Experimental philosophy, in three books containing new experiments microscopical, mercurial, magnetical : with some deductions, and probable hypotheses, raised from them, in avouchment and illustration of the now famous atomical hypothesis / by Henry Power ...

OBSERVAT. V. The Butter-Fly.

THis Animal might well deserve our Observation without the assistance of a Microscope; for who does not admire the variegated diversity of colours in her expansed wings? which do not onely out-vye the Peacock in all his pride, but does as far out-go the strip'd bravery of the Tulip, as that did Solomon in all his glory: But view them in the Microscope, and you may see the very streaks of the Coelestial pencil that drew them. For the wings of the Butterfly seem like a great plume of feathers, with a glystering splendour exceeding plea∣sant to behold, especially if the wings be strip'd with several colours: yea that small meal and dust of their wings (which sticks to your fingers when you catch them) is all small little feathers, which grow out of

their wings; and you may plainly see the twills by which they stick to the wings, and the holes in the wings, out of which they were pluck'd. Nature having imp'd her wings (for her better flight) with those plumeous ex∣crescences; which shews how vastly * 1.1 they were mista∣ken, that held this mealy dust to be an exudation of atoms out of their wings.

Her eye is large and globular (but somewhat flattish) white like Alablaster, diced or bespeck'd here and there with black spots (like checker'd Marble) all foraminous, both the white and black parts of it. I mean in a white Butterfly, for in a red-wing'd Butterfly, her eye is all black and full of perforations as in a Common Fly.

The Probe (which you see lyes in her mouth in spiral contorsions, wound up like a spring, or like the twining tendrils of the Vine, and which you may with a pin draw out to its full length) seems to be hollow, and sup∣plies the office both of Mouth and Tongue: for you shall see it (if cutt out and laid on the object-plate) to winde and coyl it self up like a Spring, and then open a∣gain a long time together, and to have a transpa∣rent kinde of hollownesse quite throughout. Nature having made it of a considerable length (when extend∣ed) that she might reach her nourishment, else the length of her legs would hinder the stooping of her head: She hath also fitted it with that spiral or cochleary contrivance, that so being drawn up into an Helix, and retracted into the mouth, it might be no hinderance to her flight.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Dr. Brown in his Vulgar Errors.