-calf or a Bulchin; for if he leap off by the right side, it is certain that he hath begotten a Bulchin; if by the left side, then a Cow-calf. Wherefore the Aegyptians in their Hieroglyphicks, when they would signifie a woman that hath brought forth a daughter, they make the character & likeness of a Bull looking toward the left side; but to signifie the birth of a son, they make his character as looking toward the right side. But if you desire to have a male generated, Africanus, Columella, and Didymus counsel you to knit up the left stone of the Sire; if a female, then to knit up his right stone; at such times as he is to be coupled for generation. But because this would be too muchto do, where there is great store of cattel, we may assay it by another means. Northern blasts help much to the conception of a male, and Southern blasts to the conception of a female, as Pliny reporteth: the force of the Northern air is such, that those beasts which are wont to procreate females only, this will cause to bring forth males also. The Dams at the time of their copulation, must be set with their noses into the North: and if they have been used to coition still in the morning, you must not put them to it in the afternoon, for then they will not stand to their mate. Aristotle, a man most subtile, and exquisitely seen in the works of nature, willeth us, that about the time of gendering, we should wait for some Northern blasts in a dry day, and then let the flock feed against the winde, and so let them fall to copulation: if we would procure females to be generated, then we must so wait for Southern blasts, and let them stand with their heads towards the South as they are in copulation; for so not only Aristotle counselleth, but Columella and Aelianus also: for it is a rule that Aelianus, Pliny, Africanus and Didymus do all give, that if the cattel, as soon as they have been covered, do turn themselves toward the Southern winde, then certainly they have conceived females. There is also some cause of the procreation of a male, or of a female, in the begetters themselves; nay further, some cause thereof may be the force and operation of some waters: for sometimes the waters cause that a male or female be generated. There is, not far from the City Pana, a certain River called Milichus; and not far from that, another River called Charadius; whereof if the beasts drink in the Spring-time, they commonly bring forth all males: for which cause the Shepherds there drive away their flocks at that time, and feed them in that part of the Country which lieth farthest off from that River; as Pausanias writeth in his Achaica.

CHAP. XXII.

Of divers experiences that may be, and have been practised upon divers living Creatures.

THere remain now certain experiments of living Creatures, both pleasant, and of some use, which we have thought good here to set down, to save a labour of seeking them any further. And first,

How to make Horses have white spots on them.

It is a thing required in the art of trimming of Horses, to be able to cause white spots to grow in some parts of them; for crafty Horse-coursers are wont to counterfeit white spots in the forehead, or left thigh, or right shoulder of an Horse, thereby to deceive such men, as are wont to gesse at the goodnesse and qualities of a horse, by the conjecture of such marks. And this their counterfeit practise hath been derected by this chance; that the hair of a horses skin being galled off in any place, after a while hoary hairs have grown up there of themselves; and it is not unlikely but that this chance taught them that practise. The manner of the doing it, is, first to shave off the hair in that place where you would have a white spot; and then rub off, or cut the upper skin, and so you shall there have a white patch. But Oppianus speaking of the same experiment, shews that it is to be done by fire. There be some Horses, saith he, that are full of white round spots intermingled with their black colour: it cometh by the industry of the Horse-breeder, who when they are yet tender and young, cunningly burns off their hair with an hot iron. But on the contrary, if you would have

The hairs of a wounded or galled place, to grow up of the same colour, as the other hair is of,

Tiberius hath taught the way how to do it. You must knead three pints of bruised or ground barley, and put to it the froth of nitre and a little salt, and make it into loaves; then you must put them into an Oven till they are burned to coals; afterward crush them, and beat them to powder, and then mix them with oyle, and anoint the sore or the scar therewith; and this you must do for twenty daies. But what should be the reason that this barley ashes should cause, not white hairs, but the like in colour to the rest, to grow upon the scars or sores of horses whereupon it is cast, that, Alexander Aphrodisaeus ascribes to this, because barley hath in it a purgative and cleansing force, and so wasteth and expelleth the humors, and all the naughty stuff, that was gathered by the sore into that part, because it was maimed, and consequently not so well able to relieve it self. Neither yet will I here omit that toyish experiment whereby we may

Procure in Oxen a counterfeit shew of fatnesse.

If you take an Oxe well grown in years, and make a hole into his thigh, and blow wind thereby into him, and afterward give him meat, he will shew fat, though indeed he be very lean. We may also, by giving them some kind of water to drink

Cause the fleeces and hides of cattel to be of divers colours,

as Aelianus sheweth. The River Crathis affords one channel that makes beasts white: for Oxen and Sheep, and all four-footed beasts, as Theophrastus saith, as soon as they drink of it, become white, though before they were red or black. In Euboea, all for the most part, are white Oxen by nature. Sheep, by reason of the diversity of mater which they drink, do diversly change their colour; the force and nature of the Rivers working this change in them, especially at every ramming time. Some are turned from black to white, and contrariwise, some are turned from white to black: these alterations are commonly seen neer to the River Antandrus, and neer also to a certain River in Thracia. The River Scamander, which is neer unto Troy, makes as many Sheep as drink of the water thereof, to become yellow. We may also conjecture and foresee by certain outward bodily signs in the Dam or Sire,

What colour their young ones will be of.

To foreknow the colour of young Mules, we must take special example of the hairs of their Dams ears and eye-lids: for howsoever the rest of their body is of one and the same colour, yet in those two parts we may discern so many and such colours as the foal shall have, as Columella writeth. So if you look under the Rams tongue, you shall there find certain veins; which if they be black, then will the Lambs be black also; but if they be white, then he hath begotten white Lambs: for look what colour these veins are of, with the same colour will the fleece of the Lambe be overspread; insomuch that if there be sundry colours in them, there will be also sundry like colours upon the Lambes, as Aristotle, Democritus and Didymus do witnesse. Now, how we may

Know by the egge, whether the chick when it is hatcht, will be a Cock or a Hen,

Aristotle teacheth us: for, saith he, if the egge be exactly round, then it will yield a Cock-chicken; but if it be somewhat long, then it yields an Hen-bird: the reason is, because in things that are round, the natural heat is more kindly and strongly compacted together.

How to make a bird sociable and familiar with thee.

Now we will speak of the sociablenesse and familiarity which a certain Pie had with a friend of mine: who by this pretty device did make the Pie so well acquainted with him, and so serviceable to him, that she would flie unto him, not only for the supplying of her daily wants, but as it were for love, never forsaking him night or day. The device was this. While she was yet unfeathered in the nest, he broke off her lower beak, even to her very jaws, that the poor wretch could not eat any meat but that which was put into her mouth with hands; and he himself gave her with his own hands all the meat she did eat. After that, she would flie to his trencher at dinner and supper, and would prate and chat unto him very flippant; insomuch that nothing could be spoken in the house, but she would imitate it, and speak it again; and not only frame her tongue to their words, but her body also to the imitating and resembling of their actions. And he was wont still to leave her loose at home, and she would flie about everywhere; but still at dinner and supper times she would return home. It fell out that the man had occasion to go from home fifteen or sixteen days journey: she would alwayes bear him company, now and then flying a great way before him, and would sit still upon a bough till he came at her; and then she would leap upon his cap and his shoulders, frisking about him for very joy; and sometimes staying behind him; and then when he was gone a great way before, she would in all haste flie away after to overtake him: and she was also his continual bed-fellow; and yet to this day he hath her, and enjoyeth her familiar company. But, concerning the general transmutation and change of living creatures, let these things be sufficient which we have already spoken.