INSECTS IN GENERAL. 



745 



equal pretensions; and a very troublesome 

 innovation would be brought into our lan- 

 guage, which is already formed. Excluding 

 such animals, therefore, from the insect tribe, 

 we may define insects to be little animals with- 

 out red blood, bones, or cartilages, furnished with 

 a trunk, or else a mouth, opening lengthwise, with 

 eyes which they are incapable of covering, and 

 with lungs which have their openings on the sides. 

 This definition comprehends the whole class 

 of insects, whether with or without wings; 

 whether in their caterpillar or butterfly state; 

 whether produced in the ordinary method of 

 generation between male and female, or from 

 an animal that is itself both male and female, 

 or from the same animal cut into several parts, 

 and each part producing a perfect ani- 

 mal. 



From hence it appears, that in this class of 

 animals there are numerous distinctions, and 

 that a general description will by no means 

 serve for all. Almost every species has its 

 own distinct history ; and exhibits manners, 

 appetites, and modes of propagation, pecu- 

 liarly its own. In the larger ranks of exist- 

 ence, two animals that nearly resemble each 

 other in form will be found to have a similar 

 history ; but here insects almost entirely alike 

 will be often found perfectly dissimilar, as 

 well in their manner of bringing forth and sub- 

 sisting, as in the changes which they undergo 

 during their short lives. Thus as this class 

 is prolific beyond computation, so are its va- 

 rieties multiplied beyond the power of de- 

 scription. The attempt to enumerate all the 

 species of a fly or a moth would be very fruit- 

 less; but to give a history of all would be ut- 

 terly impracticable; so various are the ap- 

 petites, the manners, and the lives of this hum- 

 ble class of beings, that every species requires 

 its distinct history. An exact plan, therefore, 

 of nature's operations in this minute set of 

 creatures is not to be expected ; and yet such 

 a general picture may be given, as is suffi- 

 cient to show the protection which Provi- 

 dence affords its smallest as well as its largest 

 productions, and to display that admirable 

 circulation in nature by which one set of 

 living beings find subsistence from the de- 

 struction of another; and by which life is 

 continued without a pause in every part of 

 the Creation. 



Upon casting a slight view over the whole 

 insect tribe just when they are supposed to 

 rouse from their state of annual torpidity, 

 when they begin to feel the genial influence 

 of spring, and again exhibit new life in every 

 part of nature, their numbers and their varie- 

 ties seem to exceed all powers of calculation, 

 and they are indeed too great for description. 

 When we look closer, however, we shall find 

 some striking similitudes, either in their pro- 

 pagation, their manners, or their form, that 

 give us a hint for grouping several of them 

 into one description, and thus enabling us to 

 shorten the labour of a separate history for 

 every species. Swammerdam, Reaumur, and 

 Linnajus, have each attempted to abridge the 

 task of description, by throning a number of 

 similar animals into distinct classes, arid thus 

 making one general history stand for all. I 

 will avail myself of their labours; and uniting 

 their general distinctions, throw the whole 

 class of insects into fourseparatedistributions. 

 giving under each the history of every species 

 that seems to me considerable enough to de- 

 serve our notice. Thus our labour will be 

 shortened ; and the very rank in which an 

 insect is placed, will, in some measure, ex- 

 hibit a considerable part of its history. 



In our cursory inspection of the insect tribe, 

 the first animals that offer themselves are 

 those which want wings, that appear crawl- 

 ing about on every plant, and on every spot 

 of earth we regard with any degree of atten- 

 tion. Of these, some never obtain wings at 

 any period of their existence, but are destined 

 to creep on the vegetable, or the spot of earth 

 where they are stationed for tLeir whole lives. 

 On the contrary, others are only candidates 

 fora more happy situation; and only wait 

 their growing wings, when they may be said 

 to arrive at their state of full perfection. 



Those that never have wings, but creep 

 about till they die, may be considered as con- 

 stituting the FIRST CLASS of insects. All these, 

 the flea and the wood-louse only excepted, 

 are produced from an egg; and when once 

 they break the shell, they never suffer any 

 further change of form, but continue to grow, 

 larger till they die. Thus the louse or the 

 spider are produced from an egg, never suf- 

 fering any alteration when once they are ex- 

 cluded ; but, like the chicken or the duck> 



