PECULIAR MOTIONS OF INSECTS. 



395 



Mygak avicularia, from Madame Merian. 



and we may, therefore, remark, in passing, that any 

 invention for enabling men to fly must take the 

 comparative weakness of our muscles into primary 

 consideration. Let any one try merely to stretch out 

 his arm as a hawk, or a swift fly ( Volucella) does 

 its wings, when hovering apparently motionless in 

 the air, — and the quick recurrence of weariness, 

 speedily increasing to pain, will afford unequivocal 

 proof of the apparently exhaustless vigour of their voli- 

 tant muscles, compared with ours. It would be no 

 very difficult matter to give voluminous illustrations 

 on this curious subject. A French naturalist, M. 

 Chabrier, has actually written an elaborate quarto 

 volume, on the flight of insects.* Though Chabrier 

 has unquestionable talents of the first order for re- 

 search, it is unfortunate that he permits his fancy to 

 travel somewhat beyond the boundaries of fact ; and 

 to this, no doubt, we are to ascribe his retracting his 

 * Essai 8ur le Vol des Insectes, 4to, Paris, 1801. 



