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little wafte of moiftvire, I have obferved, not only in this maggoty 

 but in many minute animals, and even in the eggs of fmall infers, 

 (among which I reckon thofe of the flea) ; for if the fruitful and 

 barren eggs are placed befide each other, we thall fee the barren 

 ones dry away, whereas the fruitful ones will retain their moisture, 

 at leaft, fo far as to afford the maggot in the egg sufficient for its 

 nourifhment. 



But what fliall we fay, when we obferve that the evaporation of 

 the moifture in fmall living creatures, or their eggs, is fo little, info- 

 much, that a Flea fhall remain wrapt up in the web or cafe it fpins 

 for fovTr entire months, and yet its moiflure not evaporate fo 

 far as to caufe its death ; whereas the moifture exhales from the 

 body of a dead flea in fo fliort a fpace of time. In a word, we 

 cannot but wonder at thefe appearances, and here our reflexions 

 muft tei'minate. 



Before this worm, I have laft mentioned, came out of its egg, I 

 placed the egg before the raicrofcope, and caufed a drawing to be 

 made of it, becaufe I could not only fee the worm alive in the egg, 

 and how its body was placed, but I could alfo difcern through the 

 ftiell, many of the joints in its body. 



Fig. 11. D E represents the egg of the Flea with the worm or 

 maggot in it, and which egg had been laid but three days. Fig. 12, 

 F G, is the egg from which the maggot had crept out, and in which 

 may be feen the manner how it had broke open the fhell. These 

 eggs of the Flea are no larger when viewed by the naked eye, than 

 fmall grains of fand : and as objects do not appear of the fame llze 

 to the eyes of every one, fo it was with the limner who made this 

 drawing ; for the breadth of this egg appeared to me twice the fize 

 here reprefented, and the worm alfo in the same proportion. I 

 could, however, if neceilary, have made drawings of thefe objeds 

 from microfcopes of greater magnifying powers. 



After the preceding remarks, I fo far fucceeded in the treatment 



