af insects in general. 
Linn&us : There is, however, good reafon to apprehend, 
that this enumeration does not contain above one half 
even of the larger infects that are diftinftly obfervable by 
the eye. Whether in a hot or cold climate, it is proba- 
ble that the number of infefts in every country is great- 
er than that of plants. In Sweden , there have been enume- 
rated, and pretty accurately defcribed, about one thoufand 
feven hundred infefts, while the number of plants, though 
no where more accurately examined than in that kingdom, 
do not exceed thirteen hundred. In the neighbourhood 
of Paris, there have been difcovered by Geoffrey and 
Reaumur , upwards of one thoufand four hundred infects, 
while the plants of the fame diftrift, which have been 
ftill more accurately examined than the infefts, do not 
nearly amount to that number. 
The Britiffj infects have never yet been either fully 
enumerated, or accurately defcribed. Dr. Berkenhoot, in 
his outlines of the natural hiftory of this illand, has enu- 
merated five hundred and feventy-two different fpecies ; 
In all probability, a more complete inveftigation would 
difbover three, or perhaps four times that number of 
Britijh infefts. The nearer any country approaches to 
the equator, the more numerous will be the infefts found 
in it : Even in thefe northerly climes, however, there is 
Itill much room left for entymological inveftigation. If, 
in travelling over this ground, we cannot flatter the read- 
er with much new matter* we can at leaf! allure him, 
that he will not be led aftiay by theory, or deceived 
by pnauthenUcated narrations. 
