defcriptions are faulty in being too fhort, but there are feveral caterpillars reprefented, which are not be found in any other work. For this reason I prefer it to the reft, and I think it better deferves the Title of the Theatre of Caterpillars, than the work which Blancard has published under that name.

The Treatife which Ulyffes Aldrovandus, Profeffor of Medecine in the University of Bologna, compofed, in Latin, on the nature of infects, deferves to be mentioned. If we believe Peter Caftell; the ftudy of infects had fuch charms for him, that he expended large fums in travelling for information; and that during thirty years, he gave annually two hundred florins to a Painter, folely occupied in painting infects for him. The fame author adds, that Aldrovandus fo much fatigued his fight in making his researches, that he was unfortunate enough to lofe it in his old age. The Treatife of this able naturalift on infects, is adorned with feveral plates, which though executed on wood, are very elegant, and expreffive. As to the merit of the work upon the whole, it is a mixture of good and bad. Aldrovandus allowed himfelf to adopt the opinion that infects were generated from corruption; and he often wanders from his fubject for the fake of mere philological difcuffion. We are indebted to him however, for many excellent obfervations, which are fo much the more valuable, as they come from a man of credit and integrity.

I

1

I return to Blancard. This Dutch physician, after having made a large collection of infects, compofed his. Theatre from what experience had taught him. In his work we find excellent figures, the greater part of them reprefenting the infects peculiar to his native country. He concludes his Treatife with inftructions for catching and preparing thefe little animals.

C. Gefner profeffor of Medecine at Zurich has alfo given us a Natural Hiftory, in which he treats of the nature of ferpents, and particularly of fcorpions, In common with Aldrovandus, this author was at the expence of travelling, and maintaining a corref pondence with different countries; and the plates of his work are likewise engraven on wood. I confefs that they do not reprefent their originals with per, fect accuracy; his industry, however, has obtained him the name of the German Pliny,

I. L. Frisch, Rector of the Royal Academy, of Berlin, has given a very extensive defcription of the infects of Germany, without however being liable to the charge of prolixity, In order to eftimate its value fully, we have only to reflect on what it coft the author. He ftudied the mysteries of nature; he employed the microscope in exploring the objects he defcribes; defigned each part with his own hand, and made them be engraven under his own eye by his fon. The habit of infects, their forms, their members, their articulations, their fituations, the nerves of the wings are all expreffed with

accuracy,

accuracy, fo that perhaps no book was ever more. worthy of credit.

J. Goedart, a Flemish painter, took a pleasure, during twenty years in feeding various infects, in obferving their changes, and in imitating, with the pencil, the beauty of thofe butterflies and moths which were most remarkable for their colours. His book was first published in Dutch; but that edition being foon fold off, Mr de Mey, Doctor of Medecine, and Minifter at Middleburg, tranflated the firft volume into Latin, and published it in 1662. The fecond appeared also in the fame language, tranflated by M. P. Veczaerd Minifter in Zealand, who added feveral remarks of his own. There was ftill a third, which the Tranflator of the firft undertook, and supplied its deficiencies by a great number of notes. Arrangement was ftill wanting to this work. Dr Lifter, member of the Royal Society of London, took upon himfelf this trouble, but intrufted the publication to one of his friends.

J. Johnften, Doctor in Medicine likewife publifhed a Treatife on the fame fubject divided into three parts. It contains little of his own; the figures, which are by no means correct, are inferior to thofe of Aldrovandus. The work is a mere compilation of what is to be found on the fubject in that author, and in Mouffet.

This laft published at firft a collection, intituled Theatre of Infects, c. begun by Wotton, Penn, C

and

and Gefner. He afterwards gave it in a form of more regularity; he augmented, corrected and illuf trated the text, by adding near five hundred figures, which are far from being amifs. This learned Englishman certainly threw a deal of light on the History of Infects; but being prejudiced in favour of Arif totle, he has adopted fome errors which that great man had fallen into.

We obferve in the Hiftory of Infects published by Ray, the Work of a great naturalift. He enters into a detail of the different fpecies of these animals; he indicates their native place, and informs us of their qualities, general and particular.

I come now to the Memoirs of M. de Reaumur, Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. He published them in 1735, and accompanied them with excellent figures. The following year they were reprinted in Holland, an edition which was afforded much cheaper than that of Paris. This proceeding gave offence to the author, and determined him not to publish the remainder, till the whole work was compleat. The Journalists of Hamburg, allow that it is a master-piece of erudition, of accuracy, of elegance, and of entertaining inveftigation. They add that it is calculated to convince men of the infinite power and wisdom of the Creator, by exhibiting to them, the lively characters he has impreffed upon animals, for which they entertain a profound contempt. This hiftory is not merely entertaining, it is really ufeful. If we confider it

in this point of view, it will give no less pleasure to thofe who read for inftruction, than to those who read only for amufement. It is known, and is but too true, that an infinity of fmall animals defolate our plants, our trees, and our fruits; that they attack our furniture and our cloaths; that they eat the corn in our granaries, and that they do not even respect ourselves: would it not be defirable if we could defend ourselves from fuch enemies? This M. de Reaumur conceives to be practicable by a diligent attention to the nature of each fpecies. By this means we might be able to deftroy them, and their eggs, we might prevent thom from injuring us, and we might render important fervices to the community by difcovering the means of preferving the fruits of the earth, and fecuring the health of the human body.

There remains a work of G. Rondeletius, Doctor of Medecine at Montpellier, in which the principal defign of the author was to treat of fishes, and other a. quatic animals. He has not confined himself however elofely to his fubject, but has treated of infects, and has added figures to his descriptions. In the library of the Jefuits at Ratisbon, there is a copy of this work in two volumes, on the margins of the leaves are large notes, faid to be in the hand writing of Gefner. However that may be, this work which must have occafioned great labour to the author is very embarrafing to the reader, for he is not fixed in his principles, but often contradicts himself.