In general the male is fmaller than the female. The antennas
o f the male are, for the moll part, larger than thofe of the female.
In fome. moths, and other infefts which are furniihed with feathered
antennas, the feathers o f the male fly are large and
beautiful, while thofe o f the female are fmall, and fcarce to be
perceived. Some male beetles are furniihed with a horn, which
is wanting in the female.
“ Pleraque infeclorura genitalia fua intra anum habent abfcondita,
et penes folitarias, fed nonnulla penerri habent bifidum: cancri
autem et aranei geminos, quemadmodum nonnulla amphibia, et
quod mirandum in loco alieno, ut cancer, fub ball caudae.
Araneus mas palpos habet clavatos, qui penes funt, juxta os
utrinque unicum, quas clavae fexum nec: fpeciem diftinguunt; et
fcemina vulvas fuas habet in abdomine juxta pedtus; heic vero
fi unquam vere dixeris : res plena timoris amor, fi enim procus in-
aufpicato accefferit, fcemina ipfum devorat, quod etiam fit, fi non
flatim fe retraxerit. Libellula fcemina genitale fuum fub apice
gerit caudae, et mas fub pectore, adeo ut cum mas collum fcemina
forcipe caudae arripit, ilia caudam fuam peftori ejus adplicet, ficque
peculiar! ratione connexae volitent.”
/ Infecfs are either oviparous or viviparous; or, in other
words, the fpecies is perpetuated, either by their laying o f eggs,
or bringing forth their young alive. The former is the more
general cafe; there are but few inftances of the latter. Thofe
infecls which pafs through the different transformations already
defcribed, cannot propagate till they arrive at their imago or perfect
flate ; and we believe there is feldom any conjunction of the
4 fexes
fexes in other claffes till they have moulted, or put off their laft
fkin, the cancri and monoculi excepted.
Mr. de Reaumur mentions fix or feven fpecies o f two-winged
flies that are viviparous, bringing forth worms, which are afterwards
transformed into flies. The womb o f one o f thefe is
Angularly curious : it is formed o f a band rolled up in a fpiral
form, and about two inches and a half in length ; fo that it is feven
or eight time.s longer than the body of the fly, and compofed o f
worms placed one on the fide of the other with wonderous art:
they are many thoufands in number.*
The habits o f the pucerons are fo very Angular, that I cannot
pafs them over in filence ; the more fo, as they are a very curious
objeft for the microfcope. They ate called by various names,
the proper one is aphis ; that which they are mod known by is
puceron, though they are fometimes called vine fretters and
plant lice. They belong to the hemiptera order. Thé roftrum
is inflefted, the antennae are longer than the thorax, fome have
four ereft wings, others have none at a l l : towards the end o f the
belly there are two tubes, from which is ejefted that molt delicate
juice called honey-dew.
The aphides are a very numerous genus; Linnaeus has enumerated
thirty-three different fpecies, whofe trivial names are taken
from the plant which they inhabit, though it is probable the
number is much larger, as the fame plant is--often found to fup-
port two or three different forts o f aphides,
H h 2 An
Reaumur Mem. des Infeftes, tom. 4, p. 415.