82 Fhe BO OX “of 
the water, are nourifhed and fuftained in the 
fame manner. For thofe that have no feet, and 
live in the water, change place by the -help of 
their tails and certain appendages, which ferve 
them inftead of oars. But the Worms that live 
under the earth, advance forward almoft in the 
fame manner as the Worms of Beetles, and creep 
in this manner between the cracks and fiflures 
of the mould. What happens to the feetlefs 
vermicles of Flies, Ants and Bees, may be feen 
in the hiftories I have already given of thefe in- 
fects. As to the Caterpillars, and other of the 
many-leged infects; the matter is clear, and 
without all difficulty. Nay, itis no way repug- 
nant to my propofition, that fome infects are ob- 
ferved to iffue, after fome years, out of rotten 
wood: for, we know, that thefe infects arife 
there alfo from Worms, and that thefe draw their 
origin from eggs; the females regularly betaking 
themfelves yearly to {uch wood, and cafting their 
eggs into it. It is often neceffary, that fuch 
Worms fhould receive increafe for fome years 
before they arrive at their time of change ; as Is 
manifeft in the Coffus, and in that Worm alfo, 
from which the Holland Cantharis, commonly 
called the Golden Beetle, is produced. The 
fame thing likewife holds in the Aquatic Worms, 
that live in the tubular cells, as I have already 
remarked in the hiftory of the Ephemerus, 
We mutt further obferve, that many crea- 
tures that are faid to want feet, are really pro- 
vided therewith. Thus the Earth-worms indeed 
have many feet, but they are conftituted in an- 
other manner than feet commonly are. I have 
clearly feen the fame thing in ferpents: thefe I 
have indeed obferved, have five forts of feet. 
Some of them have a thorny or {pinous excref- 
NATURE; 
cence in the middle of their body, with two 
heads, almoft like the military Caltrops, and con- 
tain in the middle a little bone, which is articu- . 
lated in the os pubis, and covered with a tkin; 
by thie help of this, they can move quickly over 
the rough furface of the earth ; and in cracks of 
rocks, I have feen others again provided with two 
fuch machines for their greater fwiftnefs. Two 
feet of a certain third {pecies were prefented to 
me, which being compofed ‘of diftinét articulated 
bones, likewife catry claws on their extremities, — 
which may be.drawn out of them, like the hol- 
low claws of hogs feet. I myfelf have examined 
a fourth {pecies, which had four articulated, but 
very {mall feet; the foremoft of which confifted 
of three joints, and two toes; the tops of which 
were armed with claws: another fhorter joint alfo, 
or, asit were, {mall thumb, armed with a claw, 
projected alfo out of their infide. The hindfeet 
alfo were made in the fame manner, only that 
they had one toe more than the forefeet. Laftly, 
D. Frederick Ruyfch, profeffor of furgery in Am- 
fterdam, made mea prefent of a fifth fpecies, 
furnifhed with very tender feet; each of which 
confift of three joints, but they are not diftinély 
vilible ; becaufe they are covered even to the ex- 
tremities with the feales: at the extremity of 
them, is feen only a fimple claw, without any 
divifion into toes. Therefore, that little ferpent 
feems capable of making ufe of thofe feet, only 
on certain conditions or occafions; fince, on ac- 
count of their great tendernefs, they are not able to 
fupport the body, tho’ they may often contribute 
to move it with the greater fpeed.. Behold, how 
admirable God fhews himfelf in all his works! 
the fmalleft of which moft clearly expofe to view 
his Magnificence, Majefty, and infinite Wifdom. 
or, 
Of other infects found in the tubercles of Willows; and how they come there, 
N the preceding pages I have obferved, that 
when I opened the tubercles of the Willow 
tree, I found various other infects befides the 
Caterpillars there mentioned ; and this may im- 
pofe upon, or deceive, the unexperienced, who 
are accuftomed to make experiments only flight- 
ly: fince it may be poflible, that one animal 
fhould be taken for another, and wrong conclu- 
fions drawn from thence. For this reafon, I 
hall now explain that matter more fully. I 
have before obferved, that in fome animals not 
yet perforated, I found fome other animals, from 
which the infect before defcribed hath been 
fuffocated and killed. But in order to make this 
underftood, we muft obferve, that the leaves of 
Willows are frequented by various fpecies of in- 
feets, which indeed lay their eggs either in or 
upon thefe leaves; and thefe eggs at length grow » 
into vermicles, fome with, others without feet. 
The unperforated tubercle, whereof I now 
treat, contained two kinds of animals; the Ca- 
terpillar, which I have defcribed above, and a 
Worm without feet, both which lay together in 
the fame cavity. But as both were nourifhed 
with the fubftance of the tubercle, and both dif- 
charged their excrements into it; it happened, 
that the Caterpillar was fuffocated, and fo de- 
flroyed by its companion. / 
When I firft faw fome of thefe feetlefs Wtths 
inthe tubercle, T took them for the Caterpil- 
lars I) defcribed before, thinking, that thofe 
{prung from their eggs without feet; and after- 
wards, when they grew fomewhat bigger, that 
their feet appeared. But at length I difcovered, 
by repeated obfervations, that thefe feetlefs 
Worms are of a different {pecies: though, not- 
withftanding I am very certain, that their eggs 
are thruft into the leaves of the Willow tree, in 
the fame manner as the Caterpillar; and that the 
Vermicle that is to fpring from thence, is there 
nourifhed, and undergoes a change. ‘The feet- 
lefs Worm here mentioned, had ‘already grown 
a little more than the Caterpillar, It has a paler 
head, and difcharges a great deal of excrements : 
But becaufe, I never obferved a confiderable 
number of thefe Worms, in the warts or tu- 
bercles of Willow-leaves, which they only oc- 
cafionally inhabit; therefore the opportunity of © 
inveftigating their change to the Fly-ftate failed 
me, Perhaps I fhall hereafter take farther pains 
in this inquiry. - . 
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