PLATE I. 



IV. Neuroptera. Wings four, naked, tranfparent, reticu- 



lated, with veins or nerves. Tail without fting. 

 V. Hymenoptera. Wings four. Membraneous ; tail of the 



female armed with a fting. 

 VI. Diptera. Wings two. 

 VII. Aptera. No wings. 



Transformations of Insects. 



Many of our readers are no doubt acquainted with the fingular 

 transformations Infects undergo, but we truft thofe will pardon a 

 digreflion which may be ufeful to thofe who have not that knowledge ; 

 and without premifing farther we proceed to inform them, that Infects 

 in general undergo a material change in their form at ftated periods 

 of their lives ; there are fome, though few, which burft forth from 

 the egg perfectly formed, as Spiders^ &c. but the greater part exift 

 in four feveral ftates : the firft that of the egg, whence the Larva, or 

 Caterpillar is produced ; it is at firft very minute, but in this ftate it 

 feeds, fome kinds on one or two plants only, others promifcuoufly on 

 many, they therefore continue to increafe in fize> moulting feveral 

 times the outer fkin, until the deftined period of their dormant ftate 

 approaches j they- then fpin a web more or lefs ftrong according to the 

 fpecies, and are converted into the aurelia, or chryfalis ; and laftly 

 they burft forth in due feafon with all their accomplifhments perfect. 

 It is under this form they propagate a future race, and themfelves 

 perifh, as they rarely furvive the inclemencies of the winter. 



The antient naturalifts held fuppofitions very imperfect and erro- 

 neous relative to thofe transformations, but Malpighi and Su/ammer- 

 dam proved by many accurate examinations clearly, that thofe changes 

 were not fuddenly effected, but gradual ; and that under the form of 

 the Caterpillar they could diftinguifh the future changes the Infect 

 would undergo. 



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