OF INSECTS IN GENERAL. 
3*4 
ferior note, have turned their attention to this intereiting 
part of natural hiltory ; and while they have endeavour- 
ed to improve upon the arrangement of the Swedi/h na- 
tural! ft without fuccefs, have nevevthelefs added greatly 
to the number of infefts Among this number De Geer 
a Snuedijh nobleman, councellor to the king, may be 
ranked in the firft ftation He has publifhed a large trea- 
tife upon this fubject, in which he has not only deferibed 
a great number of infedts with accuracy, but has indul- 
ged in philofophical remarks upon their hiflory, which 
poffefs very confiderable merit. 
Belides thefe, a number of entymologifls have appear- 
ed, who have given molt elegant engravings of infeCts ; 
among which are, Roefel, Lewenhock, Baker, Barbut, 
Harris, and Drury. Some of thefe have improved this 
feience by tnicrofcopical obfervation : the laft has given 
excellent drawings of the exotic infefts, while Harris 
has applied himfelf fuccefsfully in delineating thofe of 
England. 
After reviewing the numerous lift of authors who have 
laboured in the fame field, we fhould widely err, were 
we to conclude that the feience of entymology had reach- 
ed perfection, or that the whole of this clafs of beings 
had been fully made known. The far greater part of 
infefts, as we have already hinted, from their extreme 
minutenefs, elude the obfervation of the naked eye ; 
many, it may be prefumed, are not perceptible even by 
the affiftance of tlie belt microfcope ; and of thefe fmall 
animals, whole bodies are fcarcely difcernible, how little 
can we know of their organization, their food, their man- 
ners, and their hiflory ? In the Iateft edition of the fyftem 
of nature, near three thoufand infects are enumerated by. 
Linnceus : 
