polished steel inclining a little to green, and its abdomen is red like polifhed copper.

The body of moft caterpillars prefents a compound of different colours often mingled with fo much art that the most skilful workman could not imitate them in his moft gaudy ftuffs of filk, and convinces us that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Some have the body marked with dots or points of different colours, or with spots larger than the points, of unequal bignefs, and of irregular fhape; or lastly, with points and fpots at the fame time, variously but beautifully difpofed. The bodies of other caterpillars are adorned with lines, and bands of dif ferent colours, and of different figures: fome are longitudinal, others tranfverfe; fometimes continuous, at other times interrupted, as if they had been cut in different places. There are likewife fome that have lines longitudinal and tranfverfe at the fame time. In fome caterpillars the fots take the figure of lozenges and rhomboids; in others that of bands, a little broader than the lines, which are either longitudinal or tranfverle. There is often an agreeable intermixture of all thefe marks at the fame time. Some are adorned with lines and points, others with points and bands, and a third with points, lines, and bands, all at once.

The little tubercles of the fize of a grain of millet, or of poppy feed, which are feen on the body of many caterpillars, are no fmall ornament to them. Thefe fmall elevations are fo finooth and fo polithed, that when we look at the animal poffeffed of them, we would think it ftudded with jewels. The refemblance is the more ftriking, as thefe tubercles are of different colours. Some have the whitenefs of the diamond, others the rednefs of the ruby: fome are

yellow like a chryfolite, others blue like an amethyst, and fo forth.

In the

Not lefs magnificence is difplayed in the different colours which adorn the wings of infects. first place, we find thefe points and fpots of every different colours. Some of these last are round like the pupil of the eye, and like it, furrounded with a circle. For this reafon, naturalifts have given them the name of eyes; but, two reasons determine me to prefer the name given them by Frifch, to wit, mirror. points. First, that they may not be confounded with the real eyes and fecondly, because these spots are not always furrounded with a circular margin like eyes, but this margin is often of a different figure, and varies as much as the fhape of a mirror may be arbitrarily varied. Sometimes there is only one of thefe on the wings of infects, fometimes there are many. Some have lines on their wings, either ftraight or waved; others have broad bands; fome have triangular marks at the extremities of the wings, or other ornaments of that kind. It would be impoffible to defcribe the whole of them, confidering their vaft variety; but in general, they are difpofed with as much regularity, as if they were the work of a careful painter. The upper and under furfaces of the wings are not always adorned with the fame colours. It would appear, that fome butterflies were fenfible of this, by the manner in which they hold their wings while at reft. They keep them ftanding erect, as if to invite fpectators to admire their beauty. It must be remarked, likewise with regard to those infects which have four wings, that the colours of the upper differ from thole of the under wings. Nor must I omit to mention, that these colours are most vivid in the wings of living infects, and that they fometimes fade when the animal dies. It is alfo to be obferved, that infects

which have farinaceous, wings, if they are to be kept, must not, when caught, be handled too roughly; for, as they owe their colours to that powder, or rather to thofe feathers, which, from their fmallness, escape our fenses; they lose all their brilliance, when these are either destroyed or deranged.

The membranous wings of infects have alfo their particular beauties. Some prefent to the view, an affemblage of colours like thofe of the rain-bow, or like those formed by the rays of the fun, in paffing through a prifm. They vary according to the different refraction of the rays, fo that, what at firft appeared red, becomes afterwards blue or green, nearly like the colours on a pigeon's neck, which change ac cording to their different pofition with regard to the Sun. There are often between the nerves of the wings of fome infects, small spots which appear like fo many ornaments wrought on fine gauze.

We have faid that there are infects whofe wings are covered with a kind of cafe to protect them from accidents. These cafes have likewife their particular beauties. In fome infects they are of a uniform colour, as yellow, red of various fhades, green, blue, violet, brown and black. In fome thefe colours are dull, in others bright and fhining like a tranfparent varnish. Of this laft kind are thofe infects of the Bupreftis and Curculio kind, whofe elytra feem adorned with emeralds and gold. The elytra of other infects are variegated with different colours. Thofe of the Silpha Vefpillo are painted alternately with tranfverfe and waved bands of black and reddifh yellow. The ground colour of thole of the Coecinella conglobata is yellow, but it is adorned with fquare black spots like thofe on a chefs board. The Silpha 4-punctata has two square fpots on each elytron. The Leptura arcuata is of a deep black coA a 2

lour

lour with yellow spots on the upper, and hook-fhaped bands of the fame colour on the under part. The Leptura fcalaris has on its elytra indented ornaments which at the place where the elytra meet pretty much resemble Spanish point. I once found a beetle, on a woodbine growing out of a rock, whofe elytra were marked with fmall bars, fome green, fome deep red, like polished copper, and others of a deep blue, like burnished fteel.

The beauty of different flowers, the diverfity remarkable in the colours of fhells, the fplendor of thofe in the tail of a peacock, no doubt, excite our admiration; but that they are not the only coloured bodies capable of producing that effect on our minds, we have only to caft our eyes on fome infects to be convinced. Though thefe fmall animals were of no ufe in the world we would ftill be indebted to the Creator, for having given them exiftence. The mere fight of them gives us pleafure; the mind feels a fenfible gratification, in contemplating fo many beauties in fo fmall a fpace. This is not all. If we are wife, we fhall rise from thofe beautiful objects to their Maker. What must be the riches of a Being, who hath lavifhed fo many treafures on the vileft of infects! The beauty of thefe creatures, which calls forth our admiration and delight, being fo much inferior to that of the Creator, would it not be blindnefs, not to acknowledge, to admire, and to love him, who is the fource of whatever is amiable and and worthy of admiration in the works of his hands? If we would proportion the degree of our affections to the excellence of their object, we ought to love God, with our whole heart. What folly is it, not to pride ourselves on the beauty of the ftuffs with which we are clothed! Velvet and filk, which are the most precious of thefe, whence come they? They are the excrement of a vile infect. And our richeft garb,

is it equal in beauty to that with which many of thefe fmall animals are decked?. With juftice, we may say, that Solomon in all his glory, was not ar rayed like one of these.

BOOK II.

PART II.

CHA P. I.

OF THE USES OF INSECTS WITH RESPECT TO MAN.

INSECTS, confidered in a fuperficial manner, with out entring into a particular examination of their qualities, appear to be creatures of little or no use. This is an error, which after having read this Chapter, people will not eafily fall into. I confefs it would be rafh to decide pofitively concerning the particular ufe which the wifdom of God had in view in the creation of each individual fpecies. We may however conclude from the ufe they are of, from the benefits we derive from them, that God among others, had that particular ufe inview when he created them Every event in nature proclaims that whatever happens is directed by a Being infinitely wife. From this principle it follows that God hath determined the uses of ani

mals