174 
MiIcROGRAHPIA. 
a quilly or finny fubftance,confifting of feveral long, {lender andvarioufly 
bended guills or wires, fomething refembling the veins of leaves3:t 
are, as twere,the finns or quills which ftiffen the whole Area, and keep 
the other part diftended, which is a very thin tran{parent fkin or mem- 
brane varioufly folded, and platted, but not very regularly, and is be- 
fides exceeding thickly beftuck with innumerable fmall brifles; which 
are onely perceptible by the bigger magnifying A“crofcope, and not 
with that neither, but with a very convenient augmentation of fky- 
light projected on the Object with a burning Glafs, as [have elfewhere 
fhew'd, or by looking through it againft the light. > sd yam 
_ In fteed of thefe {mall hairs, in {everal other Flies, there are infinite of 
{mall Feathers, which cover both the under and upper fides of this thin 
film asin almoft all the forts of Butterflies and Moths: and thofe {mall parts 
are not onely fhapd very much likethe feathers of Birds, but like thofe 
variegated with all the variety of curious bright and vivid colours ima- 
ginable; and thofe feathers are likewife fo admirably and delicately 
rang'd,as to compofe very fine flourifhings and ornamental paintings, like 
Turkie and Perfian Carpets,but of far more Se Seebedaty: asis evident 
cna Sp the naked eye, inthe — wings of Butterflies, but much 
more through anordinary AGicrofeope, ks $20 gts. 
4 i red likewife with tel han may be perceived multitudes 
of little pits, or black {pots,in the exended membrane, which feenrto be 
the root of the hairs that grow on the other fide; thefe two bodies feem 
difpers'd over the whole furface of the wing. : . ; 
The. hairs are beft perceiv'd, by looking throughit againft the light, 
or, by laying the wing upon.a very white piece of Paper,’ in a conve- 
nient Hight, for thereby every little hair moft manifeftly appears; a 
ciment of which you may obferve drawn in the fourth ‘Figare of 
he 23. Scheme, AB, CD, EF whereof reptefentfome parts of the 
bones or quills of the. wing, each. of which you may perceive°to be 
cover dj over with a multitude. of fcales, or brifles; the former-A 
is the biggeft {tem of allthe wings: and:may be'properly enough eal 
the cut-air, it being that which terminates and. ftiffens the formolt edge 
of the wing ; the fore-edge of this is arm’d with.amultitude of little 
brifles, or Tenter-hooks, in fome ftanding regular and’ in‘ordery- in 
others not; all the points of which are directed ‘from the body to- 
wards the tip of the wing», nor is this edge onely thus fring’d ,.’but 
even all the whole edge.of the wing is cover'd:with a fmall fringe; 
confifting of fhort and more {lender brifles. lyaobaueagelisg 155163 ; 
_ This Subject, hadItime, would afford’ excellent matter for the com 
templation of the nature of wings and of flying s but, becaufe fmay, 
perhaps, get a more convenient time to profectite that fpeculation; an 
recollect feveral Obfervations that Ihave made of that particular, Pfhall 
at prefent proceed to loigzighbim ROWE? 
f 
os 
: —-* + 2 . 
ert4 <1 
wie H 
