N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y of N O R W A Y .
À itope ofimany fathoms ; and ’tisa finger and half»' or two finger*
broad. Each Worm » not thicker than a bit of . coaxfe thread,
and as long as an oat-corn ; of - a watery colour, with a black fpot
on the head, Thefe kind of Worms love to be together, and
are fpund by millions, continually crawling upon one another,
.yet fo that the whole company moves continually forwards, and
leaves a path behind them, Upon the bare ground, like a drawn
line. What this almoft numberlefe quantity of fmall Worms
nonrifljment m Jbbfiftenca is, is not to he perceived; and it is
probable that they prey upon one another, as M. Labat affures ; us
the American ferpents or fnakes do : otherwife the great encreafe
and number would render the place where they come uninhabitable,
Concerning the aforefaid Orme-Drag Jonas Ramus
fays, p. 24.2.5 that the, common people, when they perceive fié,
look. upon it as a fign of fame good luck, and throw their
cloaths in the way ; if the Worms go over them the owner is
counted fortunate, but if they pafs on one fide, then, by the
(âme fuperftition,, they think that he’ll foon die. The fame
author is of opinion, that thefe poflibly may be, the Worms,
of which Juvenal fays. Sat. II.
Non ilUs prodeft î» pyxide condita Lyde.
Id eft aranei genus, quod millenos verraiculos parère St. fterilita-
tem tollere, dicitur. |
Spider.]' According to this opinion the Orme-Drag fhould he the
Maggot, or a fort of young Spider, or fomething; of that kind *,
which I cannot agree to, fince Spiders,, which are called here
alibi Kongro, item Spindel, then would be in the fame places in
the greateft; quantities; which is not obferved, hut rather the
contrary, in comparifon to other countries. This, perhaps,, the
damp air, particularly towards the weft fide,- may occafion; hut
it is. certain, that of that fort, there are, but few, neither are they
laJQge; and. we ate left troubled with thair webs: in the houfes
and churches than any where -f.
* The Spider is produced in its, awn far-mfrom- the egg.
f The learned Hr. Hermamf Rugge; redtor at Slidre in Valders, related to me
fomethhw; extraordinary. ctncrcoin&a very finalLunknown.Injfea,. hardly bigger tHan a
grain or fand, with egg alt round and red: this is la poilonous, that ir any be all
accidental lihouldfwallow one,, He would indUntly dié.-
Ahttle.redSpuJei^, common ia. Engl and», of vdiich.thefaiae;thing.is faid here, hut
fabuioafly. ® *
S E C T.
N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y of N O R W A Y . 43
S E C T. Ytl.
A fort of almoft iavifible fmall Worms is brought hither in
Summer with a certaiii fog, called Haforje, beeaufe the Weft-
wind fets it in frdato the ocean»
This Haforje fo full of the aforefoid fihall WotmSj Which fall oft
the trees, and all greens* and do a Vaft deal of damage.
When the honey-dew falls qhc t i e ' fruit or bops, thep : there
follows, and doubtlefs arifos from that, a fort of fritall Wbrtns,
which do a vaft deal of nfifehief alfo; againft Which the farrflers
make ufo of the following remedy ; they take cute ant-hillock, ot
more, and boil .it in a tun of and fpViftklO every- greed1
thing: with it that they want to feve*. .Thfe! honey^dew is a
kind of a flimy moifture, which dries by1 the fun’s feddehheat',
aadv .then appears in form of cobwebs; ahd probably this is the
rile of a. half-fabulous account give» in Ewerb. Hdppelii Munch
Wfirab. Tom» I. JL. IL "C. vH. p» 9*. in the following wbfd$;
u Praetoritts in thefe Words defcribes an unebmmOn rain, whichfig?! German
^- fell Anno 1^15^1 He foyfi i© bis New W:orld, P» I* p 245,'
{‘ that ^d^rices camfe from Hamburgh of the 29th of July,: that
“ a merchant had, reported, fot truth, the folleWiftg finfty which
happened in Norway : i. e.- There "is a wood,1 which the dasy. '
before waS all green and bearftifal, and- the followhlg^ day
“ quite withered aWay, and the leaves wtere all covered with
M linnen, like muffin or gauze J of 'Wbidh1 the king, of Denmark
‘k? Was prefented with,^|> ells, and a merchant in Hambdr^h had
‘ijialfo had a piece in his hands»
This wb lodk’d upon as a mere fable at Leipzig^ butfome
‘6 kfifted upon the M i, the truth of it being Vouch’d by feveral
‘1 letteis from Hamburgh ; yet it remained a kind of doubt, and
people did not know whaiti to believe, fill orie account came
Cc in after the other, and cleared up all doubt of this fiilpicious
‘ ‘ . prodigy; and finally, , it was gut upon footing of credit, by
“ a confiderable burgher arid merchant’ s having received a very
fall and particular account, in the beginning of Auguft, from
n his faithful friend, a lord of the manor there ; which I have
^ read, and- with' aftonifhmertt; Vizi-from Tunderh in Holftein;
“ and wherein- was fpecifieel,. that at a place in Norway, fbr; about
“ a-quarter of a> mile round-, there had; fallen a kind of a'Web,
“ which had covered the earth; It is'almoft white, fays the ac->
“ count, and has the appearance of gauze; the people in thofe
parts-bad' made apparel of itr arid drafted themfolvfes In its
“ Perhaps God has) font it to- them a® a/ warning, to' make them
jH | - “ leave