From the nefts of wafps I pafs to the subterrraneous vaults of ants. Thefe infects have a common storehouse and no ant makes any provifion for its own individual ufe. This ftorehoufe is divided into feveral cells, the avenues to which correspond to one another. They are extended fo far within the earth, that neither rain nor fnow can reach them in winter. The caverns of human formation are far lefs artfully and fkilfully contrived than those of these little animals. When they are completely finished, any attempt to destroy them is vain for their excavations are fo extenfive that when once the entrance is demolished, it is not poffible to trace the turnings and windings of their labyrinth. The manner in which fome infects form to themfelves a habitation on the leaves of plants must not be omitted here. The tube through which they lay their eggs is at the fame time a fting with which they puncture the leaf they mean to lay them in. But left the larvæ fhould be encumbered for want of room, they discharge a certain fluid into the hole which occafions a tumour or elevation on the leaf, in which the young are at their eafe. These tumours vary in appearance; fome are like hard fhells, fuch as the Aleppo galls; others like little foft balls; fome are fcaly, others fmooth, and fome hairy; as to fhape, fome are spherical, others in the figure of a cone. But it is not in the ftructure of their habitations alone, that infects difplay their fagacity and induftry; the astonishing precautions they take to fecure them felves from injuries of every kind, are no lefs demonstrative of thefe qualities. Such of them as disagree with wet, avoid it with the greatest dexterity. Is wind hurtful to any of them? the places they frequent, and the structure of their nefts, fufficiently ciently defend them from it. Is heat inconvenient to them? they take up their abode in the fhade. As the greater part of them during winter, are in a ftate of torpor, they generally choose a place where they may remain through that season fecure from its inclemency, or they conftru&t habitations that are fufficiently fitted to defend them. Although I have spoken above of the artifices and addrefs which fome infects put in practice, in order to feize their prey, it is a fubject which demonftrates in fo ftriking a manner their astonishing fagacity that I cannot help in this place, adding fome farther res marks on it. Some are feen as I have already ob ferved to wait patiently for their prey, till it comes within their reach, when they inftantly dart upon it, and feize it. This is done with a velocity equal to that of an arrow. Not to lofe the fruit of their watching, when they have once feized their prey, they preferve it with all the circumfpection poffible. If any of them want the neceffary ftrength for this purpose, by being weaker than their prifoner, they call another to their affiftance. Those that spin, give an admirable proof of their dexterity in the performance of this function. It muft here be observed, that the wife author of the univerfe has abundantly furnished them with a foft. and glutinous fubftance which is eafily fabricated, and which hardens in the air. Infects have the faculty of drawing this from their bodies, either by the mouth or the abdomen. The threads they form are not all of the fame quality; they differ according to the different animals that fpin them. Some make them exceeding fine and flender; while thofe of others are coarfe. It is eafy therefore to imagine that the web they weave will correfpond to the thread they employ. Some have the foftnefs of the finest wool, wool, and the web of others has the stiffness and ftrength of parchment. The method of weaving is different in different infects. In the webs of fome, there feems to be neither order nor defign; but others obferve the most exact proportions. Thefe take their dimenfions with fo much accuracy, that an Archimedes could not measure them more perfectly with his compaffes. But what would be the effect of reafon in a Geometrician, is done by mere inftinct in thefe animals. Infects fhew themfelves to be as fkilful dyers, as they are dextrous weavers. They do not spare the moft beautiful colours in the webs they form. Sometimes they are yellow, fometimes blue, grey or brown; but their colours always furpafs thofe which the moft skilful dyer could give them. When the rays of the Sun happen to fall on fome of these webs, the fplendour of their colonrs is fo great as to furpafs defcription; and exceeds the beauty of the rainbow, or the brilliance of the diamond. Many caterpillars with wonderful dexterity let themselves down, and re afcend by means of a thread iffuing from their body, and frong enough to fupport them. This operation they perform when they want to escape from fome danger or to go elsewhere in queft of food. The manner in which they get up by this thread, is exceedingly curious: they ufe their teeth and their feet, as men ufe their hands and their legs when they climb up trees, but fomewhat differently; the latter clafp the tree with their hands as high as they can reach, and then draw up their legs; the caterpillar feizes the thread by which he is fufpended, with his teeth, as high as he can, then turning his head to one fide, he railes his fore moft most feet above his head which grasp the thread and after having feized it, he restores his head, and takes hold of the thread ftill higher; then again bending his head, and grafping the thread with his feet he continues to afcend, till he reaches the place from whence he let himself down. The wife form of government among Bees, is too wonderful not to find a place in this chapter. They have at their head a Queen whofe ability in the art of governing her people is not lefs worthy of our admiration than that of thofe Princes who have acquired the greatest fame by the wifdom of their reign. The power the exercises over her fubjects is more abfolute than that of the Grand Seignior furrounded with his Janiflaries. But her defpotic authority never degenerates into tyranny: fhe never is guilty of cruelty to her fubjects; the promptitude of their obedience fecures them from punishment. Neither the defire of independance, nor envy, nor any other paffion, ever occafion among them, fedition or tumult. How much below thefe little creatures are men in this refpect! With what fanguinary fury do they not often rebell without reason against their fu. periors! What diforder have not their mutinies fpread in the fociety of which they were members? But let us return to our Queen. It is fhe who alone commands, whether it be to work, to fight or to fwarm, every thing depends on her alone. She no fooner promulgates her orders, than her fubjects fly to execute them with incredible ardour. On this fubject I fhali relate the obfervations of an ingenious Englishman : Many years ago, (fays Mr Warder in his Monarchy of Bees,) I having a mind to fatisfy my curiofity about the queen-bee, was refolved to run the the hazard at least of destroying a fwarm of bees for that purpose; fo in the morning, about half an hour before fun-rifing, I took a fwarm of bees that had been hived the morning before, and carried it into a meadow adjoining to my garden, and there with a strong stroke upon the ground, fhook the bees all out in a lump upon the grafs And as foon as they were a little quiet from the disturbance that fo violent a motion caufed; I laid myself down on the ground, and with a little stick in my hand, gently stirred the bees, in order to find the queen bee, and having defcribed her to three or four of my family, which were then with me, defired them as iftir red the bees, if any of them faw fuch a bee to fhew her to me; all being thus upon the search, at length one of them difcovered her, and pointing to her, I faw her, and quickly caught her in a box which I had ready for that purpose, and carried her into my parlour, where opening my box, I let her fly, and a few of the other bees who were taken with her, who as is natural to them, did fly against the glass window, fo taking a fharp pair of fciffars I cut off one of her wings to difable her from flying, and then put her again into my box. The first thing I was willing to know, was what they would do without their queen; but this was foon difcovered, for they were in a quarter of an hour like fheep without a fhepherd, (which was as foon as the whole bunch could know that the queen was not amongst them,) which they foon difcovered, by fpreading themfelves abroad upon the grafs; for whereas it is natural to these creatures to keep clofe together like a bunch of grapes, they now fpread themfelves as broad as a cart wheel, running up and down, and with a piteous and discontented note fearching for their queen. So when they had spent an hour or thereabout in this fruitless fearch, they took wing, and flew to a hedge, and there pitched, in which flight and pitching, there were |