Gay, Pastoral, i. (1714).
Swan. The swan retires from observation when about to die, and sings most melodiously.
Swans a little before their death sing most sweetly.--Pliny, Natural History, x. 23.
The swanne cannot hatch without a cracke of thunder.--Lord Northampton, Defensive, etc. (1583).
Tarantula. The tarantula is poisonous.
The music of a tarantula will cure its venomous bite.
Toad. Toads spit poison, but they carry in their head an antidote thereto.
... the toad ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in its head.
Shakespeare, As You Like It, act ii. sc. 1 (1600).