, MicroGRAPHIA. 
through fo many fcourings, wafhings,dreflings and dryings,’ as the parts 
of old Paper muft neceflarily have fuffer'd; the digeftive faculty,it feems, 
of thefe little creatures being able yet further to work upon thofe ftub- 
born parts, and reduce them into another form, 
And indeed, when Iconfider what a heap of Saw-duft or chips this 
little creature (which is one of the teetlt of Time) conveys into its in- 
trals. [cannot chufe but remember and admire the excellent contrivance 
of Nature, in placing in Animals fuch a fire, as is continually nourifhed and 
fupply'd by the materials convey'd into the ftomach, and fomented by the 
bellows of the lungs; and in fo contriving the moft admirable fabrick of 
Animals, as to make the very fpending and wafting of that fire, to be 
inftrumental to the procuring and collecting more materials to augment 
Lone and cherifh it felf, which indeed feems to be the principal end of all the 
2 oe contrivances obfervable in bruit Animals. 
Obferv. LIII. Ofa Flea. 
"He ftrength and beauty of this fmall creature, had it no other rela- 
* tion atall to man, would deferve adefcription.. , 
For its ftrength, the Aficrofcope is able to make no greater difcoveries 
of it then the naked eye, but onely the curious contrivance of its leggs 
and joints, for the exerting that ftrength,is very plainly manifefted, fuch 
-as no other creature, I have yet obferv’d, has any: thing like it; for the 
joints of it are {0 adapted,that he can,as ‘twere,fold them fhort one with- 
in another,and fuddenly ftretch,or {pring them out to their whole length, 
that is, of the fore-leggs, the part A, of the 34. Scheme, lies within B, 
and B within C, parallel to, or fide by fide each others but the parts 
of the two next, lie quite contrary, that is, D without E, and E with- 
out F, but parallelalfo; but the parts of the hinder leggs, G, H and I, 
bend one within another, like the parts of a double jointed Ruler, or 
like the foot, legg and thigh of a man; thefe fix leggs he clitches up al- 
together, and when he leaps, {prings them all out, and thereby exerts 
his whole ftrength at once. . ee . eer 
But, asfor the beauty of it, the A4crofeope manifelts it to be allover 
adorn'd witha curioufly polith’d fuit of j2b/e Armour, neatly jointed, 
and befet with multitudes of harp pinns, fhap'd almoft like Porcupine’s 
Quills, or bright conical Steel-bodkins ; the head is on either fide beau 
tify’d with a quick and round black eye K; behind each of which alfo 
nanan 
tain thin film befet with many fmall tranfparent hairs,which probably may 
-behis ears; in theforepart of his head, between the two fore-leggs, he 
_ hastwo {mall long pointed feelers, or rather {mellers, MM, which have 
four joints,and are hairy, like thofe of feveral other creatures ; between 
»it hasa {mall probofeis, or probe, NNO, that feems.to confit. of a 
. ae # ‘ tub Cy 
os 
“has Aaah: 
appears a fmall cavity, L, inwhich he feems to move to and. fro .a.cer- 
+ 
