and every other fuch like Ufe (17). In fome Creatures it is wide and large, in fome little and narrow: in fome with a deep Incifure up into the Head (18), for the better catching and holding of Prey, and more easy Comminution of hard, large and troublesome Food; in others with a much fhorter Incifure, for the gathering and holding of herbaceous Food.

In Infects it is very notable. In fome forcipated; to catch hold and tear their Prey (19). In fome

acu

(17) Because it would be tedious to reckon up the Bones, Glands, Mufcles, and other Parts belonging to the Mouth, it fhall fuffice to obferve, that, for the various Services of Man's Mouth, befides the Muscles in common with other Parts, there are five Pair, and one fingle one proper to the Lips only, as Dr. Gibfon reckons them: but my most diligent and curious Friend the late Mr. Cowper difcovered a fixth Pair. And accordingly Dr.Drake reckons fix Pair, and one fingle one proper to the Lips. L. 3. c. 13.

(18) Galen delerves to be here confulted, who excellently argues against the cafual Concourfe of the Atoms of Epicurus and Afclepiades, from the provident and wife Formation of the Mouths of Animals, and their Teeth answerable thereto. In Man, his Mouth without a deep Incifure, with only one canine Tooth on a fide, and flat Nails, becaufe, faith he, Hic Natura certò fciebat, fe animal manfuetum ac civile effingere, cui robur & vires effent ex fapientia, non ex corporis fortitudine. But for Lions, Wolfs and Dogs, and all fuch as are called Kapagos, (or having fharp, ferrated Teeth) their Mouths are large, and deep cut; Teeth ftrong and fharp, and their Nails fharp, large, ftrong and round, accommodated to holding and tearing. Vid. Galen de Uf.Part. V. 11. c. 9.

(19) Ámong Infects the Squille aquatice, as they are very rapacious, fo are accordingly provided for it: Particularly the Squilla aquatica maxima recurva (as I call it) who hath fomewhat terrible in its very Afpect, and in its Pofture in the Water, efpecially its Mouth, which is armed with long fharp Hooks, with which it boldy, and greedily catcheth any thing in the Waters, even one's Fingers. When they have feized their Prey, they will fo tenacioufly hold it with their forcipated Mouth, that they will not part therewith, even when they are taken out of the Waters, and jumbled

about

aculeated, to pierce and wound Animals (20), and fuck their Blood. And in others ftrongly rigged with Jaws and Teeth, to gnaw and fcrape out their Food, to carry Burdens (21) to perforate the Earth, yea the hardest Wood,yea even Stones themfelves, for Houses (22) to themselves,and Nefts for their Young. And

about in one's Hand. I have admired at their peculiar way of taking in their Food; which is done by piercing their Prey with their Forcipes (which are hollow) and fucking the Juice thereof through them.

The Squilla here mentioned; is the firft and second in Mouffet's Theat. Infect. I. 2. c. 37.

(20) For an Inftance of Infects endued with a Spear, I fhall, for its peculiarity, pitch upon one of the fmallest, if not the very smallest of all the Gnat-kind, which I call, Culex minimus nigricans maculatus fanguifuga. Among us in Effex, they are called Nidiots, by Mouffet Midges. It is about of an Inch, or somewhat more long, with fhort Antenna, plain in the Female, in the Male feather'd, fomewhat like a Bottle-brush. It is fpotted with blackish Spots, especially on the Wings, which extend a little beyond the Body. It comes from a little flender Eel-like Worm, of a dirty white Colour, fwimming in ftagnating Waters by a wrigling Motion; as in Fig. 5.

Its Aurelia is fmall, with a black Head, little fhort Horns, a fpotted, flender, rough Belly, Vid. Fig. 6. It lies quietly on the top of the Water, now and then gently wagging it felf this way, and that.

Thefe Gnats are greedy Blood-fuckers, and very troublefome where numerous, as they are in fome Places near the Thames, particularly in the Breach-waters that have lately befallen near us, in the Parish of Dagenham; where I found them fo vexatious, that I was glad to get out of thofe Marsh es Yea, I have feen Horfes fo ftung with them, that they have had drops of Blood all over their Bodies, where they were wounded by them.

I have given a Figure (in Fig. 7.) and more particular Defcription of this Gnat, because, although it be common, it is no where taken notice of by any Author I know, except Mouffet, who, I fuppofe, means these Gnats, which he calls Midges, c. 13. p. 82.

gnaw

(21) Hornets and Wafps have ftrong Jaws, toothed, wherewith they can dig into Fruits, for their Food; asallo and fcrape Wood, whole Mouthfuls of which they carry away to make their Combs. Vid. infr. Chap. 13. Not. 2. (22) Monfieur de la Voye tells of an ancient Wall of Free

and

And lastly, in Birds it is no lefs remarkable. In the first place, it is neatly fhaped for piercing the Air, and making way for the Body thro' the airy Regions. In the next place, it is hard and horny, which is a good Supplement for the want of Teeth, and cauferh the Bill to have the Ufe and Service of the Hand, It's hooked Form is of great ufe to the rapacious Kind (23), in catching and holding their Prey, and in the Comminution thereof by tearing; to others it is no lefs ferviceable to their Climbing, as well as neat and nice Comminution of their Food (24). Its extraordinary Length and Slenderness is very ufefal to fome, to fearch and grope for their Food in moorifh Places (25); as its Length and Breadth is to others, to hunt and fearch in muddy places (26): and the contrary

Form,

Stone in the Benedictines-Abby at Caen in Normandy, so eaten with Worms, that one may run ones Hand into most of the Cavities: That thefe Worms are mall and black, lodging in a greyish Shell; that they have large flattifh Heads, a large Mouth, with four black Jaws, &c. Phil. Tranf. No. 18, (23) Pro o iis [Labris] cornea & acuta Volucribus Roftra. Eadem rapto viventibus adunca: collecto recta: berbas ruentibus limumque lata, ut Suum generi. Fumentis vice manus ad colligenda pabula ora apertiora laniatu viventibus, Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. II. c. 37.

2

(24) Parrots have their Bills nicely adapted to thefe Services, being hooked, for climbing and reaching what they have occafion for; and the lower Jaw being compleatly fitted to the Hooks of the upper, they can as minutely break their Food, as other Animals do with their Teeth.

(25) Thus in Woodcocks, Snipes, &c who hunt for Worms in moorish Ground, and, as Mr. Willughby faith, live alfo on the fatty unctuous Humour they fuck out of the Earth. So alfo the Bills of Curlequs, and many other Sea-Fowl, are very long, to enable them to hunt for the Worms, &. in the Sands on the Sea-fhore, which they frequent,

(26) Ducks, Geefe, and divers others, have fuch long broad Bills, to quaffer and hunt in Water and Mud; to which we may reckon the uncouth Bill of the Spoon-bill; but that which deferves particular Obfervation in the Birds

named

194
Form, namely, a thick, fhort, and fharp edged
Bill is as ufeful to other Birds, who have occafion
to husk and flay the Grains they fwallow. But it
would be endless, and tedious, to reckon up all the
various Shapes, and commodious Mechanifm of
all; the Sharpness and Strength of those who have
occafion to perforate Wood and Shells (27); the
Slenderness and Neatnefs of fuch as pick up fmall
Infects; the Cross-form of fuch as break up
Fruits (28); the compreffed Form of others (29),
with many other curious and artificial Forms, all
fuited to the way of living, and peculiar Occafi-
lons of the feveral Species of Birds. Thus much
for the Mouth...

Let us next take a fhort View of the Teeth (30).

In

named in thefe two laft Notes is, the Nerves going to the rend of their Bills, enabling them to dilcover their Food out of fight of which fee Book VII. Chap. 2. Not. 5.

(27) The Picus viridis, or Green-Woodfpite, and all the Wood-Peckers have Bills, curiously made for digging Wood, ftrong, hard, and fharp. A neat Ridge runs along the top of the Green Wood-Pecker's Bill, as if an Artist had defigned it for Strength and Neatnefs.

(28) The Loxia, or Cross-Bill, whofe Bill is thick and ftrong, with the Tips croffing one another; with great readinels breaks open Fir-cones, Apples, and other Fruit, to come at their Kernels, which are its Food, as if the crof fing of the Bill was defigned for this Service.

(29) The Sea-Pie haht a long, sharp, narrow Bill, com-preffed fide-ways, and every way fo well adapted to the raifing Limpets from the Rocks (which are its chief, if not only Food) that Nature (or rather the Author of Nature) feems to have framed it purely for that Ufe.

(30) Thofe Animals which have Teeth on both Faws, have but one Stomach; but most of those which have no upper Teeth, or none at all, have three Stomachs: as in Beafts, the Panch, the Read, and the Feck and in all granivorous Birds, the Crop, the Echinus, and the Gizard. For as chewing is to an eafle Digeftion, fo is swallowing whole to that which is more laborious. Dr. Grew's Cofmol. Sacr. c. 5. § 24.

In which their peculiar Hardness (3) is remarkable, their Growth (32) alfo, their firm Infertions and Bandage in the Gums and Jaws, and their various Shape and Strength, fuited to their various Occafion and Ufe (33); the foremost weak, and fartheft from the Center, as being only Preparers to the reft; the others being to grind and mince, 1are accordingly made ftronger, and placed nearer the

(31) J. Peyer faith, the Teeth are made of convolved Skins hardned; and if we view the Grinders of Deer, Hor fes, Sheep, &c. we fhall find great Reafon to be of his Mind. His Obfervations are, Mirum autem eos [i.e. Dentes] cum primum è pelliculis imbricatim convolutis & muco vifcido on→ ftarent, in tantam dirigefcere foliditatem, que offa cuncta faperet. Idem fit etiam in Officulis Ceraforum, &c. ----Separatione fald, per membranas conditur Magma locellis, quos formant lamine tenues, ac duriufcula ad Dentis figuram an tea divinitus compofita, J. Peyer Merycol. 1. 2. c. 8.

(32) Qui autem [i. e. Dentes] renafcuntur, minimè cre dendi funt & facultate aliquá plaftica Brutorum denuò formari, fed latentes tantummodo in confpectum producuntur augmento molis ex effluente fucco. Id. ibid.,

(33) From thefe, and other like Confiderations of the Teeth, Galen infers, that they must needs be the Work of fome wife, Provident Being; not Chance, nor a fortuitous Concourfe of Atoms. For the Confirmation of which he puts the cafe, That fuppofe the order of the Teeth fhould have been inverted, the Grinders fet in the room of the Incifors, c. (which might as well have been, had not the Teeth been placed by a wife Agent) in this cafe, what Ufe would the Teeth have been of? What Confufion by fuch a flight Error in their difpofal only? Upon which he ar gues, At fiquis choream hominum 32 (the number of the Teeth) ordine difpofuit, eum ut hominem induftrium laudare mus: cùm verò Dentium choream Natura tam bellè exornârit, nonne ipfam quoque laudabimus? And then he goes on with the Argument, from the Sockets of the Teeth, and their nice fitting in them, which being no lefs accurately done, than what is done by a Carpenter, of Stone-cutter, in fitting a Tenon into a Mortice, doth as well infer the Art and A&t of the wife Maker of Animal Bodies, as the other doth the A&t and Art of Man. And fo he goes on with other Arguments to the fame Effect Galen de Uf. Part.18.

(34)