W I N 



W I N 



The ftrufture of the wing itfelf which fupports thefe 

 feveral feales, hairs, &c. is very worthy our attention. In 

 order to examine this, it is neceflary to rub off all the duft 

 or feales. We then find that the wing itfelf is framed of 

 feveral large and ttrong ribs, which all take their origin at 

 that part where the wing is fixed to the body, and thence 

 extend themfelves along the feveral fides of the wing. 

 The largeft and thickeR of thefe furrounds the outer edge 

 of the wing, the largeit next to this extends itfelf round the 

 interior edge, and the others dired their courfe along the 

 middle of the wing, and then divaricate, and become rami- 

 fied in the manner of the ribs in the leaves of plants. The 

 fubftance which connedls and fills up the fpaces between 

 thefe ribs, is of fo peculiar a nature, that it is not eafy to 

 find any name to defign it by, at leall there is no fubftance 

 that enters the compofition of the bodies of the larger ani- 

 mals, that is at all analogous to it: it is a white fubftance, 

 tranfparent and friable, and feems indeed to differ in nothing 

 from that of the large and thick ribs, but in that it is ex- 

 tended into thin plates ; but this is faying but little toward 

 the determining what it really is, fince we are as much at a 

 lofs to know by what name to call the fubftance they are 

 compofed of. Malpighi, indeed, calls them bones; but 

 though they do ferve in the place of bones, rendering the 

 wing firm and ftrong, without making it heavy, and are, 

 when cut tranfverfely, found to be hollow ; yet, when 

 llriaiy examined, they do not appear to have any thing of 

 the ftrufture of bones, but appear rather of the fubftance 

 of feales, or of that fort of imperfeft feales, of which the 

 covering of thofe infefts which we call cruftaceous is 

 compofed. 



The wings of butterflies, thus large, and thus light, are 

 very well able to fuftain them a long time in the air, and thus 

 they might be expefted to fly better than molt other infefts ; 

 but many people have obferved the irregular manner in 

 wliich thefe infeds ufually fly, which is not ftraight for- 

 ward, but up and down, and to one fide and the other : 

 this has been fuppofed owing to fome imperfeftion of the 

 wings ; but, in reality, it is their great perfeftion that 

 enables the creatures to do this, and this manner of flying is 

 abfolutely neceflary to the prefervation of their life, as birds 

 of many kinds are continually after them while they are on 

 the wing ; and it is a pleafant fight to obferve in what 

 manner this fort of dodging motion in the butterfly dif- 

 appoints the bird that flies ftraight at it, and often preferves 

 it fafely for a long way together. 



The beautiful variety of colours, feen in the wings of 

 thefe infefts, is owing to the feales and feathers. Reau- 

 mur's Hift. Inf. vol. i. part i. p. 255, &c. 



Wings of Gnats. Thefe are of a very curious ftruAure, 

 and well worthy the ufe of the microfcope, to fee them 

 diftinftly. 



It is well known that on touching the wings of butter- 

 flies, a coloured powder is left on the fingers, which, 

 though to the naked eye it appear a mere ftiapelefs duft, 

 yet when examined by the microfcope, it is found to be 

 very regularly-figured beautiful bodies, encompaffed with a 

 furbelow of long feathers, and with veins or ribs that feem 

 to ftrengthen them, in form of feathers or feales, or fome- 

 times befet with prickles : thefe are of various figures, and 

 all of them very elegant. The generality of flies have no- 

 thing of this kind ; but the clofe examination of the wings 

 of the gnat will ftiew, that they are not wholly deftitute of 

 them ; they are much more fparingly beftowed indeed upon 

 the gnat than on the butterfly, but then they are arranged 

 with great regularity. Between the ribs of the wings there 

 is extended a very thin tranfparent membrane, full of little 



black fliarp-pointed hairs, ranged throughout with the ut- 

 moft regularity. The wings in different forts of gnats are 

 very different : fome have a border of long feathers, others 

 of (hort ones, and others have none at all. Reaumur's 

 Hift. Inf. vol. iv. p. 577. Baker's Microfc. 8vo. 1743, 

 p. 204. 



Wings, Warbiing of the. See Warbling. 



Wings, in Heraldry, are borne fometimes fingle, fome- 

 times in pairs, in which cafe they are called conjoined; when 

 the points are downward, they are faid to be inverted; 

 when up, elevated. 



Wings, in Gardening, &c. denote fuch branches of trees, 

 or other plants, as grow up afide of each other. 



Quintiny fays, the term is particularly applied to arti- 

 chokes, whofe wings, or alie, are the lefler heads, or fruits, 

 that grow up with the principal one on the fame italk. 



Wings, Alx, in the Military Art, are the two flanks, or 

 extremes of an army, ranged in form of battle ; being the 

 right and left fides thereof, and including the main body. 



The cavalry are always pofted in the wings, i. e. on the 

 flanks, on the right and left fides of each line ; to cover the 

 foot in the middle. 



Pan, one of Bacchus's captains, is faid to have been the 

 firft inventor of this method of ranging an army ; whence, 

 fay they, it is, that the ancients painted him with horns on 

 his head ; what we call wings, being by them called cornua, 

 horns. This at leaft is certain, that the method of arranging 

 in wings is very ancient. The Romans, we know, ufed 

 the term alie, or wings, for two bodies of men in their 

 army ; one on the right, the other on the left, confifting 

 each of four hundred horfe, and four thoufand two hundred 

 foot ufually, and wholly made up of confederate troops. 

 Thefe were dcfigned to cover the Roman army, as the 

 wings of a bird cover its body. 



The troops in thefe wings they called alares, and alares 

 copiie ; and we, at this day, diftinguifh our armies into the 

 main body, the right and left wings. 



Wings are alfo ufed for two files, that terminate each 

 battalion, or fquadron, on the right and left. The pikes 

 ufed to be ranged in the middle, and the mufqueteers in the 

 wings. 



Wings, in Fortijlcation, denote the longer fides of horn- 

 works, crown-works, tenailles, and the like outworks, in- 

 cluding the ramparts and parapets, with which they are 

 bounded on the right and left, from the gorge to ttieir 

 front. 



Thefe wings, or fides, are capable of being flanked, 

 either with the Ijody of the place, if they ftand not too far 

 diftant, or with certain redoubts ; or with a traverfe made 

 in the ditch. 



Wings, in a Ship, the places next the fide upon the orlop, 

 ufually parted off' in ftiips of war, that the carpenter and his 

 crew may have free accefs round the fhip in time of aftion, 

 to plug up fhot -holes, &c. 



Wings are alfo the fkirts or extremities of a fleet, when 

 it is ranged into a line a-breaft, or when bearing away upon 

 two fides of an angle. 



It is ufual alfo to extend the wings of a fleet in the day- 

 time, in order to difcover any enemy which may fall into 

 their track. To prevent feparation, however, they are 

 commonly fummoned to draw nearer to the centre of the 

 fquadron before night, by a fignal from the commander- 

 in-chief, which is afterwards repeated by fliips in the in- 

 tervals. Falconer. 



^mc-Tranfom, the uppermoft tranfom in the ftern-frame 

 of a ftiip, &c., upon which the peels of the counter-timbers 

 are refted. It is by fome called the main-tranfom. 



Wings, 



