which the Germans called the thread-worm, becaufe it is hardly thicker than a thread. The water Tipulæ, the larvæ of the fmall water Tipulæ, which when united in great numbers, form on the furface of the water a kind of green carpet; and a water worm, whose mouth refembles the opening of a trumpet, In water is also found the infect called the Hippocampus, Sea-worms, and Sea-ftars, and two worms one of which has a large, and the other a small probofcis, Earth worms are not in lefs quantity. Befides the common earth worms, there are fome to be found in dunghills, in grafs, in corn, in pulfe, in roots, in wood, and even in the medulla of putrid wood. Many fpecies are found in the leaves of plants. Some fix themfelves on the upper, fome on the under furface, in order to conceal themselves; fome lodge in the fubftance of the leaves, others in their galls. Some penetrate the fruit of trees, others enter into bee-hives. Some attach themfelves to animals, like those which are found on beetles, and which adhere to fifhes, to birds, to dogs, and swine, and other beafts. Even the inteftines of animals are not fecure from them; fome are found in the entrails of fishes, of horses, and of men. Thofe found in man are not all of the fame fpecies, fome are round and long, others round and fhort. Some are long and depreffed, fome fhort and depreffed; and fome are bred in wounds and putrid fores. Infects with feet, and without wings are very numerous, and have not all the fame number of feet. I know a fpecies of water flea, which has on, ly two. The fpecies which have fix are moft numerous; among thefe is comprehended the Afilus or Oeftrum Marinum, the Corculus, water bugs, land fleas, a fort of mites, which breed in the parenchyma of leaves, certain worms found in ftones, the a felli arvenfes, the aphides of leaves, the Cochineal worm worm, and ants. Under this laft fpecies ought to be comprehended the white and red ants found in the Eaft Indies, the formica-leo, and the ant of the Philippine Iflands, called Sinum. In continuing the enumeration of infects, with fix feet, we fhall find worms which devour green and dry wood, bugs, among which I rank the Hocitexca of the Eaft Indies, and the Ytzuaque of Mechoacan, the lice of bees, of the Dor-beetle, of dogs, of fheep and other animals: Ticks, mites, fleas, and dermeftes. The fame variety is obfervable in the infects with eight feet, The greater part of spiders must be ranked in this order; fuch are many forts of foreign spiders, aquatic and terreftrial; fuch alfo are the Tarantula, the great fpider of Brazil, called the Nhamdu guafu; the spider or flea, which they call Tunga, and that to which they give the name of wolf; all of which are poffeffed of a very dangerous, and often mortal poison, Many fpecies of lice, have alfo eight legs, as well as the land and water fcorpions, and fome fpecies of fmall caterpillars, which adhere to leaves. I rank in this clafs of infects with ten feet, certain fpecies of foreign fpiders, and the caterpillars, called Geometræ, the aquatic onifci have twelve feet, the aquatic fleas, and common caterpillars, the water loufe too, and others have fourteen. The Onifcus Ceti, has fixteen. We obferve eighteen feet in thofe white caterpillars, fpotted with black, which feed on the leaves of the Alder. Thofe worms of the colour of ochre, which are found in rotten wood, and which afterwards change into tha kind of beetle, with a probofcis, (Curculio) have twenty-four feet. Lastly, there are fome, which have ftill a greater number of feet, as many fpecies of finall centepieds and Scolopendra, both aquatic and terrestrial. I know in particular two fpecies, one of them having one one hundred and eight feet, and the other no less than one hundred and eighty four. I obferved above, that among winged infects, fome had naked wings, and others had their wings. covered with a cafe. The wings of the former, are either quite fmooth and tranfparent, or covered with a fort of meal. 1 Among thofe with fmooth wings, fome have two wings, and fome four; to the former of thefe belong the gnats, whether of Europe or America; the moft remarkable of which are, the Maringoin, the Mofquito, the Yetis, and winged ant. To these must be added, many fpecies of flies, fuch as the Afilus aquaticus, the flies that are found on dung, in the earth, on leaves, and not only thofe that fuck the juice of flowers, but of fruits; thofe that are voracious, and eat other infects, and the flefh of ferpents, and other animals. We refer likewife to the fame clafs, the flies which attack dogs, and horfes, the gad flies, the Ricinus volans; thofe that are found on the leaves of the hazel tree, the Ichneumons, which have certain hairs iffuing from the postorior part of the abdomen like a tail, fome having one, two, or three of these, and others four; to these we add the Taons and Tipule. The number of infects which have four uncovered wings, fmooth and membranous, is not lefs great than thofe which have only two. In this clafs are the aquatic flies with a downy abdomen, wasps, bees, drones, and different fpecies found in the Brazils, grafshoppers, the fhining flies, the Ephemere, the criket, and the (Gryllotalpa) mole cricket. To these way be added dragon flies, large and fmall, a fpecies of gnat called by the Germans, Kerder-mucke, the fly with the fcorpion's tail, and others of the fame kind; fome winged aphides, the winged fcorpion; fome aquatic gnats, the ichneumon, and various other forts of flies. The infects with mealy wings, as if very fine powder had been ftrewed over them, have four wings. I include in this clafs, the day butterflies of every fpecies and colour; the Phalenæ or moths, which during the day lurk in obfcurity; the Tineæ, whofe wings are as long, though not fo broad, as those of moths, and whofe body is often not larger than that of a fly. Speaking of infects whofe wings are covered with a cafe, we diftinguished them into two kinds. The cafes of the one leave a part of the abdomen bare, and thofe of the others cover it entirely. Among the first, are various forts of bugs; the aquatic, fome of which fwim on their back, thofe that are found in dung, and thofe that live on trees. To these we may add, the earwig, the May beetle, the Staphylinus, the Silpha Vefpillo, and others of the fame kind. Thofe whofe wings and abdomen are entirely covered, have not all cafes of the fame degree of hardness. In fome it is very tender and delicate as in grafshoppers, both foreign and indigenous, in the Mantis of Italy, the Arbe, the Selaam, the Hargol, the Hagab of Paleftine, the hooded locuft of America, the walking leaf of the Eaft Indies, &c. In others, the covering is much harder, and this clafs is very numerous. In the first place we enumerate the Bupreftis, and different forts of cantharides, the Dytifci, the Cerambyces, the small hemifpherical Lady flies of which the red are the moft common, the Curculios, and many others, to which we may join the different fpecies of Scarabaei with horns, both ftraight and crooked; the flying ftag &c. 1 If we contemplate for a moment that prodigious number of different species of infects, fome of which we have mentioned; if we attend to the diverfity which reigns among them, with refpect to the figure and fitnefs of their limbs; if we confider that each fpecies is furnished with every thing neceffary for its existence, but with nothing more; how must we be ftruck with admiration, and what ideas will we not entertain of the infinite wisdom of the Creator! Should an artift ingenious enough to imitate exactly the figures of thete different animals, exhibit them to the view of fpectators, how would he find his fkill celebrated! The delicacy of the work would be admired, and the author extolled but what dif proportion would there not be between the labour of fuch an artist, and the productions of the divine workman! Allowing that the former should perfectly fucceed in imitating the external appearance of the animal, could we thence conclude that the artist had equalled the fkill and wifdom of the Creator? No, there could be no comparison. The mafter-piece of fuch an artist would be altogether deftitute of that which forms the chief beauty in the works of God, as the flighest examination would convince us. Where would we fee that internal structure which the moft inconfiderate are aftonished at? Where could we find thofe wife and fubtile fprings which move of themfelves? What artift could ini. tate those organs which are fo minute as to elude our fenfes? Let us then be confiftent; if we admire the addrefs of a workman even when we confess it infinitely below that of the divine being, let us not refufe to the Creator the glory that is due to him. As much as his wifdom, apparent in the structure of an Infect, tranfcends that of the moft ingenious ar tift, fo far ought our praifes of the creator to exceed thofe we bestow on his humble imitator. On the fight of any infect let us accuftom ourfelves to magnify the |