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Part thereof, their Motion, their Instincts, their regular Generation and Production; and, to name no more, the incomparable Beauty and Luftre of the Colours of many of them, what more admirable and more manifeft Demonftration of the infinite Creator, than even this little contemned Branch of the Animal World? But let us take a fhort View of Particulars.

CHA P. II.

Of the Shape and Structure of INSECTS.

L

ET us begin with the Shape and Fabrick of their Bodies. Which although it be fomewhat different from that of Birds, being particularly, for the moft part, not fo fharp before, to cut and make way through the Air, yet is better adapted to their manner of Life. For confidering that there is little Neceffity of long Flights, and that the Strength and Activity of their Wings doth much furpass the Refiftance their Bodies meet with from the Air, there was no great Occafion their Bodies fhould be fo fharpened before. But the Condition of their Food, and the Manner of gathering it, together with the great Neceflity of accurate Vifion by that admirable Provision made for them by the reticulated Cornea of their Eyes; thefe Things, I fay, as they required a larger Room, fo were a good Occafion for the Largenefs of the Head, and its Amplitude before. But for the reft of their Body, all is well made, and nicely poised for their Flight, and every other of their Occafions.

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And as their Shape; fo the Fabrick and Make of their Bodies is no less accurate, admirable, and fingular; not built throughout with Bones, and cover'd with Flesh and Skin, as in most other Animals; but cover'd with a curious Mail of a middle Nature (a), ferving both as Skin and Bone too, for the Shape, as well as Strength and Guard of the Body, and as it were on Purpose to fhew that the great Contriver of Nature is not bound up to one Way only.

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(a) Infecta non videntur Nervos habere, nec Offa, nec Spinas, nec Cartilaginem, nec Pinguia, net Carnes, ne cruftam quidem fragilem, ut quadam marina, nec qua jure dicatur Curis: Jed media cujufdam inter omnia hac natura corpus, &c., Plin. N, H. L. II. C. 4.

CHA P. III. .9'sd

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Of the Eyes and Antenna of INSECTS?

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O this laft-mention'd Guard, we may add, that farther Guard provided in the Eyes and Antennæ. The Structure of the Eye, is, in all Creatures, an admirable Piece of Mechanifm; but that obfervable in the Eyes of Infects fo peculiar, that it must needs excite our Admiration: Fenced with its own Hardness, yea, even its own accurate Vifion, is a good Guard against external Injuries; and its Cornea, or outward Coat, all over befet with curious, transparent, lenticular (a) Inlets, enabling

(a) The Cornea of Flies, Wafps, &c. are fo common an Entertainment with the Microfcope, that every body knows. it is a curious Piece of Lattice-work. In which this is remarkable,

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ing thofe Creatures to fee, (no doubt,) very accurately every y every Way, without any Interval of Time or Trouble to move the Eye towards Objects.

And as for the other Part, the Antenna, or Feelers, whatever their Ufe may be in cleaning the Eyes, or other fuch like Ufe; they are, in all Probability, a good Guard to the Eyes and Head, in their Walk and Flight, enabling them, by the Sense of Feeling, to discover fuch Annoyances, which by their Proximity may perhaps efcape the Reach of the Eyes and Sight (6). Befides

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markable, that every Foramen is of a lenticular Nature; fo that we fee Objects through them topfey-turvey, as through fo many convex Glaffes: Yea, they become a fmall Telef cope, when there is a due focal Distance between them and the Lens of the Microscope.

This lenticular Power of the Cornea, fupplies, (as I imagine,) the Place of the Cryftalline, if not of the vitreous Humour too, there being neither of thofe Humours that I could ever find, (although for Truth Sake, I confess I have not been fo diligent as I might in this Enquiry ;) but instead of Humours and Tunicks, I imagine that every Lens of the Cornea, hath a diftinct Branch of the optick Nerve miniftring to it, and rendring it as fo many diftinct Eyes. So that as moft Animals are binocular, Spiders for the most Part octo-> nocular, and fome, (as Mr. Willughby thought, Raii Hift. Infect. p. 12.) fenocular; fo Flies, c. are multocular, having as many Eyes as there are Perforations in their Cornea. By which Means, as other Creatures are oblig'd to turn their Eyes to Objects, thefe have fome or other of their Eyes ready plac'd towards Objects, nearly all round them: Thus particularly it is in the Dragon-Fly, (Libella,) the greatest Part of whofe Head is poffefs'd by its Eyes: Which is of excellent Ufe to that predatious Infect, for the ready feeing and darting at fmall Flies all round it, on which it preys.

(b) It is manifeft, that Infects clean their Eyes with their Fore-legs, as well as Antenna. And confidering, that as they walk along, they are perpetually feeling, and fearching before them, with their Feelers, or Antenna; therefore I am apt to think, that befides wiping and cleaning the Eyes, the Ufes here nam'd may be admitted. For as their Eyes are

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fides which, they are a curious Piece of Workmanthip, and in many, a very beautiful Piece of (c) Garniture to the Body.

immoveable, fo that no Time is requir'd for the turning their Eyes to Objects; fo there is no Neceffity of the Retina, or optick Nerve being brought nigher, unto, or fet farther off from the Cornea, (which would require Time,) as it is in other Animals: But their Cornea and optick Nerve, being always at one and the fame Diftance, are fitted only to fee diftantial Objects, but not fuch. as are very nigh: Which Inconvenience the Feelers obviate, left it fhould be prejudicial, in occafioning the Infect to run its Head against any Thing.

And that this, rather than the wiping the Eyes, is the chief Use of the Feelers, is farther manifeft from the Antenna of the Flesh-Fly, and many other Infects, which are short, and ftrait, and incapable of being bent unto, or extended over the Eyes: As alfo from others enormously long, fuch as thofe of the Capricorni, or Goat-chafers, the Cadew-Fly, and divers others, both Beetles and Flies.

(c) The lamellated Antenna of fome, the clavellated of others, the neatly articulated of others, the feather'd and divers, other Forms of others, of the Scarab, Papilionaceous Gnat, and other Kinds; are furprizingly beautiful, when view'd through a Microfcope. And in fome, thofe Antenna diftinguish the Sexes: As in the Gnat-kind, all those with Tufts, Feathers, and Brufh-horns, are Males; thofe with fhort, fingle fhafted Antenna, are Females.

CHA P. IV.

Of the Parts and Motion of INSECTS.

FR

ROM the Head, pafs we to the Members, concern'd in their Motion. And here we have a copious Subject, if I was minded to expatiate. I might take Notice of the admirable Mechanism in those that creep; the curious Oars in

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thofe amphibious Infects that fwin and walk (a); the incomparable Provifion made in the Feet of fuch as walk, or hang upon fmooth Surfaces (b); the great Strength and Spring in the Legs of fuch as leap (c); the ftrong and well-made Feet and Talons of fuch as dig (d): And to name no more, the admirable Faculty of fuch as cannot fly, to convey themselves with Speed and Safety, by the Help of their Webs (e), or some other Artifice to

make

(a) All the Families of Hydrocanthari, Notonetti, &c. have their hindmoft Legs made very nicely, with commodious Joynts flat, and Brities on each Sides towards the End, ferving for Oars to fwim; and then, nearer the Body, are two ftiff Spikes, to enable them to walk when Occafion is..

(6) I might here name divers Flies, and other Infects, who, befides their fharp hook'd Nails, have alfo skinny Palms to their Feet, to enable them to stick on Glafs, and other smooth Bodies, by Means of the Preffure of the Atmosphere. But because the Example will illuftrate another Work of Nature, as well as this, I fhall chufe a fingular Piece of Mechanism, in one of the largest Sorts of Hydrocanthari. Of these large ones there are two Sorts, one largeft, all black, with Antenne handfomely embofs'd at the Ends. The other fomewhat leffer, hardly fo black, with capillary Antenna; the Forehead, Edges of the Vagina, and two Rings on the Thorax, of a tawney Colour. The Female hath Vagine prettily furrow'd, the Male fmooth. But that which is most to our Purpofe in this Male, is a Flap, or hollowifh Cap near the middle Joynt of the Fore legs; which when clap'd on the Shoulders of the Female in Coitu, fticks firmly thereon: After the Manner as I have feen Boys carry heavy Stones, with only a wet Piece of Leather clap'd on the Top of the Stone.

(c) Thus Grafhoppers and Crickets have brawny ftrong Thighs, with long, flender, but ftrong Legs, which enable them to leap with great Agility and Strength.

(d) I have wonder'd to fee with what great Quickness, Art and Strength, many Vefpe- Ichneumons, Wild- Bees, and Beetles, perforate the Earth; yea, even Wood it felf: But the most remarkable Animal in this Way, is the Mole-Cricket in Book IV. Chap. 13. Note ().

(e) I have with Pleafure often feen Spiders dart out their Webs, and fail away by the Help thereof. For the Manner

of

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