8o 



GLANDS AND 



Sect. VI. 6. 3. 



In the animal fyftem the lacrymal gland feparates Its fluid into the 

 open air for the purpofe of moiftening the eye ; of this fluid the part, 

 which does not exhale, is abforbed by the punda lacrymalia, and car- 

 ried into the noftrils ; but, as this is not a nutritive fluid, the analogy 

 o-oes no further than its fecretion into the open air, and its reabforp- 

 tion into the fyftem. The perfpirable matter is another material fe- 

 creted by animal glands into the external air, and is in part reabforbed, 

 and in part exhaled. And every other fecreted fluid in the animal body 

 is in part abforbed again into the fyflem, even thofe which are efteem- 



ititious, as the urine ; and others are probably entirely 

 reabforbed, as the bile, faliva, and gaftric juice. 



That the honey is a nutritious fluid, perhaps the moft fo of any 

 table production, appears from its great fimilarity to fugar, ai 



ed excreme 



from its affording fuftenance to fuch numbers of infeds, which 



d 



MD 



it folely during fummer 



nd 



ay 



It 



p for their winter p 



ifion. Thefe proofs of its nutritive nature evince the neceffity of 

 reabforption into the vegetable fyflem for fome ufeful purpofe. 



3 



It is probable, that the depredations of infeds on th 



fluid mufl be inju 

 much more fo, b 



• the produds of 

 the plants have 



d would be 



either acquired 



m 



to 



defend their honey in part, t)r have learned to make more, than is ab- 

 folutely necefTary for their own economy. Thus in filene, catch-fly 



and in drofera, fu 

 attack of infeds ; 

 diflicult pafTage t( 

 fhould endea' 

 probofcis ; ai 



d 



;w, it is defended 

 hellebore, and in a 



d by the acrid juice of th 



fcid juice from the 

 it is defended, by the 



'. if infeds 



plan 



r 



ep 



the nedary 



pierce 



with th 



d in polygonum melampyrum, buck- wheat, and 



calia fuaveolens, alpine colts-foot, there feems to be a fuperabundant 

 quantity of honey fecreted, as thofe flowers are perpetually loaded 

 with bees and butterflies, infomuch that at Kempton-land in Ger- 

 many, Mr.Worlidge fays, in his Myfleries of Hufhandry, Ch. IX. 3. 



that he faw forty great bee-hives filled with honey to the amount of 



I feventy 



\ 



