236 EARLY STUDIES IN COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 



believe that the accuracy of the work of the bees has 

 been exaggerated. 



De la Hire and S^dileau (1730) describe and figure 

 the scale-insect of the orange-tree. 



The Earthworm 



Poupart (1699) demonstrates the hermaphroditism of 

 the earthworm, having observed two individuals in con- 

 gress and noted the reciprocal insertion of "petits 

 boutons " into " petites ouvertements." 



Plants 



Tournefort (1693) describes the ejection of seeds. 

 Among other things he shows how the oblique fibres of 

 a leguminous pod (which he calls muscles) twist the 

 valves and throw out the seeds. The power of move- 

 ment in plants depended, he thought,- upon such 

 muscles. 



These French memoirs of natural history spread a 

 conviction that some knowledge of the world of life 

 should be brought within the reach of everybody. 

 RoUin, author of L'Histoire Ancienne, desired that the 

 discoveries of the academicians, which he had read with 

 pleasure, should be explained to young persons, and his 

 friend Pluche wrote a Spectacle de la Nature (8 vols. 

 12mo. Paris. 1732 &c.) which attempted to realise 

 RoUin's purpose. Richard Bradley's Philosophical 

 Account of the Works of Nature (8vo. Lond. 1721 

 and 1739) and Templeman's Curious Remarks and 

 Observations extracted from the History and Memoirs 

 of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris (2 vols. 

 8vo. 1753-4) were English publications of the same 

 character. Bonnet was incited to study natural history 

 by reading Pluche's account of the ant-lion, and 



