The natural history of insects / compiled from Swammerdam, Brookes, Goldsmith, etc. Embellished with copper-plates. Intended as a companion to Buffon's Natural history.

  • Jan Swammerdam
Date:
1792
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The natural history of insects / compiled from Swammerdam, Brookes, Goldsmith, etc. Embellished with copper-plates. Intended as a companion to Buffon's Natural history. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Those animals which by their Cite chiefly attrad our attentioti^ are but the fmalleft part of animated nature; the whole earth fwarms with living beings, every plant, every grain and leafj fupports the life of thoufands. Vegetables feem^ at firft fight, to be the parts of organized nature, which are produced in the greateft abundance ; but upon minuter infpedliOn we fliall find each fupporting numberlefs minute creatures, who fill up the various gradations of youthj vigour* and old age, in the fpace of a few days exiftence. Vegetables are generally produced but once in a feafon ; but among infedts, efpecially of the fmaller kinds, a Angle fumraer fuffices for fe-^ veral generations- Thefe therefore would multiply in greater abun- dance than the plants on which they fubfift, but that they are deftroy- ed by other animals, and often -by each other; the fpider feeds on the fly, the birds upon the fpiderSj and they, in turn, make the food o£ man and every beaft of prey. Some infects as to their conformation are coiiipofed of feveral rings* joined together by a membrane, which is the ufual form of the bod^ in grubs, worms, and caterpillars. Unlike birds, who traverfe the air with fuch rapidity, thele humble animals, feemingly lefs favourites of nature, move forward but flowly. The whole body confifts of a chain of annular mufcles, whofe orbicular fibres being contra^led, ren* der one of the rings that was before ample and dilated narrow and long. The fibres of thefe rings are found to be fpiral, as are their motions in a great meafure, fo that by this means they can the better bore their pafiage into the earth. Their crawling motion may be explained by a wire wound round a walking cane, which when flipt off, and attempt- ed to be lengthened* has an elaftic contraction of one ring to the other. In like manner the earthworm, having ftiot out or extended its body* lays hold upon fome fubftance with its fmall feet, and fo brings onwarej the hinder part of its body. Caterpillars have feet both before and behind, which not only enable them to move forward by a fort of fieps made by their fore and hinder parts, but alfo climb up vegetables, and to ftretch themfelves out from the boughs and ftalks to reach food at a diftance. Behind, their broad palms are befet almoft round with ftiarp fmall nails, to hold and grafp whatever they^are upon; likewife before, their feet are ftiarp and hook^ ed, by which they can lay hold of leaves, while their hinder parts are brought up thereto. Reptiles that have many feet may be obferved to move them regularly one after another, and from one end of the body to another, in fuch a manner that their legs in w*a]king make a fort of undulation; and by this means they move much fwifter forward than one would imagine. The motion of fnails is performed in a different manner} they have a broad Ikin along each fide of the belly, wliich A