The His Tf OR Y 
headed ; fo that they refemble two little-ham- 
mers, which, the Fly ftriking againft the wings, 
forms the noife peculiar to it. The eyes are 
tuddy, the thorax is greenifh; the abdomen, on 
the contrary, is yellowith, and is variegated with 
blackifh hairy wreaths. 
I have often feen inftead of the Fly, which 
is commonly produced from the Worm before 
defcribed, eight other Flies iffuing out of its 
Nymph, which had indeed drawn their ori- 
| Of the Worms 
HOUGH the Moth isa very common crea- 
ture, yet few know it; for it lies hid, and 
does not exhibit itfelf to open view; for that rea- 
fon it is the more mifchievous. Moths are in 
reality Vermicles, cr Worms that live in woven 
cells, at all times, except when they build their 
nefts, in wool, {kins, or birds feathers: in thofe 
cafes, they ufually build themfelves irregular 
cells, becaufe they have both the habitation and 
food, which they then irregularly grind with 
their teeth, always ready. 
They build their habitations very artificially, 
fo that they are always larger in the middle, and 
narrower, Tab. XLV. Fig. xxx. a, on each fide, 
where the paflage is: and that ftrn€ture does 
this fervice to the Moth, that it can the more 
conveniently turn itfelf in the middle of its habi- 
tation, and go out through either orifice when 
neceflary. It is alfo obferved fometimes, that 
the Moth {pins a fine thread, efpecially when it 
creeps near the walls and beams of houfes, feek- 
ing its food there; for this is of various kinds. 
In that cafe it forms this thread, to prevent falling 
down, when it ceafes working, and goes into 
its cell; for at that time only it hangs fufpended, 
b, from the thread. I have likewife often feen, 
that the Moth fpins this thread, when the ante- 
rior ot forepart of its body has firft crept c out of 
its little cafe, and endeavoured to fix itfelf fome- 
where by means of it: but when the creature 
was afterwards inclined to proceed further, it 
broke this thread, and going out of either open- 
ing of its cell, fixed it again in another place: 
and when this is done againft a beam or wall, it 
forms a very beautiful fight, 
In order to defcribe more particularly the little 
- Moth, which I here exhibit in its natural fize ; 
1 muft obferve, that with refpect to its ftruture, 
itis not unlike a {mall Caterpillar. It has a glit- 
tering raven-black head, in which its eyes, and 
two fharp-pointed teeth are placed. The reft of 
the body is of a whitifh or flethy colour. Six 
legs are fixed to the breaft, eight in the middle 
of the body ; and two are fituated in the extre- 
mity of the abdomen under the tail. The Moth, 
however, never creeps out of its habitation, but 
by the fix fore feet; by the help of the other ten, 
it lies fixed in its little cafe: thatis, when that 
Worm advances forward with its fix fore feet, 
then it takes hold of its cell within, with the 
others : and this too is the reafon, why it always 
carries its cafe with it, not differing much in this 
re{pect from tortoifes, 
off DNS EET 8. 69 
gin from the Worms that feed on the internal 
parts of that Nymph, and were changed within 
it, into fo many {mall Nymphs.’ When thefe 
little Nymphs had at length grown into Flies; 
they flew out, after piercing the fkin of the larger 
Nymph. Thefe Flies had each fix red legs, four 
wings, and a body that glittered with a golden 
and very lively green, excelling the Jight of the 
fun’s rays. 
called Moths. 
But the Moth, while growing, always ehtirely 
forfakes its cafe, when it is become too little for 
its body, being on account of the increafe of 
bulk, obliged to form itfelf an intire new cell, 
into which, as into a new habitation, it after- 
wards repairs, after leaving the old one. The 
Moth never undertakesthat office, until compelled 
by neceffity ; that is, when the old habitation is 
not fufficient to cover its body, The inftin@ 
and prudence of this creature, are moft evi- 
dent from hence, that in preparing an habitation 
big enough for its body, it does not defire large 
and magnificent buildings, which the folly of 
mankind fo much feeks after. Man, whom God 
created with an upright countenance, over-bur- 
thens himfelf with heavy labour, nay, he fome- 
times perifhes under a multitude of houfes and 
apartments; the tapeftry and hangings of which 
are expofed tothis Moth, only to be gnawed and 
eaten for food. 
When the Moth leaves its former cafe, in or- 
der to form for itfelf an entire new cell, it does 
not get for that purpofe beams of cedar, nor 
Italian marble: it prudently and ingenioufly 
makes ufe of that matter which it finds near 
about it. When it lives in green cloth, it makes 
the outfide of its whole cell of a green matter ; 
that is, the wool which it bites off the cloth, and 
artificially interweaves with its web: it lives on 
the fame fubftance, and ufes it for food; and 
therefore its excrements are alfo green. It does 
the fame when it refts or pitches on white, yel- 
low, red, blue or black cloth; or when it finds 
in its way any coverlid, garment, or cap, that 
lies unufed and neglected in a corner. If it can 
find none of thefe materials, it remains in old 
old houfes, armories, repofitories, and even 
in ftone walls; it eats duft and Spiders-webs, 
whereof it makes an ‘habitation in the fame man- 
ner. Ihave, on thefe occafions, feen it inter- 
weave {mall bits of broken cement with its habi- 
tation, in order to make it ftronger; fo that this 
creature makes every foil its country, and yield- 
ing to neceffity, leads a happy life amidft the 
miferies to which we are fubjec. 
The Moth never brings any foreign matter 
into the inner furface of its cell, where its body 
lies ; confequently nothing elfe is obferved there, 
only the Moth’s proper web, which being of a 
foft, {mooth, and even texture, ferves both for 
a habitation and bed. In this manner that Worm 
lives, till its patts are increafed to their due per- 
fection under the fkin: and at that time, it 
4. covery 
