On a Variety of the Genus Acarus, 7 



sand times, they appeared as large as walnuts, and I could 

 distinguish every part with ease. The ova, or eggs, were 

 also seen as large as kidney beans, and looked like polished 

 mother-of-pearl ; and, owing to the solar ray,'', as iinely va- 

 riegated, with all that «^oft delicacy of" prismatic tint so pe- 

 culiar to that shell. 



The legs of these insects, which are eight in number, are 

 so small in proportion to the bulk of their bodies, that if 

 the creatures happen to fall from any eminent part of the 

 fly, upon which they feed, and get upon their backs, they 

 are as unable to recover their feet as a tortoise ; partly on 

 account of their want of the vertebral joints or spines, and 

 partly from the inconsiderable weight of their legs to form 

 a counterpoise. But what they are deficient in in these re- 

 spects is by provident nature compensated for by their in- 

 genuity and address, as is plain by their taking advantage 

 of any adventitious opportunity for their relief that may 

 pre>ent itself, and which they have the sagacity to improve 

 and make subservient to their present convenience: for, 

 each leg being composed of four articulations terminating 

 in a double talon, they catch hold of as many of their young 

 as are adequate to form a sufficient weight of lever, when 

 properly applied, to restore them ; to which purpose thev 

 place them all on one side; and so completely counter- 

 act the weight of thrir bodies, and recover their lost po- 

 sition. 



The facility and address with whicli they wield six or 

 eight small ones (quite as easily as a man can a walking- 

 cane) not only argues great strength of body but great in- 

 gciuiity also; while the infant tribe appear to sympathize 

 with the incumbent parent while in that supine posture ; 

 who no sooner falls than she is surrounded by these little 

 auxiliaries, each of which places itself on some part of the 

 parent, as if emulous to assist (and it cannot be to suck, 

 because they are not of the mammalia class). Thus we 

 may see in an insect, which in its first development is not 

 more than a sixteenth part the size of a small grain of sand, 

 and in its mature state not bigger than the grain itielf, all 

 those powers of instinctive motion that can be found in one 

 ever so large or noble. 



Of how small worth, then, are the attainments of nine- 

 tenths of the human species, who perform a dull, unmean- 

 ing, sensual round of unconscious mechanic actions, as 

 ihey fetl themselves impelled by instinct, not one of which 

 is superior to those of these beings, whom ihcy dei«troy 

 A 4- Without 



