g2 
other fibres, fig. x1. pp, all which were com- 
pofed as it were of regular globules placed 
near each other. Between thefe little fibres 
there appeared alfo fome {mall membranes, 
interwoven lhkewife in feveral places with 
globules, between which fome veflels appeared 
creeping in various directions. 
The cornea tunica, which is entirely pel- 
lucid, is very beautifully fituated on this eye, 
and fhews a greenifh tranfparent uvea under- 
neath: where the eyes face each other, the cor- 
nea is beautifully divided, fig. 1x. z, and the 
cruft is there extended further; fo that the 
cornea is placed on the eye like a little cap, 
lying on the head obliquely. 
After what manner fight is performed in 
the eye of the Hermit, and what effects are 
produced by the rays of light which pafs 
through the cornea, and the glutinous fub- 
{tance, and are afterwards ftopt by the uvea, 
and thence communicate their motion to the 
pyramidal inverted fibres; this, illuftrious Sir, 
Tleave to your difcerning and moft correct 
judgment, not doubing but you will give me 
the folution of fo peculiar a problem. 
The 
SECOND 
The BOOK: of NoACW UR Es or; 
What I have here briefly related, Sir, i 
all I have been able, in this fhort time, to 
-difcover in thofe Hermits, which the gover- 
nor of Nyenrode fent me in fpirit of wine. 
I offer you thefe obfervations in token of, and 
to preferve, our mutual friend{hip, and as an 
example of the divine miracles, which ought 
to be adored in all aninrals. Indeed, if we 
diligently fearched into nature, we fhould for 
ever find more remarkable and more ftupen- 
dous miracles, which hitherto lie hidden and 
wrapped up in the clouds of our ignorance. 
E hope to be at fome timé able to go through 
an accurate examination of the Caterpillar 
kind ; in which, indeed, mifery, death, and 
the grand and {plendid refurre@tion of the 
body may be fo clearly demonitrated, that 
we fhall fee then as it were painted before’ 
our eyes, and muft be obliged to cry out in 
amazement, that the great God, the parent 
ef all nature, exceeds and furpafles all praife, 
all eulogies, and all titles of honour, in his 
miracles, which can never be defcribed ac~ 
cording to their dignity.: 
ORDER. 
Of the natural changes, or of the flow accretions in the limbs and parts of Tnfets. 
Me NG explained the firft clafs of na- 
tural transformations in infects, we {hall 
now pafs to the fecond, which, though fome- 
what more obfcure, may yet with due atten- 
tion be clearly and diftinétly underftood. But 
before we proceed to explain this fecond clafs, 
to which innumerable infects are to be re- 
ferred, it is neceffary to obferve, that in this 
order another fpecies of transformation con- 
ftantly precedes, which is indeed common to 
the two following, which are the laft clafles of 
mutations. 
In order to underftand accurately the pre- 
ceeding kinds of tranfmutation in this, as 
well as in the two laft claffes, we mutt call to 
the attentive reader’s mind what has been 
faid in the beginning of this work, where 
we treated of the firft kinds of changes ; 
that is, that fome infects iffued perfect out of 
the egg, and others imperfect. As we have 
referred the infects, which come perfect from 
the egg, to the firft clafs of tran{mutation, it 
is very neceflary to know, that this fecond, 
and afterwards a third and fourth, or laft 
clafs of mutations, precedes the completion 
of the parts in thofe which iffue imperfect 
in fome of their parts out of the egg. Hence 
it is, that in the farft order or clafs of changes, 
is peceived only one Nymph as it were, which 
we have obferved is the egg or little creature 
itfelf. In the fubfequent claffes, on the con- 
trary, we fhall obferve as it were two Nymphs 
in the courfe of the changes, and therefore 
two fpecies of thofe changes alfo fince another 
kind of Nymph precedes the egg, or the ovi- 
form Worm of the Nymph. 
That all thefe things may be perceived the 
clearer, we mutt briefly obferve, that a little 
Worm always precedes this fecond and all the 
fucceeding orders of tranfmutations. After 
this Worm has been in its egg or firft cover in 
the form of a Nymph, it increafes by degrees 
in its limbs, and in procefs of time becomes 
fo perfect, that at length it puts on another 
habit of a real Nymph, and again becomes 
fluid like water in all its parts, and weak and 
feeble, or deftitute of ftrength, as it was be- 
fore, when it was in the form of an egg. 
Hence it has happened, a matter not hitherto — 
obferved, that not only the ancient errors 
concerning thefe metamorphofes remain to 
this day, but even thofe moft diligent fearchers 
into nature, the fagacious Francis Redi and 
others, declare they have feen the caft skin, 
under which all the limbs and parts of the 
infeé& increafed ; but never doubted concern- 
ing the metamorpofes, at which we greatly 
wonder. 
To fpeak now in particular of our fecond 
clafs of changes, it will be very proper to ob- 
ferve, that the accretion of the parts under- 
gone in procefs of time by the Worm, which 
is commonly found to have fix legs, is infen- 
fibly and by degrees perfected by the evident 
external addition of matter ; fo that after fome 
changes of its skin, we at length obferve wings 
to {prout infenfibly out of the body, to fwell and 
become fit to open and bloom, as a tender, 
{mall 
