Page:The Works of William Harvey (part 1 of 2).djvu/419

 generation on his own merits, because the first impulse toward generation proceeds from him, so may the hen in some mea- sure be put down as the first cause of generation ; inasmuch as the male is undoubtedly inflamed to venery by the presence of the female. " The female fish/' says Pliny, 1 " wiU follow the male at the season of intercourse, and strike his belly with her nose ; at the spawning time the male will do the like to the female." I have myself at times seen male fishes in shoals following a female that was on the point of spawning, in the same way as dogs pursue a bitch, that they might sprinkle the ova just laid with their milk or seed. But this is particularly to be remarked in the more wanton and lascivious females, who stir up the dormant fires of Cupid, and inspire a silent love ; hence it is that the common cock, so soon as he sees one of his own hens that has been absent for ever so short time, or any other stranger-hen, forthwith feels the sting of desire, and treads her. Moreover, victorious in a battle, although wounded and tired from the fight, he straightway sets about treading the wives of his vanquished foe one after another. And that he may further feed the flame of love thus kindled in his breast, by various gesticulations, incitements, and caresses, often crowing the while, calling his hens to him, approaching and walking round them, and tripping himself with his wings, he entices his females to intercourse as by a kind of fascina- tion. Such are the arts of the male ; but sometimes a certain sullenness of the female, and an apparent disinclination on her part, contribute not a little to arouse the ardour of the male and stimulate his languishing desire, so that he fills her more quickly and more copiously with prolific spirit. But of allure- ments of this kind, and in what degree they promote concep- tion, we shall speak more hereafter. For, if you carefully weigh the works of nature, you will find that nothing in them was made in vain, but that all things were ordered with a pur- pose and for the sake of some good end.

Almost all females, though they have pleasure in the act of intercourse and impregnation, suffer pain in parturition. But the reverse is the case with the hen, who loudly complains dur- ing intercourse and struggles against it; but in parturition,

1 Hist. Nat. lib. ix, cap. 50.