ORDER II. BUGS. 75 



putable truths, and to contradict them would only be to ex- 

 pose one's self to the imputation of ignorance or criminal 

 faithlessness. And although at present the possibility of 

 making a living serpent out of wood, and the story of ani- 

 mated leaves and sticks would be despised as absurd, yet 

 many are to be found, both in Europe and America, who 

 firmly believe in the animation of a horse-hair. But the 

 most obvious errors have often a shadow of truth whereon 

 to rest, or palliate, if not excuse them by the plea of igno- 

 rance or mistake. The historian of the walking-leaf may 

 have been deceived by the Mantis siccifolium of Linn^us 

 (the Soothsayer), the wings of which bear some resem- 

 blance to a leaf. The Gordius (a worm) resembles a horse- 

 hair, and no doubt gave rise to the story of the metamor- 

 phosis above mentioned; and the account of the walking- 

 sticks may have very honestly originated from the singular 

 appearance and form of the insect which bears this name." 



I have above mentioned the name of Madame Merian as 

 originally circulating the story of the Lantern-fly, and as 

 her name is somewhat celebrated in the annals of Natural 

 History, a more extended mention may not be unacceptable 

 to my readers. 



Madame Maria Sibilla Merian was the daughter of 

 Mathew Merian, a distinguished French artist. She was 

 born in 1647, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and early in life 

 devoted herself to drawing and painting, particularly plants 

 and insects. At the age of eighteen she was married to a 

 painter of Nuremberg, named John Andrew Graf This 

 marriage did not prove a fortunate one ; and a few years 

 after it took place Grafs affairs became so much involved, 

 and his conduct in other respects so censurable, that he was 

 obliged for a time to leave the country. In consequence 

 of this separation, Madame Merian never assumed her hus- 

 band's name in any of her publications, but became known 

 to the public by her maiden appellation. 



