35® ®F INSECTS IN GENEkAt, 
berry, but will live and pro; agate, though lefs vigorouf- 
ly, upon the common lettuce. 
There are other inftances of the attachment of infects 
to particular plants, equally conftant with tnat of 1 the 
filk worm ; and hy means of thefe, the animal is often 
known from the place where it was found to refide. 
Hence Linnaus has frequently given them names from 
the plants upon which they feed ; a method often falla- 
cious ; iince, perhaps, the greater number refide indifcri- 
xnii.'Wtely upon feveral plants, and fupport themfelves upon 
a- variety o! different vegetable food. Some are afferted to 
be capable of refiding in the human inteftines, and under- 
going their transfotmations there; being ejefted from the 
ftomach in rheir winged Hate. 
mofl poilonous herbs afford food to infefts equally 
with .eofe that are falubrious : The water-hemlock, 
whic;, is confi icred as the ftrongeft vegetable poifon, is 
muck frequented by many of thofe animals, and feems to 
eonfi tute their favourite rourilhment. 
Ii the different ftages of their lives, infeffs are diftin- 
guiihed by various degrees of voracity ; many of them in 
their larva ftate are moft infatiable : The different fpecies 
of the butterfly and filk worms are then endowed 'with 
teeth, with which they make great havock among leaves, 
even though of a pretty ftrongconfiftency; their ftomachs in 
that ftate being capable of diffolving tbefe harder fubft nces. 
The fame anitpal, when a chryfalis, lofes all appetite for 
food, and thole inftruments that were employed in com- 
minuting it. The teeth are depofited with its Srft cover- 
ing ; and the inner coats of the ftomach are voided, it 
is faid, along with the excrements, a fhort while before 
the firft transformation *. After being liberated from 
theis 
* Memoir pour fervir l’fiift, dcs iafc«ft?s par M. dc Reaumur. 
