288 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



quotes all the three, together with the learn- 

 ed diflertation our author refers to, which 

 I take to be Cornelii Hegardt Hifloria na- 

 turalis et medica ficw * ; it will be eafy 

 to judge, whether it is at all probable, 

 that the fig-infecls carry the du'i of the 

 caprificus to the unripe figs, and thus 

 impregnate the feeds f . 



38. If 



• In C. Linnael, Amaen. Acad, vol i, p. 213. 243. 



f •• Cupido ficus nobis, dicitur, quem aotiqui pfenetn 

 feu infeflum vocarunt fican'um ; et Pontedera, Anthol. 

 172. defcripfit, eftque fpecies ichneumoni«. Hifce ich. 

 neumonibus jam mutatis, alifque inftruftis, tempus adeft, 

 quo caprificus, feu ficus masj florefcic, i. e, farinam e- 

 dit antherarum; tUDc ichiieumcnes e caprifici cavitati* 

 bus, farina, molitoris inllar e mola fua prodeuntis, ob- 

 dufti evolant, et corjugibus acquifitis de ovis pariendis 

 foliciti funt : Hinc ad fingulos^roflbs tranlvolaDte?, ca- 

 vitatcs ficus foeminae, dplii inftar, clavls ferreis vel fpicu- 

 lis feu piftillis ab omnibus lateribus intus completas, in* 

 trando, non pofTunt non farinam illam, qua contefti 

 fuDt, excutere. Paret igitur hoc mode, ficum banc foe- 

 minam facillime impregnari " Thus Mr Hegardt, A- 

 maen. Acad. i. p. 231. A fine appendix for Pontanus's . 

 poem ! But, 



According to Pontedera, " FicRrii culices, forma ad 

 vefpas, nafcendi autem mode ad mufcas, accedere mihi 

 videntur. Ut primuro groffi grandiufculi fafli apertum 



fun- 



