Fnom the earliest period of which any authentic re cords remain, this science has obtained a very consider able portion of attention ; but the total destruction of the great public libraries, has deprived us of the means of ascertaining to what state this branch of science had at tained, till within about 2000 years of the present time. We shall now endeavour to lay before the reader an account of these works ; and, as we deem the subject of importance, shall, as far as our limits will allow, men tion every work, however slight, which has been pro ductive of any material information ; at the same time, we wish it to be understood, that we do not consider it necessary, or within our province, to enter at large upon a critical analysis of the multitude of writings before us, but only such as we have had an opportunity of consult ing with attention, describing the leading intention of their authors respectively, which we shall enumerate as nearly as possible in chronological order.
Some books appear to have been written prior to the date of those which have descended to us, as we infer from various hints recorded in the earliest of those works now extant.
The oldest records on this subject are to be found in the sacred writings, where mention is made of locusts, flies, and caterpillars ; and it is probable MosEs had ac quired a slight knowledge of this science from the Egyptian sages, as his works abound with passages re lating to insects ; and amongst the obsolete works of Solomon, he is said to have treated of " creeping things." Hippocrates, who lived about 500 years before Christ (as we are told by Pliny), wrote on insects. The writ ings of the earlier Greek and Latin philosophers, quoted by Pliny, afford extracts of his labours.
Aristotle flourished in the succeeding age. He wrote, amongst many other works, a History of Animals, an elementary book, giving a general and comprehensive view of the animal creation ; but he rarely descends to the description of species. It is a work of the greatest merit, which no one can impartially peruse without con fessing the intimate knowledge its writer must have pos sessed of nature. The insect class is treated of in seve ral parts of his work. In the seventh chapter of his first book, we find the term iyropue is that of a family, which constitutes one of his four orders of animals with colour less blood. These animals he terms exsanguinems ; and, in his definitions, he points out, with great accuracy, in what they differ from the other three divisions or this class, viz. Mollusca, C'rustacea, and Testac«z. In the
first chapter of the fourth book, we find the essential characters more clearly given, namely, the incisions on the back or belly, or both, by which their bodies appear to be divided into two or more parts. In another part of his book, more particularly devoted to insects, he des cribes them as having three parts, the head, trunk, and abdomen : the second part is denominated an interme diate portion, corresponding with the back and breast of other animals. He also adds, they have feet. In sub sequent passages, he describes insects which fly, and those that walk. Amongst the former, he notices those with naked wings, and those covered with a sheath ; and he observes, that some of these have the sheaths divid ed, and others immovably connected. The naked wing ed insects are of two kinds, some with four, and others with two wings. Some of those with four naked wings are furnished with stings at the extremities of their bodies, whilst those with two are destitute of this appa ratus. He describes, with attention, the horns (antenna) of the butterflies and locusts. When noticing the legs, he remarks, the leaping feet of the locusts, which he compares to those of springing animals. The accuracy with which this learned philosopher has described the various parts of these animals, cannot but astonish the learned entomologist ; he will be surprised at their con sistency. Their accordance with the entomological de finitions of the modern systematists, will excite further comparison ; and the natural result will be, that, with the acquired knowledge of 2000 years, so far as he does proceed, we, until lately, have been unable to amend his observations. A cursory perusal of the whole work will show, that whatever might be the merits of this great man, his writings evince too much acquaintance with the science of nature to be the produce of any individual genius, shining with unborrowed light ; for, when we reflect on the slow manner in which all human know ledge is developed, we are readily convinced that the science of nature must have made some considerable ad vancements before his time ; and that he has derived considerable assistance from the works of more ancient naturalists.
Allan, in his work on animals, MO c;';‘,,Y, appropriates several chapters to insects, without entering into the system at large, confining himself to particular kinds ; and those noticed arc described with attention, as crick-. cts, the generation of wasps, of cantharides, Ste.