5 Thee. 8 © (© Mh sof 
init, than the lower, and the internal pyramidal 
inverted fibres, which anfwer to the upper di- 
vifions, are in the fame manner much larger 
than thofe which are connected with the lower. 
The colour of the larger pyramidal fibres is 
purplifh, but the fmaller are dufky or blackith. 
It would indeed be worth while to fpend fome 
time in the examination of this eye, becaufe a 
very large aflortment of thefe fibres is diftinélly 
vifible in it, and may be conveniently enough 
managed ; befides that in the hexangular divi- 
fions of thefe fibres, which are received into 
the cavities of ‘the cornea, fome myfteries feem 
to be ftill hidden. I hope I fhall be able to in- 
veftigate them at fome other time, when I (hall 
enter into a more exact examination of the many 
obfervations that I have hitherto propofed ; for 
the attentive {pirit that is neceflary in fuch a 
number of things as are treated of therein, 
mutt at times relax and grow languid; and there- 
fore I fhall not deny but that I may probably be 
in fome things deceived. f 
Some one may here object that the parts hi- 
therto defcribed are not eyes, but furely nothing 
is more plain and evident. The juftly celebrated 
Hooke made feveral experiments to prove this : 
among others he wounded thefe eyes and cut 
off a part of them, by which means the crea- 
tures loft their fight entirely. This experiment 
may be made with little trouble ; and whereas 
the wound and pain occafion fome change about 
the fight, nothing more is neceflary but to cover 
thefe eyes with a little black paint mixed with 
oil, with a pencil, by this means thefe infects 
become blind, and by all their ations immedi- 
ately thew a perfect defect of fight. This ex- 
periment may be beft made on thofe Flies, 
_ the eyes whereof have no hairs, and therefore 
may be eafily coloured. It is wonderful to fee 
how tame and gentle the Fly becomes when its 
eyes are thus covered with paint; it fuffers itfelf 
to be caught every moment, and when it runs 
or flies, you will fee it ftumbling everywhere, 
and when this happens.it is driven back, like a 
ball, by whatever oppofes it; unlefs it fhould 
perhaps fix itfelf quick enough by the help of 
its claws, and thus avoid falling, as I have 
fometimes obferved. y 
This is the ftruéture of the Bee’s eye, and 
of the eye of other infects in general. The 
famous Dr. Hooke hath endeavoured to exhibit 
a magnified figure of fuch an eye, defigned from 
the Libella in thetwenty-third andtwenty-fourth 
plates of his juftly celebrated micrography. It 
will be now asked by what means is the fenfe 
of vifion performed in Bees and other infects? 
I anfwer, that the conftruction of the eye thews 
clearer than the light at noon, that vifion is not 
performed in it, as it is in us, and many other 
animals, by collecting the rays of light, which 
paffing through the pupil fall upon the retina ; 
but merely by the contact of thefe inverted py- 
ramidal fibres, formed by the light propelled 
through the cornea. Thefe eyes are fo difpofed 
as to receive the appearances of things by the 
fimple appulfe of the reflected light: and this 
316 
NATURE; o, 
method of fenfation cannot but be very lively. 
But as the pupil is never in thefe creatures con- 
trated as it is in us, nor hath any foramen of 
aperture, hence it follows that the fenfe of 
feeing muft be very perfect in infects, on ac- 
count of the great number of rays which con- 
{tantly fall on their eyes. And hence it likewife 
is, that many infects fee in the night: the 
Dragon-Fly, therefore, from the fame caufe, 
very quickly catches its prey flying. The organs 
of fight, which infects poffefs, can by no means 
be compared with our eyes, or with the camera 
ob{cura, formed upon their principle, in which 
the appearances of things are by the help of re- . 
flexion painted on a paper or white cloth. On ~ 
this oceafion I cannot but infert an incident, 
which the illuftrious and incomparable Boyle, 
in his treatife of colours, relates of .a blind. per- 
fon, who, by diftinguifhing the roughnefs of 
coloured {ubftances, could accurately diftinguith ~ 
their feveral colours by his fingers. This method 
of feeing, if it may be fo called, being perform- 
ed by touching, isin fome meafure like that 
which obtains in the eyes of infects. But how 
this vifion is really performed in infects, and 
by what means that great number of pyrami- 
dal fibres are excited by the light falling on 
them, as alfo how this motion is communicated 
to the fubjacent reticulated membranes, and 
from them afterwards is conveyed to the tranf 
verfe fibres underneath ; and from thefe again 
to the cortical fubftance of the brain; from the 
latter to the nerves and at length to the origina- 
tion of the marrow or brain, no perfon can ex- 
plain: this can be known only to the all-feeing 
Creator of the univerfe. He alone can tellwhether 
vifible appearances or objects in infects are ftopt 
on the uveaor not. It is enough for me to con- 
fefs my own weaknefs, and, after explaining 
the conftruction of this eye, to proclaim aloud 
the praifes of the fupreme Architect, I mutt 
likewife acknowledge that I began thefe obfer- . 
vations with the greateft pleafure at the end of 
September in this year 1673, and that they — 
gave me more delight than if I had feveral 
hundreds years added to my life. I hope that 
this matter will {hew the omnipotence and un- 
limited power of God, and inflame with the 
moft ardent love towards their Creator, thofe 
frozen fouls, which till deny the divine pro- 
vidence in refpect to thefe little creatures. In- 
deed if we could accomplifh this with our 
labours, it ought to give us the greateft joy, for 
it is for this purpofe only and not to trifle away 
time, or acquire immortal fame or glory, that 
we ought diligently to inveftigate the works of 
God. iA 
I likewife faw at the fame time, that each of 
the antenne or horns, where they are articulated 
with the head, have three or four diftinét 
mufcles, by the help of which they can be 
moved various ways, and may therefore both 
affitt the fight and defend the eyes from injury 
and any thing ftriking againft them. _I have not 
attempted to difcover the mufcles of the other 
joints, whereof the antenne or horns ort 5 
or 
