and covered with a vifcid liquor. This animal keeps his mouth open, and when flies, ants, little beetles, or other infects pafs within his reach, he darts out his tongue, with the fwiftnefs of an arrow, and when he has once catched them, they cannot escape: they are stuck on the tip of his tongue, as they would be on the point of a pin, or they are retained by the gluey fubftance which adheres to it, as birds are with bird-lime.

Infects, which ferve for food to certain animals, afford medecine to others. Poultry, when diseased, fwallow spiders, which purge and cure them. Bears, when troubled with indigeftion, dip their tongue in honey, (as Plutarch relates,) and thrust it into an ant-hill: when the ants have gathered on it, they draw it in, fwallow the ants and are cured. To avoid prolixity, I fhall not adduce any more inftances.

After mature reflection on what has just been faid, concerning the ufes of infects, we cannot furely hefi tate in concluding, that the Being who formed them, is all-wife and almighty. His power appears, in his having conjoined fo many qualities in fuch diminutive animals and his wisdom, in having rendered them equally useful to men and brutes, in health, and in fickness. It is our duty to attend ferioufly to these circumstances; to have our hearts penetrated with gratitude to our Creator, and to offer him our continual thanks.

Man, endowed with reafon, convinced of the uti lity of many infects, cannot help acknowledging, that there are many ftill, whofe ufes are totally unknown. In this perfuafion, what can he do better, than apply himfelf to the affiduous inveftigation of their properties? The objection that many are noxious, is not a good one. I fhall answer it in the fucceeding

fucceeding chapter. The inutility of many others, is by no means better; it is abfolutely falfe. For it must be observed, in the first place, that we cannot fay a thing is useless, because we are unaquainted with its properties: Experience teaches us, that, by careful examination of fome things, which, for at long time, had been regarded as ufelefs, they have been found poffeffed of very valuable properties.Befides, we must diftinguish between utility mediate, and utility immediate. All things are created for the glory of God, and the ufe of man, although man does not enjoy the whole immediately. It is but a fmall part of the infect creation which ferves as food for man, but how many species are devoured by birds, by fishes, and other aninials, which afterwards afford him fubftantial aliment. Hence it fol lows, that infects, ufeful to other animals, are useful to man. But further, many infects, as I have already fhewn, are of immediate utility to man. And is there not a fufficient number to prompt him to ex amine, whether there are not others, that may be equally ferviceable to him?

They may be collected in different ways. It is eafy to take in the day time, thofe which eat only during the night, becaufe, then they remain at reft, among the leaves. On the other hand, thofe that fly only by day, are eafily taken during the night. A lighted candle in a lanthorn, attracts them, and brings them within our reach. In rainy weather too, they take fhelter under the leaves, or in other places where they are found without difficulty.

As caterpillars feed themfelves, it is not difficult to rear them when they are taken. However, there are feveral things worthy of obfervation on this head. Whenever I took any, to observe their tranf formations, and to ftudy their nature, I put them in

to

to pretty large glafs veffels,as wide at top as at bottom. Before putting them into this veffel, I took care to fill it half full of earth. I afterwards covered it, leaving, however, free accefs to the air, and put it in a place, where it was not expofed to the rays of the fun. I gave fresh food, every day, to fuch caterpillars, as I knew lived upon particular plants; but to such whofe kind of food I was ignorant of, I gave at first, fuch leaves or other things as I had found them on. If they did not touch thefe, the next day I gave them other leaves, and I continued thus, till I difcovered the food that fuited them. As great profit is derived from bees, it is of great importance for those who have opportunity, to know how to cultivate them. But as this fubject is too copious to be fully treated here, I fhall confine myfelf to the principal circumftances.

Bees require great care and attention. In the first place, their hives must be judiciously placed. They hould be fituated in an air neither near a fwamp nor moist. It is of advantage, to have in the neighbourhood, little rivulets of running water, not furrounded with tall trees, nor having on their banks, too luxuriant herbage. There fhould likewife be in the vicinity of the hives, abundance of all forts of odoriferous flowers. The hives must be very clean; and free from all impurities, fuch as fpiders webs, mouldinefs, moths, clefts, &c. During winter, they ought to be laid over with plaifter, that the bees may be kept warm, and that no infect may penetrate to them. When the honey is taken in autumn, care must be had, to leave enough to ferve them for food during winter. In the months of May, June, and July, they must be watched, that the fwarms may not be loft. The hives which are ftrong fwarm in May, thofe lefs fo before St. John's Day, and the weakest after that time. If it is wished to have the fwarm remain in the hive deftined for it, certain pre

cautions must be used, and it must be introduced with addrefs. The difeafes of bees are a fort of plague, and a diarrhoea. The firft is occafioned by moisture falling on the hives in autumn, which communicates with the honey, renders it mouldy, and infects the bees. If it be difcovered in time, it may be remedied, by cleaning the hives, and expofing them often to the air. The fecond arifes, when they over-heat themselves in the fpring, or light upon noxious flowers. It is remedied, by introducing fome honeycomb into the hive by its aperture at top; or by mixing a certain powder with honey, and giving it to the bees. The enemies of bees are the ftork, fwallows, pigeons, jays, wood peckers, mice, fnakes and ants. Some fpecies of these last eat the bees themselves, others the honey, fuch as drones, wafps and hornets. Amongst the things that are difagreeable to them, we muft reckon favin, boxwood, wormwood, falt, putrid water, all forts of ftrong and bad fmells, or exhalations, fmoke, thunder, lightning and great noises.

As to filk worms, the following is the method of treating them. To enable them to conftruct their cone with the greater facility, they are put into a paper, rolled up, fo as to be pointed at one end, and wide at the other. This method is proper, only when a fmall number is to be reared. But if a confiderable quantity is maintained, it will be better to put them upon branches of the white mulberry, which will procure them the advantage of living in a cleanly manner, without being furrounded by their excrement. There is another regulation to be obferved with fuch as are juft hatched. They are fed with leaves of lettuce, but with all the economy which the delicacy of their ftate requires, that too great a quantity of this food may not prove fatal to them. Suppofing their life divided into three ftages,

the

the following rule is to be observed: One portion of lettuce daily is given to the youngest; the double to thofe in the second ftage; but, when they have ar ived at their natural fize or third ftage, they will need more than triple of what they got at first, that is to fay, five parts must be given them.

Thefe infects eat indifferently fig and young elm leaves, but thofe of the white mulberry are their moft favourite food. When thefe are given them, care must be taken, that they be neither moift, nor too fucculent. The leaves of the young mulberries, or of thofe that grow in a moift foil, have this defect. Such an aliment does not fuit their conftitution. On the contrary, it is very hurtful to them, and almost always fatal. The best food for them is, the leaf of thofe white mulberries that grow in ftony and dry places, on hills and mountains, which are o pen to the free air, beaten by the winds, and expofed to the violence of tempefts. Such a tree has its juices purified, and fit for the nourishment of filkworms. Should the leaves happen to be furcharged with dew or rain, the fituation of the tree foon fhakes off the humidity, and the wind reftores its former dryness.

I would not, however, advise any one to truft in this cafe, entirely to chance. I would rather chufe to delay gathering the leaves till the fun has fucceeded the rain, or till mid-day, before making a provifion of leaves, nor would I feed my filk-worms, before I had wiped off all the humidity which has escape the winds, or the heat of the fun.

I cannot fufficiently recommend the keeping of the place where they are reared, neat and clean.Great care must be taken in the cleaning, which is done with a delicate rufh or with a feather, not to