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the Mace, and which afterwards quit the Mace, leaving the mem- 

 branes themfelves unhurt, except in that part wliere they firft gained 

 admittance ; I caufed a drawing to be made of fome of thefe Mace 

 leaves, a part of which is of that fort called white Mace, 



Fig. 16, A B K C D E, exhibits part of a leaf of Mace, and in this 

 figure, between EFG and H, may be feen the llripes of the leaf, 

 which are engraved with very light touches, fo as to give the appear- 

 ance of white ; thefe are tlie parts called white Mace, and from them 

 the oily fubltance is all confumcd, leaving only the bare membranes. 

 Now, if this whiteness had been caufed by the want of nourilhment 

 in the plant, then the extremities of the leaves at C or D, woidd have 

 been white alfo, whereas, on the contrary, they were of the proper 

 colour, and of a good flavour, by reafon that the maggots had 

 not eaten away the oil from within tlie membranes farther than 

 where the leaves appeared wliite. 



Lower down, in the figure, between G and H, may be feen a 

 fmall hole made in the membrane of the leaf, which I conclude, was 

 bitten by the maggot, to open for itfelf a paflage into the leaf, and 

 the rather, becaufe the thin membranes in tliis part of the leaf were 

 entirely unhurt, nor did there appear any perforation in them, ex- 

 cept in the before mentioned place towards A B. And, if we confider 

 the narrownefs of the cavity in tliefe white leaves, where the oil is 

 eaten away, we inay conclude, that it muft have been an exceeding 

 minute creature which could turn itfelf about in fo fmall a fpace, and 

 then procure its fubfiftence ; and, between the membranes in this 

 part of the leaf, I found nothing, except the excrements of the 

 maggot. 



When I was endeavouring, fome time fmce, to difcoverthe young 

 plant in the Nutmeg, I alfo tried to find out, in what manner the 

 nut, while inclofed in its fliell, received iiourifhmcnt from tlie tree ; 

 and for that purpofe, I took a Nutmeg which was preferved in fugar, 



Pp 



