A natural history containing many not common observations extracted out of the best modern writers / by Sir Thomas Pope Blount, Baronet.

Observations concerning the Genera∣tion of INSECTS.

THat Learned and Ingenious I∣talian Author, Francisco Redi, in his Book Entituled, Esperienze intorno alla Generatione Degl' In∣setti, with much Industry under∣takes to evince, That there is no such thing as Aequivocal Generation, but that every Animal is generated by the Seed of another Animal, (its Parent,) or, at least, from some Living and un-corrupted Plant, as out of Oak-Apples, and several Pro∣tuberances

and Excrescencies of Ve∣getables.

First then, in the asserting of the Vniversal and true Generation of INSEC••S by a peculiar and pater∣nal Seed, this Author positively affirms, that He could never find, by all the Experiments and Obser∣vations he ever made, (of which he relateth a great Number, by himself made upon many sorts of Animals) that ever any INSECTS were bred from Flesh, or Fish, or putrified Plants, or any other Bodies, but such, as Flies had access unto, and scatter'd their Seed upon; He hav∣ing taken extraordinary care and pains to observe, that always on the Flesh, before it did Verminate, there sate Flies of the self same kind with those that were afterwards produc'd thence; and again, that no Worms would ever come from any Flesh in Vessels well cover'd, and defended from the Access of Flies; so that to him there seems no Generation of INSECTS from

any dead Animals, but such as have been Fly-blown.

And lest••it should be objected, that the Reason, why in Vessels exactly clos'd, no INSECT breeds, is the Want of Air, necessary to all Generation, He hath carefully co∣ver'd several Vessels with very fine Naples-Vaile, for the Air to enter, though Flies could not; but that no Worms at all were bred there, notwithstanding that many Flies swarm'd about them, invited by the smell of the Flesh inclosed there∣in.

Secondly, to make out the other part of his Position, viz. That those Animals that are not bred by the Seed of other Animals, are pro∣duc'd from some Live Plant, or its Excrescence; This Author thinks it not absurd to affirm, That that A∣nima or Power, which is able to produce Flowers and Fruits in Liv∣ing Plants, may be alike capable to breed Worms in them; since that Soul is so powerful, as to cause

Plants to feed, to grow and to pro∣duce Seed, as it doth in Animals. For Confirmation of which, He ob∣serveth, that both the Generation of Worms in Vegetables is always and constantly the same, (not at all casual▪) and that all Galls grow constantly in one determinate part of the Branches, and always in the new Branches; as also, that those little Galls, which grow on the Leaves of the Oak-Holm, &c. do all grow constantly on the Fi∣bres or Strings of those Leaves, not one of them being seen to grow on the smooth part betwixt two Strings: Farther, that there are ••ound many Leaves of other Trees, on which grow Vesicles, or small Bags, or some wrinckled or swell'd places, full of Worms, springing ••orth with those Leaves. Besides, that there is not one Gall but it hath its proper Worm; and that each sort of Galls hath its peculiar and determinate Race of Worms and Flies, which never vary: Where

He takes notice of the Singular Art of Nature, both in forming the Egg, which is found in the Center of Galls, and in preparing its place therein, furnishing it with many filaments, that pass from the Gall-Apple to the Egg, as to many Veins and Arteries, serving for the forma∣tion of the Egg and Worm, and for the Nourishment requisite thereto. To which He adds this Observati∣on, that, there being certain sorts of Galls, which breed more Worms at a time than One, Nature hath carefully provided and distinguish'd places for them, as she doth in those Animals that are multipa∣rous.

H••••ing Establisht this ground a∣gainst Equivocal Generation, he pro∣ceeds to Particulars, and refutes the Opinion of those, that will have Bees to be Bred of the Putrified Flesh of Bullocks; Wasps, of Asses or Mules Flesh; Drones, of Horses; Scorpions, of buried Crayfishes, or the Herb Basilica, or dead Scorpions; Toads, of Ducks Buried

in Dung; Mites of Cheese; affirm∣ing that none of these INSECTS have any such Origin mentioned, but that all those Substances have been first blown upon by some Flie or other.

See this Abstract of Francisco Redi's Book of the Generation of INSECTS, in the PHLOSOPH. TRANSACT. Numb. 57. Pag. 1175.

To that Opinion of the Italian Francisco Redi, viz. That some live Plants or their Excrescencies do truly generate some INSECTS, I told my Friend, as I Remember, that I in∣deed had observ'd, that the By-Fruits of some Vegetables, as of the Oak and Wild-Rose, for Example, did grow up together with their re∣spective Worms in them, from small Beginnings to fair and large Fruit, some of them Emulating even the Genuin Off-spring of the Plant,

—Et miratur non sua poma.

And further, that I did believe, the Worms were furnish'd with food in and from them; but not by any Naval-Connexion, as that Author fancies, and which I said, to me was unintelligible, and that I should be glad of a Notion, which might make out to me such a monstrous Relation, as half Animal, half Ve∣getable, or, which is all one, Ve∣getable Vessels inserted into an Ani∣mal, or, the Contrary. Strange Oeconomy!

That it had never been my good Fortune (what ever diligence I had us'd) to discern Eggs in the Center of Galls, but a Worm constantly, even at the very first appearance, as near at least as my Fortune led me. Yet I would not deny, but that dili∣gence might one Day discover the Egg it self, which I was of Opinion was affixed to or near the Place by the Parent-INSECT, where the Gall rose.

That I ever found the Worms in all the Excrescencies, that I had

yet met with, perfectly at liberty; and for the Filaments, our Author mentions, it was very possible he might be mistaken, it being very hard, and a matter not yet Treated of in any Publick Paper, which and what are the Vessels that enter into the Texture of a Vegetable, as of a large Tree, for Example, much more hard would it be to say, this is a Vessel in a small Gall.

That there were many By-Fruits of different Figure and shape (tho' perhaps of a like Texture) upon one and the same Plant, every one of which did Nourish and Produce a different Race of INSECTS; This, I told him, I thought might rather argue the divers Work-man∣ship of different INSECTS, than one and the same Principle of Ve∣getation to be Author of several sorts of Animals. MARTIN LIS∣TER in a Letter to Mr. Oldenburg; which you may find in the PHILOS. TRANSACT. Numb. 75.

I have for my own Particular, besides several of those mention'd by the diligent Goedartius, observ'd divers other Circumstances, per∣haps, not much taken notice of, though very Common, which do indeed afford us a very Coercive Argument to admire the Goodness and Providence of the Infinitely Wise Creator, in his most Excellent Contrivances and Dispensations. I have observ'd at several times of the Summer, that many of the Leaves of divers Plants, have been spotted, or, as it were scabbed, and looking on the under-sides of those of them that have been but a little irregular, I have perceiv'd them to be sprinkl'd with divers sorts of little Eggs, which letting alone, I have found by degrees to grow bigger, and be∣come little Worms with Legs, but still to keep their former Places, and those Places of the Leaves, of ther own accords, to be grown very Protuberant upwards, and very hollow, and arch'd underneath,

whereby those Young Creatures, are, as it were, shelter'd and hous'd from External Injury; divers Leaves I have observ'd to grow and swell so far, as at length perfectly to in∣close the Animal, which by other Observations I have made, I guess to contain it, and become, as it were a womb to it, so long till it be fit and prepar'd to be Translated into another State, at which time, like (what they say of) Vipers, they gnaw their way through the Womb that bred them; divers of these kinds I have met with upon Goosber∣ry Leaves, Rose-Tree Leaves, Willow Leaves, and many other kinds.

There are often to be found upon Rose-Trees and Brier Bushes, little red tufts, which are certain Knobs or Excrescencies, growing out from the Rind, or Barks of those kinds of Plants, they are cover'd with strange kinds of threds or red hairs, which feel very soft, and look not unpleasantly. In most of these, if it has no hole in it, you shall find

certain little Worms, which I sup∣pose to be the causes of their Pro∣duction; for when that Worm has eat its way through, they having perform'd what they were design'd by Nature to do, by degrees die and wither away.

Now, the manner of their Pro∣duction, I suppose to be thus; that the All-Wise Creator has as well Implanted in every Creature a Fa∣culty of knowing what Place is con∣venient for the Hatching, Nutriti∣on, and preservation of their Eggs and Off-springs, whereby they are stimulated and directed to conve∣nient Places, which become, as 'twere, the wombs that perform those Offices; as He has also suited and adapted a Property to those Places, whereby they grow and inclose those Seeds, and having inclosed them, provide a convenient Nou∣rishment for them; but as soon as they have done the Office of a Womb, they die and wither.

The Progress of Inclosure I have often observ'd in Leaves, which, in those Places where those Seeds have been cast, have by degrees swell'd and inclos'd them, so perfectly round, as not to leave any perceptible pas∣sage out.

From this same cause, I suppose that Galls, Oak-Apples, and several other Productions of that kind, upon the Branches and Leaves of Trees, have their Original; for if you open any of them, when almost Ripe, you shall find a little Worm in them.

Thus, if you open never so ma∣ny dry Galls, you shall find either a hole whereby the Worm has eat its passage out, or if you find no passage, you may, by breaking or cutting the Gall, find in the middle of it a small Cavity, and in it a small body, which does plainly enough yet retain a shape, to manifest it once to have ••een a Worm, tho' it died by a too early separation from the Oak on which it grew, its Navel-String, as

'twere, being broken off from the Leaf or Branch by which the Globu∣lar body that invelop'd it, receiv'd its Nourishment from the Oak. R. HOOKE's Microg. Pag. 189, 190.

Perchance some kind of IN∣SECT, in such places where there are Putrifying or Fermenting Bodies, may, by a certain Instinct of Na∣ture, eject some sort of Seminal principle, which Co-operating with various kinds of Putrifying Sub∣stances, may produce various kinds of INSECTS, or Animate Bodies: For we find in most sorts of those lower degrees of Animate Bodies: that the Putrifying Substances on which these Eggs, Seeds, or Seminal Principles are cast by the INSECT, become as 'twere, the Matrices or Wombs that conduce very much to their generation, and may perchance also to their variation and alterati∣on, much after the same manner, as by strange and unnatural Copula∣tions, several new kinds of Animals are produc'd, as Mules, and the

••ike, which are usually call'd Mon∣••trous, because a little unusual, though many of them have all their princi∣pal parts as perfectly shap'd and a∣••aapted for their peculiar uses, as ••ny of the most perfect Animals. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 therefore the Putrifying Body, ••n which any kind of Seminal or ••ital principle chances to be cast, ••ecome somewhat more than meer∣••y a Nursing and Fostering Helper, ••n the Generation and Producti∣••n of any kind of Animate Bo∣••y, the more near it approaches ••he true Nature of a Womb, the ••ore Power will it have on the ••y-Blow it incloses. HOOKE ibid. ••ag. 123.