infea. Many other Angularities are to be found among the
aquatic larva. 6
The reader will not, I hope, be difpleafed with another account
o f the mufca pendula, drawn up by a naturalift who knew how to
render every fubjea interefting, but more particularly thofe o f
this fcience. “ Beingout, fays he, on an excurfion with fome
friends, we were ftruck with the appearance o f a little puddle o f
reddith water, the furface o f which was in continual motion; on
taking up fome o f this water, we found a number o f dirty Ihape-
lefs animals, which had much the appearance o f a common maggot,
but much uglier; they were brown, thick, and Ihort, and
furnilhed with tails. I ordered them to be laid down on the grafs,
and difpatched a fervant for fome clearwater, and then began to
explain their nature, origin, and properties.
“ I had often informed my companions that none o f the winged
infeas were hatched in their perfeS ftate from the egg, but that
-they all are firft produced /in the • form o f Worms, maggots, or
caterpillars ; or, in other words, covered with Ikins, under which
they live, move, and eat, and have the appearance o f very
different animals from their parents; they' Were not, therefore,
furprized, when I informed them that the creatures before us
were not in their ultimate ftate, but were the produce of the bee
fly, an infea refembling the common humble bee in form, fize,
and colour, but having only two wings; whereas the bee has
four, and a fling, which is wanting to the fly.
“ Thls fly is inftriiaed by the Univerfal Guide and Guardian of
nature, to lay its eggjs about the edges o f the water. It’s young,
6 while
while in the worm ftate, are to live and feed in water; but the
female parent cannot depofit her eggs in that element without
perilhing in the attempt. She lays them on dry land, near the
proper place o f refidence of her young, and they are inftructed
by the fame Guide to place them in fueh a fituation, that as foon
as they are hatched they make their way to the water; and
finally, when they have acquired their full growth, and the animal
within is ready to burft forth into a new life, and enjoy the regions
o f the air, it again quits the water, that this great event may be
finilhed at land.
“ As the fervant was now returned with a little water, I juft ob-
ferved, that though refpiration is neceffary to all animal life, yet it
is varioufly performed in the feveral fpecies; and that thus, while
man and the generality o f other animals refpired by the mouth,
this creature does it by the tail. The infefts we were examining
were about half an inch long, and their tails near an inch: I
proportioned the water in the glafs to this meafure in depth, and
on our throwing fome of them into it, their bodies naturally funk
with the head downwards, and while they feemed fearching after
food about the bottom, the extremities of their tails were feen juft
above the water, and in continual motion.
“ My companions, who have long fince'learnt to make every
observation o f this kind a fource o f adoration to the fupreme
creator, difpofer, and preferver o f all things, were admiring the
care of his providence in contriving thus amazingly that a poor
reptile fhould not be fuffocated while it fed. When I ordered a
pint more water to be thrown into the glals, they all cried out, at
firft, againft my deftroying thefe unhappy animals ; but their admiration