I shall
at present proceed to
* * * * *
Observ. XXXIX. _Of the Eyes and Head of a _Grey drone-Fly_,
and of several other creatures._
I took a large grey _Drone-Fly_, that had a large head, but a small and
slender body in proportion to it, and cutting off its head, I fix'd it with
the forepart or face upwards upon my Object Plate (this I made choice of
rather then the head of a great blue Fly, because my enquiry being now
about the eyes, I found this Fly to have, first the biggest clusters of
eyes in proportion to his head, of any small kind of Fly that I have yet
seen, it being somewhat inclining towards the make of the large
_Dragon-Flies_. Next, because there is a greater variety in the knobs or
balls of each cluster, then is of any small Fly.) Then examining it
according to my usual manner, by varying the degrees of light, and altering
its position to each kinde of light, I drew that representation of it which
is delineated in the 24. _Scheme_, and found these things to be as plain
and evident, as notable and pleasant.
_First_, that the greatest part of the face, nay, of the head, was nothing
else but two large and _protuberant_ bunches, or _prominent_ parts, ABCDEA,
the surface of each of which was all cover'd over, or shap'd into a
multitude of small _Hemispheres_, plac'd in a _triagonal_ order, that being
the closest and most compacted, and in that order, rang'd over the whole
surface of the eye in very lovely rows, between each of which, as is
necessary, were left long and regular trenches, the bottoms of every of
which, were perfectly intire and not at all perforated or drill'd through,
which I most certainly was assured of, by the regularly reflected Image of
certain Objects which I mov'd to and fro between the head and the light.
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