Of Flies. 59 
Opening one of thefe females Mr. Leeuwenhoek counted 
upwards of two hundred cgsjs of a blackiih colour and. 
ftnooth, like polifhed gkfs, and about twice as long as 
they were thick. The inteftines of this little creature are 
alfo very curious, which when opened with unfpeakabie 
admiration he faw them by the affiftanee of the microf- 
-cope, as plainly as the bowels in larger animals can be 
ieen by the naked eye. 
In the feet of this fly, if difle&ed in a drop of water 
upon a hollow glafs flip or Aider of the microfcope, the 
flefhy fibres may be feen to diftend and contra# them- 
felves in a moft furprifing manner, and to continue fo for 
the fpace of three or four minutes. The eggs alfo after 
diffedtion may be applied to the faid glafs, and eafily ex¬ 
amined by the microfcope, or on dipping the point of a 
very fine fewing needle (it being firft fixed in a wooden 
handle) into fome turpentine, and applying that to the 
eggs, they will be glued thereto. The needle itfelf mull 
be held between the nippers, and by its handle may be 
turned round at pleafure. 
It is very wonderful how fo fmall a creature as fome 
of thofe newly hatched maggots, that are found in the 
ends of blighted leaves, can be able to convolve the ftub- 
born leaf, and then bind it with the thread or web it 
weaves from its own body, alfo to line the infide of it 
with the fame, and Hop the two ends thereof to prevent 
its own falling out. 
In the bodies of many caterpillars, and other nymphs 
©f infe#s, are frequently found .generated great numbers 
of fmall flies, whofe parent animal had wounded the ca~' 
terpillar l , and darted its eggs into it and fo made it 
the fofter mother of its young. 
Some 
* Phy. Theo. p. 390. 
