GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 195 



sistent oat-shaped particles ; it flows very regularly, and in 

 many parts of the body with a distinct pulsation. 



The organs of respiration are tubes permeating the 

 whole body, and communicating with the air by means 

 of lateral spiracles or openings in the sides of the insect. 



Insects are long in proportion to their breadth : they are 

 transversely divided into thirteen segments ; each segment 

 seems to possess in itself a distinct vitality. Insects are 

 excessively tenacious of life, even to so great a degree, 

 that heads separated from the body have eaten voraciously 

 for hours, the food passing completely through them ; and 

 bodie^^ without heads have occasionally flown, and have re- 

 peatedly walked about for days. Insects appear to possess 

 no mental power ; to be incapable of memory ; to assume 

 the winged state in the plenitude of perfection ; to perform 

 the acts their parents performed without the possibility of 

 tuition or observation. 



The author is aware that several repetitions occur in the 

 course of these pages, but they appeared to him essential 

 to make the subject perfectly clear; he hopes that those 

 who do not see their necessity will yet pardon them. Some 

 of these highly interesting subjects lose nothing by repe- 

 tition; for the mind in youth — and for such this volume is 

 more particularly designed — is too apt to wander from the 

 immediate subject before it, if of a somewhat abstruse 

 character, and requires constantly to be reminded of those 

 important, yet often uninviting truths, which must be re- 

 ceived before any real progress can be made in science. It 

 is the author's particular wish to instruct as well as please : 

 to amuse by a recital of the extraordinary acts which in- 

 sects perform, and to improve the understanding by showing 

 how the parts of insects are adapted for those acts : to point 

 out clearly the evidence of design in the structure of these 

 apparent atoms : to demonstrate how and for what purpose 



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