in fight. 
“hes 114) TY OURS V joof al NG E CxTrs. 186 
fome blackifh points, which are the rudiments 
_ of feather-like hairs. 
Whilft the whole body is changing in this 
manner, it is altered or difguifed, and becomes 
more robuft as it is increafing ; fo that even the 
claws of the feet now evidently move within 
the skin wherewith they are furrounded; but 
the moft remarkable changes are obferved about 
the fting. For this fting is hitherto an exter- 
nal part, though it may afterwards be, and ac- 
tually is drawn back into the body: therefore, 
fince it is confpicuous in the Nymph without 
any previous diflection, one may eafily obferve 
its increafe and perfect formation. The better 
to underftand my obfervations on this part, I 
think it neceflary to obferve before-hand that 
the fting, as well as all other parts of the body, 
changes its skin when the Nymph throws off 
the laft exuvie: for this reafon, the changes of 
the fting may be diftinguithed as clearly as thofe 
that happen in the claws, legs, and the teeth. 
The firit change, therefore, which is obferved 
about the fting, confifts in this, that its crooked 
little hooks, which neceffarily remain fixed in 
the wound given by the fting of a Bee, come 
For while the two fide-pieces, and 
the cafe or fheath of the fting are yet mem- 
branaceous, or as it were cartilaginous, thefe 
little hooks are diftinguifhed by their yellowith 
.red colour; and this colour is afterwards dif- 
— fated by degrees through the whole fting, whilft 
in the mean time the fharp-pointed ends of 
the two’ fide-pieces of the fting, are acquiring 
a horny or bony fubftance, and more. dusky 
colour. The circuit alfo, or extremity of the 
cafe or fheath of the fting, in like manner 
changes its colour, grows hard, and becomes 
horn-bony. And as the other parts {till retain 
their white colour, the faid changes ftrike the 
eyes the more plainly :. for we muft obferve 
that the fting is, with regard to its colour, more 
con{picuous in the Nymph, than’ it is after- 
wards in the Bee itfelf. Moreover, the two 
fide-piecés, as well as the theath of the aculeus, 
are enclofed in peculiar membranes, which are 
thrown off ina moft fingular-manner: hence 
one may very diftinétly fee thefe fide-pieces in 
the Nymph placed near each other, which is 
by no means the cafe in the Bee; fince thefe 
parts of the fting in that ftate of the infec are 
hidden in the cafe or theath, as I thall hereafter 
defcribe at large, and reprefent in figures. 
About this time, alfo, thefe feveral parts, as well 
as all others, acquire each their laft perfection ; 
that is, the eyes, teeth, legs, claws, horns and 
the reft: -nay, the thorax itfelf infenfibly be- 
comes during this time more brown, and ap- 
proaches nearer to a horny nature, and grows 
_ very fhagey with ftrong hairs. 
The iaft change happens in regard to the 
ftrength and colour of the wings: at the fame 
-alfo the probofcis or trunk in like manner 
prefents itfelf to view in its ruddy or bright brown 
colour, and fhews the -hairs wherewith it is 
adorned. ‘Thus all the fuperfluous humidity of 
_ the Nymph being at length evaporated, it cafts 
a skin from all its parts, and after gnawing a 
paflage through the web, creeps forth at length 
from its cell, in which it had hitherto lain, in 
its perfect form of a Bee. The wings indeed, 
are at that time ufually complicated or folded up, 
and yet I fometimes have {een them expanded ; 
that is, when it hath been for fome time detained 
in-its waxen habitation, and hath not been able 
to creep out of it with fufficient {peed: in that 
cafe we find that its wings have been firft dif- 
played within the little cell: all the {pecies of 
Flies appear in like manner, when frefh from 
the Nymph, with complicated wings. 
When I diffected the Nymph of the com- 
mon Bee, at the time that its. colour juft began 
to be vifible, upon opening the outer skin, I 
obferved the fat feparated very eafily from the 
air-pipes or pulmonary tubes; which was like- 
wife the cafe about the outmoft coat of the 
eyes, which has nodivifions. All the contents. 
of the eye alfo were very foft. The inverted 
pyramidal fibres hereafter to be defcribed, re- 
fembled jelly made of veal. The brain was 
likewife fo foft that being only very lightly 
touched, it immediately feparated from the be- 
ginning of the fpinal marrow. The {pinal 
marrow itfelf was there as well as in the bod 
very foft and tender. Nay, and the three fe- 
parate little eyes, which, as fhall be made more 
evident hereafter, are placed in a triangular form 
between the divided eyes, after I had taken off 
the skin from them, and can be diftinguithed very 
clearly. The teeth were as yet membranaceous, 
nor did they fhew any fign of hardnefs, or of 
their being of a horny or bony nature; they 
abounded within with a mucous humour, upon 
prefling out which they feemed hollow. The 
jaws in human abortions fix months old, like- 
wife fhew membranaceous teeth, which how- 
ever in various places are ob{erved to be grow- 
ing into bone. 
In the. thorax all things are at this time 
amazingly foft and tender. The mufcular f- 
bres may be feen very diftinétly, and in fome 
meafure as if feparated from each other; but 
they are ftill fo exceffively delicate, that being 
but very gently touched, they immediately quit 
the place where they were fixed: moreover, 
they are at this time fhorter than in the fame 
infe&t when it is changed into a Bee. Indced, 
T obferve that all thefe mufcular fibres are at 
firft contracted in the fame manner by nature, 
and that in {pite of her, as it were, they are 
afterwards extended by the blood and humours. 
This is probably the reafon why thefe fibres 
endeavour to contract themfelves. continually, 
and that even a long time after the death of the 
creature. This fhortnefs of the mufcles in 
creatures not yet brought forth, is océafioned 
by the invefting membranes. binding up their 
bodies; and hence it happens that the blood 
and air are prevented from diftending the muf- 
cles fufficiently. We have before mentioned 
fome fingular and obvious examples of ‘this 
matter in infects, which are feen as foon as 
thofe creatures come into the open air. The 
Bbb fat 
