An Extract of a Letter of the Same Mr. Lister, Written from York April 12. 1672. Concerning Animated Horse-Hairs; Rectifying a Vulgar Error

forth: it was covered over with grass green matter, which soon dried, and left the stone of a whitish colour, as it is to be seen. It is but light in proportion to its bulk, weighing about 7 grains; and 'tis much of the shape of our ordinary horse-beans. There are visible impressions upon it of some Capillary and small vessels, it was bred amongst. Lastly, it is scabrous or rough, sand-like, although the substance is Tophaceous. The Accidents accompanying the working away of this Stone, (for the incision was merely obstetrical,) and the place of its birth give occasion to call the distemper a Ranula. Yet in truth this was nothing else but one of those Tumours called Atheroma; and therefore we will name it lapis Atheromatis. An Extract of a Letter of the same Mr. Lister, written from York April 12. 1672. concerning animated Horse-hairs; rectifying a Vulgar Error. Sir, I cannot discover any thing new and rare in natural Philosophy, but I must forthwith make you participate of my good fortune; and I assure you, the relation, I am about to make you, is of a thing very surprising. It hath been credibly reported, that Horse hairs thrown into water will be animated; and yet I shall shew you by an unquestionable observation, that such things as are vulgarly thought animated Hairs are very Insects, nourished within the bodies of other Insects, even as Ichneumones are within the bodies of Caterpillars. I will premise the particulars concerning this Animal, as I find them collected by the Industry of Aldrovandus, and save you the trouble of that voluminous Author. This Insect (faith he) seems to have been unknown to the Ancients; as it is called by the moderns feta aquatica or vermis fetarius, either from the most slender figure of the body; or because it is thought to be generated of an horse-hair putrifying in water. The Germans call them by a name rendered Vituli aquatiti. It is bred in corrupt waters; perhaps of horse-hair, for (faith Albertus upon his own frequent trial, as I find him quoted by Aldrovandus,) these hairs, put into standing water, move and are inanimated, or, as he words it, vitam & spiritum accipiunt, & moventur. Others have thought them to have their birth from weeds hanging down from the banks into ponds and Rivers. Others from Locusts and Grasshoppers (ex Bruchis;) which last though it be near the matter, yet it is rejected by Aldrovandus himself, as the most unlikely. They have been found in a cold and good spring, and elsewhere, (which is a wonder, faith Aldrovandus,) upon a leaf in a Garden. And this, which was there found, was 5 or 6 fingers-breadth long; the thickness of a bristle Horse-hair, with a dusky back, and a white belly; and the tail on every side white. I saw (faith Aldrovandus) a black one thicker than the whitish one. Other Authors otherwise describe them, as Bertrutius, Albertus, &c. Some affirming them to have been a cubit long; others, two cubits, others, 9 inches long at the least: that they are white of colour, and so hard as scarce to be crushed with ones foot: to be everywhere of the same thickness: that they move not as wormes move, but snake-like, and knit themselves up into knots: that their skin is one continued thing without Incisions; and therefore some would exclude them from the insect-kind: that they have no head, but swim both ways, and therefore may be called amphibena aquatica: that they are poison, drunk down into the stomack, but not venom to the touch. And thus much out of Aldrovandus concerning the name of this Insect, the place of its birth and original, the place where they are to be found, its description, different species, nature, poison &c. Our observation is this. April. 2. there was thrown up out of the ground of my Garden, in digging amongst other things of this nature, a certain cole-black Beetle of a middle size, and flat shape, and which I have observed elsewhere common enough. These Beetles I dissected upon the account of some curiosity, wherein I had a mind to satisfy myself. But I was surprised to find in their swollen bellies of these Hair-wormes, in some three, in others but one only. These particulars we carefully noted: 1. That upon the incision they crawled forth of themselves. 2. That putting them into water, they lived in it many days, and did seem to endeavour to escape by lifting up their heads out of the water, and fastening them to the side of the vessels; very plainly drawing the rest of their body forward. 3. That they cannot be said to be amphi/bena, but do move forward only by the head, which is fairly distinguishable from the tail by a notable blackness. That the three, I took out of the body of one Beetle, were all of a dark hair-colour with whitish bellies, somewhat thicker than hoggs bristles; but I took out of the body of another beetle one that was much thicker than the rest; much lighter coloured; and by measure just five Inches and a half long; whereas all the rest did not exceed three inches three quarters. An Extract of a Letter, written March 5. 1672. by Dr. Thomas Cornelio, a Neapolitan Philosopher and Physician, to John Dodington Esquire, his Majesties Resident at Venice; concerning some Observations made of persons pretending to be stung by Tarantula's: English'd out of the Italian. SIR Now the time approaches, that I may send you some Tarantulas. Meanwhile I shall not omit to impart unto you, what was related to me, a few daies since, by a judicious and unprejudicate person, which is; That being in the Country of Otranto (where those Insects are in great numbers,) there was a man, who thinking himself stung by a Tarantula, shew'd in his neck a small speck, about which in a very short time there arose some pimples full of a serous humour, and that, in a few hours after, that poor man was sorely afflicted with very violent symptoms, as Syncope's, very great agitations, giddines of the head, and vomit; but that without any inclination at all to dance, and without all desire of having any musical instruments, he miserably dyed within two daies. The same person affirm'd to me, that all those that think themselves bitten by Tarantula's, (except such, as for some ends fain themselves to be so,) are for the most part young wanton girles, (whom the Italian writer calls Dolci di sale,) who by some particular indisposition falling into this melancholly madness, persuade themselves according to the vulgar prejudice, to have been stung by a Tarantula. And I remember to have observed in Calabria some women, who feited on by some such accidents were counted to be possest with the Divel; it being the common belief in that Province, that the greatest part of the evils, which afflict man-kind, proceeds from evil Spirits. This brings to my mind a terrible evil, which often enough is