CHA P. IV.

OF THE PARTS AND MOTION OF INSECTS.

FRO

ROM the head pafs we to the members, concerned in their motion. And here we have a copious fubject, if I was minded to expatiate. I might take notice of the admirable mechanifm in those that creep; the curious oars in those amphibious infects that fwim and walk"; the incomparable provifion made in the feet of fuch as walk, or hang upon fmooth furfaces; the

great

All the families of hydrocanthari, notone&ti, &c. have their hindmoft legs made very nicely, with commodious joints, and briftles on each fide towards the end, ferving for oars to fwim; and then, nearer the body, are two ftiff ipikes, to enable them to walk, when occafion is.

I might here name divers flies, and other infects, who, befides their fharp hooked nails, have alfo fkinny palms to their feet, to enable them to stick on glafs, and other fmooth 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 fingu

great strength and fpring in the legs of fuch as leap P; the ftrong and well-made feet and talons of fuch as dig: and, to name no more, the ad-` mirable faculty of fuch as cannot fly, to convey themselves with fpeed and fafety, by the help of their webs', or fome other artifice, to make

their

lar piece of meehanifm, in one of the largest forts of hydrocanthari. Of these large ones there are two forts, one largeft, all black, with antennæ handsomely emboffed at the ends. The other fomewhat leffer, hardly fo black, with capillary antennæ; the forehead, edges of the vaginæ, and two rings on the thorax, of a tawny colour. The female hath the vagine prettily furrowed, the male smooth. But that which is most to our purpose in this male, is a flap, or hollowish cap near the middle joint of the fore-legs, which, when clapped on the fhoulders of the female in coitu, fticks firmly thereon, after the manner, as I have feen boys carry heavy ftones, with only a wet piece of leather clapped on the top of the stone.

Thus grafhoppers and crickets have brawny ftrong thighs, with long, flender, but ftrong legs, which enable them to leap with great agility and ftrength.

I have wondered to fee with what great quick nefs, art, and ftrength, many vefpæ-ichneumons, wild-bees, and beetles, perforate the earth, yea, even wood itfelf: out the moft remarkable animal in this way, is the mole-cricket, in book iv. chap. 13.

I have, with pleasure, of en seen spiders dart out their webs, and fail away by the help thereof. For the manner of which, fee Mr. Lowthorp's Abridgm, vol. ii. p. 724. from Dr. Lifter and Dr. Hulfe, who both claimed the difcovery thereof. And both do feem to have hit thereupon, without any fore-knowledge of what each other hath difcovered, as is faid in the laft cited place, and as I more particularly find by Mr. Ray's Philofo. Letters, printed Anno 1718, p. 95, &c. By which alfo I find, the two ingenious doctors were very modeft in their claims, and very amicable in the matter. In-one of Dr. Lifter's to Mr. Ray, he thinks there is a fair hint of

their bodies lighter than the airs: thefe, and a multitude of other fuch things as thefe, I might, I fay,

the darting of fpiders in Ariftot. Hist. An. I. 9. c. 39. And in Pliny, l. 11. c. 24. But for their failing, that, the ancients are filent of, and he thinks it was firft feen by him. And in another letter, Jan. 20. 1670, speaking of the height fpiders are able to fly, he faith, The last October, &c. I took notice that the air was very full of webs. I forthwith mounted to the top of the highest steeple on the Minster, (in York,) and could thence difcern them yet ex⚫ceeding high above me. Some that fell, and were entangled upon the pinnacles, I took, and found them to be lupi; which kind feldom or never enter houses, and cannot be supposed to have taken their flight from the steeple.'

There are, I imagine, divers animals, as well as spiders, that have fome way of conveyance, as little known to us, as that of spiders formerly was. Thus the fquillulæ, pulices arborefcentes, and microscopical animalcules of the stagnating waters, fo numerous in · them, as to difcolour fometimes the waters, and make them look as if they were tinged red, yellow, or green, or covered with a thick green fcum; all which is nothing but animalcules of that colour. That thefe creatures have fome way of conveyance, I conclude, because moft ftagnating waters are stocked with them, new pits and ponds, yea, holes and gutters on the tops of houses and fteeples. That they are not bred there by equivocal generation, every ingenious, confidering philofopher will grant; that they have not legs for travelling fo far, is manifeft from inspection: and therefore I am apt to think, that they have fome faculty of inflating their bodies, or darting out webs, and making their bodies buoyant, and lighter than air; or their bodies, when dry, may be lighter than air, and fo they can fwim from place to place; or the eggs of fuch as are oviparous, may be light enough to float in the air. But then the viviparous (as my late ingenious friend, Mr. Charles King, fhewed me the pulices aquatices arborescentes are; these, I say,) cannot be this way accounted for. The cause of these latter fufpicions was, that in the fummer months, I have feen the pulices arborefcentes,

and

I say, take notice of, as great evidences of the infinite Creator's wifdom: but left I should be too tedious, I will confine my obfervations to the legs and wings only. And these, at first view, we find to be incomparably fitted up for their intended fervice, not to overload the body, nor in the least to retard it; but to give it the most proper and convenient motion, What, for example, can be better contrived, and made for this service than the wings! Diftended and ftrengthened by the fineft bones, and thefe covered with the finest and lighteft membranes, fome of them adorned with neat and beautiful feathers; and many of them provided with the finest articulations, and foldings, for the wings to be withdrawn, and neatly laid up in their vaginæ, and cafes, and again readily extended for flight'.

AND

and the green scum on the waters, nothing but animalcules, as I faid, lie in a manner dry on the furface of the waters; at which time, as I have fhewn in book iv. chap. 11. thofe animalcules copulate; and, perhaps, they may, at the fame time, change their quarters, and feek out new habitations for their numerous offspring, as well as themselves.

It is well known to all perfons any way converfant in microfcopical obfervations, that these elegant colours of moths, and butterflies, are owing to neat and well-made feathers, fet with great curiofity and exactnefs in rows, and good order.

▾ All that have elytra, fcarabs, (who have whole elytra, or reaching to the podex, or the 'Hxión, fuch as ear-wigs, and ftaphilini

E 4

AND then for the poifing of the body, and keeping it upright, and steady in flight, it is an admirable artifice and provifion for this purpofe; in fome, by four wings"; and in fuch as have but two, by pointels, and poifes placed under the wings, on each fide of the body.

AND laftly, it is an amazing thing to reflect upon the furprizing minutenefs, art, and curiofity

ftaphilini of all forts,) do, by a very curious mechanifin, extend and withdraw their membranaceous wings, wherewith they chiefly fly; and it is very pretty to fee them prepare themfelves for flight, by thrufting out, and unfolding their wings, and again withdraw thofe joints, and neatly fold in the membranes, to be laid up fafely in their elytra or cafes. For which fervice the bones are well placed, and the joints miniftring thereunto are accurately contrived, for the moft compendious, and commodious folding up the wings.

For the keeping the body fteady and upright in flight, it generally holds true, if I mistake not, that all the bipennated infects have poifes joined to the body, under the hinder part of their wings: but fuch as have four wings, or wings with elytra, none. If one of the poifes, or one of the leffer auxiliary wings be cut off, the infect will fly as if one fide over-balanced the other, until it falleth on the ground; fo if both be cut off they will fly aukwardly, and unfteadily, manifefting the defect of fome very neceffary part. These poifes, or pointels, are, for the most part, little balls, fet at the top of a lender ftalk, which they can move every way at pleasure. In fome they stand alone, in others, as in the whole flesh-fly tribe, they have little covers or fhields, under which they lie and move. The ufe, no doubt, of these poifes, and fecondary leffer wings, is to poife the body, and to obviate all the vacillations thereof in flight; ferving to the infect, as the long pole, laden at the ends with lead, doth the rope-dancer.

As