This kind of Fly, whereof a _Microscopical_ Picture is delineated in the
first _Figure_ of the 26. _Scheme_, is a very beautifull creature, and has
many things about it very notable; divers of which I have already partly
describ’d, namely, the feet, wings, eyes, and head, in the preceding
Observations.
And though the head before describ’d be that of a grey _Drone-Fly_, yet for
the main it is very agreeable to this. The things wherein they differ most,
will be easily enough found by the following particulars:
First, the clusters of eyes of this Fly, are very much smaller then those
of the _Dron-Fly_, in proportion to the head.
And next, all the eyes of each cluster seem’d much of the same bigness one
with another, not differing as the other, but rang’d in the same
_triagonal_ order.
Thirdly, between these two clusters, there was a scaly prominent _front_ B,
which was arm’d and adorn’d with large tapering sharp black brisles, which
growing out in rows on either side, were so bent toward each other neer the
top, as to make a kind of arched arbour of Brisles, which almost cover’d
the former _front_.
Fourthly, at the end of this Arch, about the middle of the face, on a
prominent part C, grew two small oblong bodies, DD, which through a
_Microscope_ look’d not unlike the Pendants in Lillies, these seem’d to be
jointed on to two small parts at C, each of which seem’d again jointed into
the front.
Fifthly, out of the upper part and outsides of these horns (as I may call
them, from the Figure they are of, in the 24. _Scheme_, where they are
marked with FF) there grows a single feather, or brushy Brisle, EE,
somewhat of the same kind with the tufts of a Gnat, which I have before
described.
What the use of these kind of horned and tufted bodies should be, I cannot
well imagine, unless they serve for smelling or hearing, though how they
are adapted for either, it seems very difficult to describe: they are in
almost every several kind of Flies of so various a shape; though certainly
they are some very essential part of the head, and have some very notable
office assign’d them by Nature, since in all Insects they are to be found
in one or other form.
Sixthly, at the under part of the face FF, were several of the former sort
of bended Brisles, and below all, the mouth, out of the middle of which,
grew the _proboscis_ GHI, which, by means of several joints, whereof it
seem’d to consist, the Fly was able to move to and fro, and thrust it in
and out as it pleas’d; the end of this hollow body (which was all over
cover’d with small short hairs or brisles) was, as ’twere, bent at H, and
the outer or formost side of the bended part HI, slit, as it were, into two
chaps, HI, HI, all the outside of which where cover’d with hairs, and
pretty large brisles; these he could, like two chaps, very readily open and
shut, and when he seem’d to suck any thing from the surface of a body, he
would spread abroad those chaps, and apply the hollow part of them very
close to it.
From either side of the _Proboscis_, within the mouth, grew two other small
horns, or fingers, KK, which were hairy, but small in this Figure; but of
another shape, and bigger in proportion, in the 24. _Scheme_, where they
are marked with GG, which two indeed seem’d a kind of smellers, but whether
so or not, I cannot positively determine.
The _Thorax_ or middle part of this Fly, was cas’d, both above and beneath,
with a very firm crust of armour, the upper part more round, and covered
over with long _conical_ brisles, all whose ends pointed backwards; out of
the hinder and under part of this grew out in a cluster six leggs, three of
which are apparent in the Figure, the other three were hid by the body
plac’d in that posture. The leggs were all much of the same make, being all
of them cover’d with a strong hairy scale or shel, just like the legs of a
Crab or Lobster, and the contrivance of the joints seem’d much the same,
each legg seem’d made up of eight parts, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, to the
eighth or last of which, grew the soles and claws, described before in the
38. _Observation_.
Out of the upper part of this trunk grew the two wings, which I mention’d
in the 38. _Observation_, consisting of a film, extended on certain small
stiff wires or bones: these in a blue Fly, were much longer then the body,
but in other kind of Flies they are of very differing proportions to the
body. These films, in many Flies, were so thin, that, like several other
plated bodies (mention’d in the ninth _Observation_) they afforded all
varieties of fantastical or transient colours (the reason of which I have
here endeavoured to explain) they seem’d to receive their nourishment from
the stalks or wires, which seem’d to be hollow, and neer the upper part of
the wing LL several of them seem’d jointed, the shape of which will
sufficiently appear by the black lines in the second Figure of the 26.
_Scheme_, which is a delineation of one of those wings expanded directly to
the eyes.
All the hinder part of its body is cover’d with a most curious blue shining
armour, looking exactly like a polish’d piece of steel brought to that blue
colour by annealing, all which armour is very thick bestuck with abundance
of tapering brisles, such as grow on its back, as is visible enough by the
Figure.
Nor was the inside of this creature less beautifull then its outside, for
cutting off a part of the belly, and then viewing it, to see if I could
discover any Vessels, such as are to be found in a greater Animals, and
even in Snails exceeding manifestly, I found, much beyond my expectation,
that there were abundance of branchings of Milk-white vessels, no less
curious then the branchings of veins and arteries in bigger terrestrial
Animals, in one of which, I found two notable branches, joining their two
main stocks, as it were, into one common _ductus_; now, to what veins or
arteries these Vessells were _analogus_, whether to the _vena porta_, or
the _meseraick vessells_, or the like, or indeed, whether they were veins
and arteries, or _vasa lactea_, properly so called, I am not hitherto able
to determine, having not yet made sufficient enquiry; but in all
particulars, there seems not to be any thing less of curious contrivance in
these Insects, then in those larger terrestrial Animals, for I had never
seen any more curious branchings of Vessels, then those I observ’d in two
or three of these Flies thus opened.
It is a creature active and nimble, so as there are very few creatures like
it, whether bigger or smaller, in so much, that it will scape and avoid a
small body, though coming on it exceeding swiftly, and if it sees any thing
approaching it, which it fears, it presently squats down, as it were, that
it may be the more ready for its rise.
Nor is it less hardy in the Winter, then active in the Summer, induring all
the Frosts, and surviving till the next Summer, notwithstanding the bitter
cold of our Climate; nay, this creature will indure to be frozen, and yet
not be destroy’d, for I have taken one of them out of the Snow whereon it
has been frozen almost white, with the Ice about it, and yet by thawing it
gently by the warmth of a fire, it has quickly reviv’d and flown about.
This kind of Fly seems by the steams or taste of fermenting and putrifying
meat (which it often kisses, as ’twere, with its _proboscis_ as it trips
over it) to be stimulated or excited to eject its Eggs or Seed on it,
perhaps, from the same reason as Dogs, Cats, and many other brute creatures
are excited to their particular lusts, by the smell of their females, when
by Nature prepared for generation; the males seeming by those kind of
smells, or other incitations, to be as much necessitated thereto, as _Aqua
Regis_ strongly impregnated with a solution of Gold, is forced to
precipitate it by the affusion of spirit of _Urine_, or a solution of
_Salt_ of _Tartar_.
One of these put in spirit of _Wine_, was very quickly seemingly kill’d,
and both its eys and mouth began to look very red, but upon the taking of
it out, and suffering it to lie three or four hours, and heating it with
the Sun beams cast through a Burning-glass, it again reviv’d, seeming, as
it were, to have been all the intermediate time, but dead drunk, and after
certain hours to grow fresh again and sober.
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