3 The BOOK of NATURE: of 
Ants, nothing hinders our preferring them to the 
largeft animals, if we confider either their 
unwearied diligence, their wonderful ftrength, 
or their inimitable propenfity to labour ; or, 
to fay all in one word, their amazing and in- 
comprehenfiblé love to their young, whom they 
not only carry daily to fuch places as may afford 
them food, but; if by accident they are killed, 
and even cut into pieces, they, with the utmoit 
tendernefs, will carry them away piecemeal 
in their arms. Who can fhew fuch an ex- 
ample among the largeft animals, which are 
dignified with the title of perfect? Who can 
find an inftance in any other creature, that 
may come in competition with this? But in 
the entrance of this work it is not my inten- 
tion to explain the form and wonderful pro 
pagation of animalcules, which feem to be 
exanguious or to have no blood: I fhall treat 
in general of the manner of their furprifing 
metamorphofes ; and at the fame time fhew, 
that they not only refemble other animals in 
the increafe of their parts, but that they ex- 
ceed them by infinite degrees. This being 
done, the particular obfervations concerning 
thofe animalcules fhall be fully explained in 
their proper order and place. But before I 
proceed to them, it will be neceflary to prefix 
a general differtation on their nature. 
That I may make good the promife which, 
twelve years ago, I made to the public in the 
preface to my book of Refpiration, (and which I 
have been unhappily hitherto hindered from ful- 
filling by ficknefs, and other impediments,) Iam 
now to fhew the particular change of the Ca- 
terpillar into a Chryfalis; as alfo, the nature 
and various forms of thofe animalcules, which 
are faid to be exanguious, before and after their 
change into Nymphs: but I judge it ex- 
tremely neceflary to eftablifh firft fome certain 
propofitions, and to explain the order of their 
changes. This, fully underftood, will contribute 
to aclear and diftinét perception of the irre- 
gular and various appearances of infects; fup- 
plying the place of a pencil, and reprefenting, 
as it were, in their true colours, the variations 
of them; fetting each in a juft light, and in 
their native drefs. ‘Thus fome certain and fixed 
principles will be fupplied to the ingenious, 
who are curious in thefe things; and the 
obfervations, of which I fhall give a confi- 
derable number, will remain as a firm foun- 
dation and fure fupport for alt thofe experi- 
ments that fhall be made concerning them, or 
all that poffibly can be made. Nor does it 
appear to mea matter of fmall moment to have 
difcovered rules and theorems in the nature of 
things, by the affiftance of which all thofe 
metamorphofes of infets, which have the af: 
pearance of fiction and fancy, and differ in form 
and f{tructure infinitely from each other, are 
reduced to one foundation and kind only ; in- 
cluding in three or four orders of changes all 
the various fpecies. This may be perceived in. 
the firit rudiments of thofe ereatures which 
appear to us under the form of eggs. 
The true nature of the metamorphofes of 
thefe animalcules feems to have been fubject 
to the fate of fome valuable picture, which, by 
length of time, being foiled and clouded with 
dirt, no longer fhews the true form of its 
figures, but has an appearance altogether diffe- 
rent; fo that'it muft be cleaned, and its origi- 
nal luftre reftored, if we would difcover its 
true appearance. In the fame manner here, be+ 
fore we can explain the pofitions and thé feries of 
the changes, and illuftrate them by particular 
examples, it is neceflary we fhould reftore this 
excellent appearance, or, if I may fo fpeak, 
that curious picture, exhibiting the natural 
forms of infects: which, by the learned as well 
as others, through length of time, has been 
fo foiled and obfcured, that the beautiful and 
genuine changes of thofe animalcules do not 
appear properly what they are, but rather fome- 
what elfe, or at leaft, are feen in a confufed 
manner. Thefe muft therefore be cleared from 
the falfe traditions of philofophers, by our theo- 
rems, as by the genuine tind of nature, and 
reftored to their native beauty. : 
We fthall now proceed to the four diftiné 
things which are to be treated of in this work. 
In the firft place, we fhall confider the Nymph 
as the original ground of all the transformations 
of infects, or exanguious animals; but, left any 
one fhould miftake the ufe of the word trans- 
formation, I here add, that both in this, and 
in every other part of the enfuing work, I in- 
tend no more by that term, than the gradual 
and natural growth of thofe creatures. Se- 
condly, we fhall thew by what means it has 
happened, that the knowledge of the Nymph, 
or original ground of thofe natural changes, 
has been fo obfcured and darkened. This we 
fhall take care to clear up and reftore to its for- 
mer ftate. Thirdly, we fhall eftablifh four 
feries or orders of thofe changes, taken from 
nature, to which all the metamorphofes of the 
exanguious animalcule may be referred, as de- 
pending only upon one foundation. Laftly, the 
order of the natural changes of their parts will 
be confirmed by particular examples in’ the 
infects themfelves, together with the figures 
of them, and the whole clearly and diftinctly 
explained. 
CHAP. 
