He took Notice, amongst the rest, of a little odd-shaped Plant, about half a Foot
in Length, with a soft, spungy, roundish Body, enlarging from the Bottom upwards
after the Fashion of a Pear ; and having short Roots, which had fastened it to the
Rock. The Inside of it was composed of wonderful little Cells and Hollows, and its
Surface was all over covered with a tenacious sticky Matter, resembling the Glew of
Bees. On the Top was a wide and deep Opening or Entrance (as is shewn in the
third Figure) so that it might properly be called Apiarium Marinum, or a Sea-Bee's
N?st ; for as soon as it was brought to Land, it swarmed with little b'ewish Worms,
which by the Heat of the Sun were changed afterwards into small black Flies, or
rather Bees ; but they flying all away, nothing can be afferted as to their making Ho-
ney. However, as the little Cells or Combs and waxy Matter of Bees were evidently
there, without doubt the Substance of the Honey itself, or whatever else is contained
within them, will be discovered by the Divers, when they shall observe these Bees-Nests
more curiously, and thoroughly examine them at different Seasons of the Year, in the
Paces where they are produced.
This is the Substance of Prso's Account, which the two Figures before us represent ;
and from thence Dr. HOOKE takes Occasion to enquire, “ Whether the Hulk or Case
" was a Plant, growing before of itself at the Bottom of the Sea, out of whose Putri-
" faction these strange Kind of Maggots might be generated ? or whether the Seed
" of certain Bees, sinking to the Bottom, might there naturally form itself that vege-
" table Hive, and take root ? or whether it might not be placed there by some diving
" Fly ? or whether it might not be some peculiar Propriety of that Plant whereby it
" might ripen, or form its vegetable Juice into an Animal Substance ? or whether it
" may not be of the Nature of a Spunge, or rather a Spunge in the Nature of this ?”
An EXPLANATION of the TWENTY-FIFTH PLATE
The tusted or Brush-horned Gnat
HAVING treated so fully on the Generation and Changes of a Gnat, in de-
scribing the first Figure of the last Plate,
there is little to do here but to shew
the several Parts of that Animal in its perfect State, as its Picture now lies before us.
Dr. DERHAM says
| Derham's Phys. The?l. p. 387. |
, he observed near forty distinct Species of Gnats about Up-
?ter in Essex, and doubtless there are many Sorts beside ; but none amongst them all
is perhaps more beautiful or remarkable than the Gnat we are now surveying, which
is the Male of one of these Species.
The Head A is extremely small in Proportion to its Body, and composed chiefly of
two Clusters of pearled Eyes of a greenish Colour, one of which Clusters is shewn at
B, whose Pearls or little Eyes are curiously rånged like those of large Flies.
Just over, and somewhat between these Eyes, on the Forehead of the Animal, are
? Couple of small black Balls, whereof one is expressed at C, out of which issue two
long Horns D, tapering and jointed like the Horns of a Lobster : From the several
Joints of these Horns Multitudes of small stiff Hairs issue on every Side, in a very re-
gular and beautiful Order, making the Whole appear like the Plant Equisetum, or
Horse-Tail. There are also two other jointed and bristled Horns or Feelers, standing
before the others, and projecting forwards, such as E E, under which lies the Pro-
?cis F, being a Case covered with long Scales, and concealed under the Gnat's
Throat when not made use of. Its Side opens, and four Darts are thrust out thence,
?onally, one whereof, though exceedingly minute, serves for a Sheath to the other
?. The Sides of them are extremely sharp, and they are barbed towards the Point,
whose Fineness is inexpressible, and scarcely to be discerned by the greatest Magnifier.
When a Gnat finds any tender Fruits or Liquors that it likes, it sucks them through
the outer Cafe, without employing the Darts at all ; but if it meets with Flesh, or any
Body whose Contexture denies Admittance to the Case, it stings very severely, then
?aths its Weapons in their Scabbard, and through it sucks up the Juices flowing
?om the Wound.
This small Head with the Ornamental and other Parts thereto belonging, is fastened
by a short Neck G, to the Middle of the Thorax, which is large in Proportion to the
