CLEANLINESS OF INSECTS. 389 



% The front pair of legs, or, as they are generally 

 called, the fore-legs, are considered by some authors 

 to be really the insect's arms, the last portion of 

 them being the hand. Certainly they are often 

 as useful to the insect as is this admirable organ 

 to ourselves ; not only are they serviceable in 

 walking, but they also enable the insect to climb, 

 to lay hold of various objects, or to catch their 

 prey, to dig in the earth, and in many instances to 

 clean the head and face of the creature ; an opera- 

 tion in which many of them, and particularly flies 

 and bees among our domestic insects, are most 

 praiseworthily particular ; having apparently an 

 aversion to nothing so much as to a dirty face and 

 unbrushed jacket I The other pairs of legs are altered 

 in various manners in order to fit them for the 

 different purposes for which they are required by 

 the insect. 



The purposes for which the legs are put into 

 requisition are, as will be easily guessed, for walk- 

 ing or running, for jumping, for climbing, and for 

 swimming. Most surprising in all these respects 

 is the degree of agility and swiftness with which 

 it has pleased the Divine Creator to endow these 

 insect-organs. M. Delisle once observed a fly, 



