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T A B. IX.
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D I P T E R A: Musc^, OKDER I.
ji wing of the firfi Order, with its 'Tendons, carefully delineated.
G E N E R I C A L CHARACTERS.
The abdomen is divided into four anniili, exclufive of the anus. The inferior edge of the wing
is not raarginated. The tongue is flefhy, having two lips at its extremity formed for fucking liquids.
It hath the fieraata or three little eyes on the top part of the head, which are the only organs of
vijion this infeEl hath.
It has been an opinion generally received and enforced by authors of good credit, that the two
hemifpherical parts placed one on each fide the head, were the eyes of the )nufca : whatever may bs
their office in any other genus it is not fo in this. I had formerly many doubts of this circumflance,
both from the magnitude of the parts and their dull and languid appearance, with many
vther ohjeEiions needlefs to mention. Determined to fatisfy myfelf of the truth, I caught one of the
large blowing flies, or blue bottles, as they are vulgarly called, and with an opake fubflance compofed
of white lead and gum water, carefully covered thofe hemifpherical parts all over. Then
taking the infeEl to the fartheft part of the room from the windows, let it loofe. It was no fooner
di[engaged, hut flew dire£lly lo the windovos, forceably beating againfl the glafs, as endeavouring for
•its enlargement. I then began to fear that I had not effeSually covered the parts, and therefore
caught it again, and examining the head clofely %vith a good magnifier, found that I had covered
the parts fufficiently, at the fajne time carefully viewing the flemata {the parts which I had before
fufpetled for eyes) confidered their fituajion, their brilliancy, and how carefully nature had
guarded them from harm, it was natural for me to conclude thefe were indeed the eyes. I then
caught another fly of the fame kind and covered the flemata carefully, then retreating from the
windows, let it loofe, when inflead of flying to the windows as the other had done, it hopped from
-my hand to the ground, zvhere it lay flrugglijig on its back for fome time, but recovering its feet
made feveral attempts to fly, going about a foot at a time, but always fell on its'back ; neither did it
in a-iy of its efforts make toward the light^ taking no more notice of the windows than any other
part of the rootn : and to be floort, a£led in every refpea as totally void of fight. I tried the experiment
on feveral more of them, but their ailions were fimilar to the flrfl : by which I was convinced
that the flemata were organs of vifion, and that the mufca particularly hath no parts by
'which they can difcover an obje^ but by them. I cannot call them therefore hy any other term than
eyes-, and they are not only fo in this genus, hut I will venture to affirm them to be fuch in whatever
infe^ they may he found, for reafons I fliall give in another place. The aforementioned parts
which appear like cheeks, I have in the courfe of this work termed the larger eyes, becaufe in fome
infers zvhich have not the flemata, providence may have adapted thern for fuch purpofes, and as
there is no other term hitherto given, I hope the impropriety will he excufed. In mofl fpecies of the
Mufca the male is difliuguifljcd hy the larger eyes meeting together on the top of the head, but in
K others