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18 SWEDENBORG’S TRAVELS AND DIARIES. [ Doc. 205.
cloven into three parts, protrudes ; under the belly appears a
duct conveying blood. Their length varies from six to twelve
and even twenty-four inches. They grow while in the wood
engaged in boring ; and they would increase still more if there
were more substance to pierce. The holes are large enough
to admit a good sized goose quill. If two worms bore so as
to meet in the middle, they avoid meeting by deflecting their
course, and if they actually meet, they both die. On their
way they leave a glutinous or viscous matter which in time
.
hardens and adheres to the sides of the holes. This hardened
matter is like a shell and very fragile. In these cavities small
shining points are observed, which, when examined under the
microscope, have the appearance of some winged creatures.
It is worthy of notice that on the outer surface of the wood
only openings appear that are so small as to be scarcely
discernible to the naked eye, but in the inner part of the
wood they become wider and wider, so that the worms actually
increase there. A hundred openings are frequently seen, of
which scarcely ten are continued to the depth of one finger,
and when the worms reach the surface of the water, they take
some other course. They prefer to make their way along the
grain of the wood, although they also work transversely.
Their eggs are said to be round and covered with some vis
cous substance, so as to adhere better to the beams of wood
against which they are carried.
The remedies hitherto employed to prevent the ravages
of these insects , are said to be the following : 1. The
piles that are to be submerged are enveloped in coarse tow
and afterwards covered with pitch; in place of hempen tow
the hair of cows may be used. 2. At first they tried to
fortify their dikes against the threatened destruction, by com
bining the use of anchors or braces with the piles. 3. It was
proposed to construct dikes without the help of piles. 4. Again
it was suggested that the piles should be thoroughly dried by
exposing them to the action of fire, and that hot pitch should
be applied to them, which would then penetrate more towards
the interiors, the pores being opened by the fire. 5. Wallis
nerius proposed that the piles should be covered with lead ;
or that thick laths be fastened over them, and that the space
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