134 
feéts are to be found in the air, thefe birds, in 
order to take them, fly near the ground ; a cir- 
cumftance which has given a handle for that 
very abfurd notion of fome people, that Swal- 
lows can forefee an impending ftorm; where- 
as, as I have been juft faying, they fkim the 
earth in heavy, cloudy, rainy, or ftormy wea- 
ther, merely to come at the infects, upon 
which they prey, and which, at thefe times, al- 
ways betake themfelves to reft. For the fame 
reafon I believe Swallows conftantly follow the 
courfe of the Sun; and when winter comes 
upon us, retire to the other climates which 
enjoy at that time a pleafant fpring, a fruitful 
fummer, or atemperate autumn, and are there- 
fore qualified to fupply them with a fufficiency 
of food. : 
I have obferved, that fome infects can only 
endure the winter in the worm-ftate. Thefe 
are found not only above and under ground, 
in the hollows of trees, between the leaves of 
plants, in the hearts of fruits, and in vegeta- 
ble excrefcences, but even in the water, and 
are often enclofed in ice. But then it is ob- 
fervable of thefe infects, that moft of them are 
much ftronger at this period, than ever they 
are afterwards, when they have gone through 
their changes, and are become capable of pro- 
pagating of their fpecies. ‘Thus we find that 
the Water-worm, which changes‘to an Ephe- 
merus, is fo tenacious of life, that it can live 
many days after being run through with a pin; 
whereas in the Fly-ftate it lives even without 
receiving the leaft injury, but four houts at 
longeft. However, we likewife know. by ex- 
perience, that thefe creatures, tho’ vigorous and 
robuft, perifh very fuddenly, if they do not 
happen to find quarters adapted to their na- 
ture. Of this the Worms found in Hazel- 
nuts and filberts, are a ftriking inftance; for 
unlefs you place them in moift fand, where they 
dig themfelves holes to ferve them for winter- 
quarters, not only they die very foon, but even 
in the fpace of one fingle night, will harden, 
and dry to fuch a degree, that they will in a 
manner fall to duft between the fingers. I 
have obferved alfo, that this is the cafe with 
the Worms bred in the tubercles of Mal- 
low-leaves, tho’ they never make holes for 
themfelves iu the earth, in whicn they may 
pafs the winter, but defend themfelves againft 
its rigours, by {pinning a commodious covering 
for their bodies. . 
Thirdly, I find that other infects pafs the 
‘winter in the Nymph-ftate, in which they may 
be found as well on the furface of the earth, as 
buried under ground; and even in the water, 
where they will live for fome months without 
any food ; for at this time, they want ftrength 
to take any, as well thro’ the weaknefs of their 
limbs, as on account of the great quantity of fu- 
perfluous moifture with which their bodies are 
charged. I have likewife remarked, as J al- 
ready mentioned, that the greateft part of thefe 
infects, which outlive the winter in a perfect 
ftate, require no food from one end of that 
feafon to the other; for at that time their 
The BrO) OL “oF NWoaAgd (UGRT BE ver 
juices move very flowly, and are in a manner 
condenfed by the coldnefs of the circum am- 
bient air; both which are fufficient to account 
for fo long a faft. 
Hence it is alfo, that thefe little creatures, 
when cherifhed with the leaft warmth, recover 
their former fenfes'and motion; whereas, be- 
fore, they were fo entirely motionlefs, as even 
not to void any excrements. And this circum- 
{tance affords us another proof of their not tak- 
ing any food at that time; for where there is 
no lofs, there can be no neceflity for any nou- 
rifhment to repair the watfte. 
Fourthly, and laftly, I have found infedts to 
furvive the winter in their eggs; in which, as 
I have heretofore obferved, they often wear the 
form of Nymphs. 
But I fhall hereafter explain the advantages 
that accrue from this condition of Infects in 
the Nymph, and other ftates, when I come to 
defcribe after what manner they bury their eggs 
in {pring, on the approach of warm weather, 
in the tender germina or buds of plants, and in 
the leaves of trees; a thing which 1 mightily 
long for the fatisfaction of feeing with my 
own eyes. Perhaps I may at laft find the 
means of fatisfying my curiofity. And, as no 
defcriptions or drawings can impart full and 
juft notions of the form and external appear- 
ance of thefe little creatures, I have formed a 
refolution of colle@ing fome hundreds of them, 
in order to preferve them in balfam, after hav- 
ing {ufficiently dried them. 
I could prove by the teftimonies of people 
of all ranks, that I have in my mufeum {peci- 
mens of all the infects I have {poken of in the 
foregoing treatife, to the number of more than 
twelve hundred, with their Nymphs, Chryfa- 
lides, and Vermiform-nymphs. But here, in 
order to do myfelf juftice, lappeal to that moft 
curious and learned gentleman the Abbe Bou- 
caud, who, after he had been firft to fee me, 
in company with the celebrated Olaus Bor- 
richius, Profeffor of Phyfick in the Univer- 
fity of Copenhagen, thought it not beneath him 
to return often to my houfe to examine the 
great number of natural curiofities I have there 
treafured up. 
I might likewife appeal to the moft noble and 
accurate Paul Falconier, who fome time ago 
did me the honour of a vifit, and was pleafed to 
approve my occupations and ftudies. But I 
would not have the readers imagine, that I have 
minutely examined every fingle infect of my col- 
lection ; I have only reduced a great many of them 
to my four orders, as may appear to any one, 
that will be at the pains of confidering what I 
have faid of thefe orders. And this caution I gave 
in the fame place, for fear of deceiving others, and 
perhaps myfelf, with expectation of more being 
done in this branch of natural hiftory than there 
really is, ‘Though, let us do as much as we 
can, I believe it fo far from poffible to know 
every {pecies of infects, and the changes of each, 
that I believe the labour of ages would not be 
fuflicient to difcover all the kinds of them. In 
the mean time, I challenge any one to produce a 
fingle 
