8 The’ B O'O'K “Of N AVE UR E sor: 
parts are in a manner faftened together, fo as 
to form one fubftance? I muft acknowledge, 
that I cannot fatisfy his curiofity. For as the 
Nymphs of Bees, when expofed to the open 
air, die as foon as it begins to harden their fkin ; 
and on the contrary, the Chryfallides fare no 
better when confined to a moitt fituation; I 
cannot be brought to think, that things, which 
are produced by nature every year, in a moft 
wife, regular, and conftant manner, fhould. 
be left fo dependant upon chance, and the 
{tate of the air and weather : I willingly grant, 
however, that it is moifture alone which hin- 
ders the Nymphs from growing hard, and 
that the Chryfallides cannot but harden in an 
open, airy, and dry fituation. But if, after all, 
we confider, that the {kin in which the Chry- 
falis is wrapped up, is not throughout of the 
fame ftrength, but thicker in thofe parts which 
are expofed to the air, than in thofe which are 
out of the reach of its influence, as ferving 
only to cover the inner furfaces of its mem- 
bers ; whereas it is the reverfe in the Nymphs, 
whofe covering is throughout nearly of the 
fame thicknefs, and therefore lefs able to pro- 
tect the enclofed infect from the drying qua- 
lity of the air; thefe things, I fay, being duly 
confidered, I cannot by any means allow, that’ 
the prefervation of moifture, or the hardening 
of the Nymphs and Chryfallides, juft taken no- 
tice of, depend at all upon chance; unlefs I 
fhould be fatisfied to give up my reafon fo far 
as to Imagine, that the very being of thefe 
little animals depends upon chance likewife ; 
and that they fpring fpontaneoufly from corrup- 
tion; and in this blind manner wilfully doubt 
of nature’s great attention and wifdom, fo con- 
fpicuous in her manner of preferving and 
cloathing this part of the creation. I conclude, 
from all this, that there is no effential diffe- 
rence between the Nymph and the Chry/falis ; 
and that the variation which appears, confifts 
only in this, that the fkin of the former is 
more thin and tender, and that of the latter 
thicker and harder; to which I may add, that 
in the Nymph all the parts of the future in- 
fect may be eafily feen, whereas in the Chry- 
falis they are lefs diftinct. That thefe are the 
ptincipal differences, will appear evidently 
hereafter, when I treat thofe fubjects feparately, 
and in a more ample manner. 
The manner in which Worms and Caterpillars become Nymphs. 
AVING laid down the fole founda- 
tion of all thofe changes which are ob- 
fervable in infe€ts, and fhewn that this con- 
fifts in nothing but the Nymph, into which, 
at their proper feafons, all the Worms of 
flying infects and Caterpillars are changed, or, 
to {peak more properly, from which they fhoot 
out or bud; a change which appears in all, ex- 
cept fuch infects as remain in their eggs, till, 
without pafling through any intermediate ftate, 
they have acquired their full vigour, and at- 
tained their proper degree of perfection ; to 
which may be added, thofe infects alfo, which, 
hiding the real fhape of the Nymph under the 
refemblance of an egg, iffue from it complete 
animals, as fhall be hereafterexplained. ‘Thefe 
things being proved, it appears neceffary that, 
before we pafs to the other propofitions, we 
fhould enter upon and explain the manner in 
which this change is produced, illuftrating it 
with the figures of thofe infects that are the 
fubjects of it. a 
But as in the forms of thofe infects which 
fhoot out or bud into Nymphs, there is not 
only an amazing, but in a manner an infinite 
variety ; and confequently it would be imprac- 
ticable here to defcribe them all; I fhall par- 
ticularize only thofe, which differ moft remar- 
kably from each other, and confider them as 
they have, or have not legs. 
We obferve, that of thofe infects which be- 
come Nymphs or Chryfallides, fome have no 
legs, Tab. XVI. fig. 11. fome have fix, Tab. 
XXVII. fig. v. and others a greater number, 
Tab. XXXIV. fig. 1. and Tab. XLIV. fig. 111. 
And as this difference between the various 
fpecies of infects is particularly remarkable, if 
we compare them together; fo there occurs 
ano lefs obvious difference on account of the 
various number of legs in thofe we have ranked 
under the third fpecies, viz. that of infects 
which have more than fix: but in thefe many 
feeted infects, the fix foremoft deferve our. 
chief attention, as does in the infects that have 
no legs, that part of their body, which in other 
animals is called the cheft. 
That it may appear upon what grounds we 
have adopted this method of claffing infects, 
according to their having or not having legs, 
and according to their having fix or more, it 
will be very proper to obferve, that in thofe 
Worms which have no legs, that part of them, 
which we have called their cheft, never un- 
dergoes any change, or alters. its fituation; 
and that in the Worms and Caterpillars which 
have legs, be the number more or lefs, the fix 
foremoft never come off, or change their places 
in any fenfible manner; Goedaert, in dire& op- 
pofition to truth, would have us believe they 
do, but experiments fhew the contrary. In 
moft Worms and Caterpillars, not-to fay in all, 
the fix foremoft legs are conftantly preferved by 
the infect, and that without the leaft change 
in their pofition: and what is yet more fur- 
prifing, in feveral Worms which have fix legs, 
the alteration in their, legs is fo fmall at the 
time that they fhoot out into Nymphs, Tab, 
XX. fig. v. that it cannot by any means be dif- 
tinguifhed or obferved, whatever metamorpho- 
fes the former naturalifts, without any excep- 
tion that I know of, have idly and extrava- 
gantly imagined on this occafion, 
As 
