Reading one day in _Septemb._ I chanced to observe a very smal creature
creep over the Book I was reading, very slowly; having a _Microscope_ by
me, I observ’d it to be a creature of a very unusual form, and that not
less notable; such as is describ’d in the second _Figure_ of the 33.
_Scheme_. It was about the bigness of a large Mite, or somewhat longer, it
had ten legs, eight of which, AAAA, were topt with very sharp claws, and
were those upon which he walk’d, seeming shap’d much like those of a Crab,
which in many other things also this little creature resembled; for the two
other claws, BB, which were the formost of all the ten, and seem’d to grow
out of his head, like the horns of other Animals, were exactly form’d in
the manner of Crabs or Lobsters claws, for they were shap’d and jointed
much like those represented in the _Scheme_ and the ends of them were
furnish’d with a pair of claws or pincers, CC, which this little animal did
open and shut at pleasure: It seem’d to make use of those two horns or
claws both for feelers and holders; for in its motion it carried these
aloft extended before, moving them to and fro, just as a man blindfolded
would do his hands when he is fearfull of running against a wall, and if I
put a hair to it, it would readily take hold of it with these claws, and
seem to hold it fast. Now, though these horns seem’d to serve him for two
uses, namely, for feeling and holding; yet he seem’d neither blind, having
two small black spots, DD, which by the make of them, and the bright
reflection from them seem’d to be his eyes, nor did it want other hands,
having another pair of claws, EE, very neer plac’d to its mouth, and seem’d
adjoining to it.
The whole body was cased over with armour-shells, as is usuall in all those
kinds of _crustaceous_ creatures, especially about their bellies, and
seem’d of three kinds, the head F seem’d cover’d with a kind of scaly
shell, the _thorax_ with two smooth shells, or Rings, GG, and the belly
with eight knobb’d ones. I could not certainly find whether it had under
these last shells any wings, but I suspect the contrary; for I have not
found any wing’d Insect with eight leggs, two of those leggs being always
converted into wings, and, for the most part, those that have but six, have
wings.
This creature, though I could never meet with more then one of them, and so
could not make so many examinations of it as otherwise I would, I did
notwithstanding, by reason of the great curiosity that appear’d to me in
its shape, delineate it, to shew that, in all likelihood, Nature had
crouded together into this very minute Insect, as many, and as excellent
contrivances, as into the body of a very large Crab, which exceeds it in
bulk, perhaps, some Millions of times; for as to all the apparent parts,
there is a greater rather then a less multiplicity of parts, each legg has
as many parts, and as many joints as a Crabs, nay, and as many hairs or
brisles; and the like may be in all the other visible parts; and ’tis very
likely, that the internal curiosities are not less excellent: It being a
general rule in Nature’s proceedings, that where she begins to display any
excellency, if the subject be further search’d into, it will manifest, that
there is not less curiosity in those parts which our single eye cannot
reach, then in those which are more obvious.
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