DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68888#0259
172
Micrographia.
as to think all those things the produstions of chance? Certainly, ei-
ther their Ratiocination tnust be extremely depraved,or they did never
attentively consider and contemplate the Works of the Al-mighty.
Observ. XXXVIII. Os the StruSture and motion rf the Wings
qf Flies*
THe Wings of all kinds of Inseds , are, for the most part, very
beautifull Objests, and afford noless pleasing an Objed to the mind
to speculate upon,then to the eye to behold. This of the blue Fly, among
the rest, wants not its peculiar ornaments and contrivances 5 it grows
out of the Thorax.* or middle part of the body of a Fly, and is feated a
little beyond the center of gravity in the body towards the head, but
that Excentricly is curiously balanc’d 5 first, by the expanded Area o fthe
wings which lies all more backwards then the root, by the motion of
them, whereby the center of their vibration is much more backwards to-
wards the tail of the Fly then the root of the wing is. What the vibra-
tive motion of the wings is, and after what manner they are moved, I
have endeavoured by many trials to find out: And for the first manner
of their motion, I endeavoured to obferve several of thofe kind of (mall
{pinning Flies, which will naturally suspend themselves, as it were, pois’d
and steady in one place of the air, without rising or falling, or moving
forwards or backwards 5 for by looking down on those, I could by a kind
of faint shadow, perceive the utmost extremes of the vibrative moti-
on of their wings, which shadow, whil’st they so endeavoured to sospend
themfelves, was not very long, but when they endeavour’d to ssiefor-
wards,it was somewhat longer 5 next,I triedhit,by fixing the leggs of a Fly
upon the top of the stalk of a feather, with Glew, Wax, &c. and then
making it endeavour to ssie away 5 for being thereby able to view it in
any posture, I collected that the motion of the wing was after this man-
ner. 1 he extreme limits of the vibrations were usually somewhat about
the length of the body distant from one another, oftentimes shorter,and
sometimes also longer 5 that the formost limit was usually a little above
theback,and the hinder somwhat beneath the belly 5between which two
limits, if one may ghess by the sound, the wing feem’d to be mov’d for-
wards and backwards with an equal velocity: And if one may (from the
shadow or faint representation the wings afforded, and from theconside-
ration of the nature of the thing ) ghess at the posture or manner
of the wings, moving betweeen them, it feem’d to be this: The wing
being suppos’d placed in the upmost limit, feems to be put so that the
plain of it lies almost horizontal^ but onely the forepart does dip a little,
or is somewhat more deprest} in this position is the wing vibrated
or mov’d to the lower limit, being almost arrived at the lower li-
mit , the hinder part of the wing moving somewhat faster then the
former,
Micrographia.
as to think all those things the produstions of chance? Certainly, ei-
ther their Ratiocination tnust be extremely depraved,or they did never
attentively consider and contemplate the Works of the Al-mighty.
Observ. XXXVIII. Os the StruSture and motion rf the Wings
qf Flies*
THe Wings of all kinds of Inseds , are, for the most part, very
beautifull Objests, and afford noless pleasing an Objed to the mind
to speculate upon,then to the eye to behold. This of the blue Fly, among
the rest, wants not its peculiar ornaments and contrivances 5 it grows
out of the Thorax.* or middle part of the body of a Fly, and is feated a
little beyond the center of gravity in the body towards the head, but
that Excentricly is curiously balanc’d 5 first, by the expanded Area o fthe
wings which lies all more backwards then the root, by the motion of
them, whereby the center of their vibration is much more backwards to-
wards the tail of the Fly then the root of the wing is. What the vibra-
tive motion of the wings is, and after what manner they are moved, I
have endeavoured by many trials to find out: And for the first manner
of their motion, I endeavoured to obferve several of thofe kind of (mall
{pinning Flies, which will naturally suspend themselves, as it were, pois’d
and steady in one place of the air, without rising or falling, or moving
forwards or backwards 5 for by looking down on those, I could by a kind
of faint shadow, perceive the utmost extremes of the vibrative moti-
on of their wings, which shadow, whil’st they so endeavoured to sospend
themfelves, was not very long, but when they endeavour’d to ssiefor-
wards,it was somewhat longer 5 next,I triedhit,by fixing the leggs of a Fly
upon the top of the stalk of a feather, with Glew, Wax, &c. and then
making it endeavour to ssie away 5 for being thereby able to view it in
any posture, I collected that the motion of the wing was after this man-
ner. 1 he extreme limits of the vibrations were usually somewhat about
the length of the body distant from one another, oftentimes shorter,and
sometimes also longer 5 that the formost limit was usually a little above
theback,and the hinder somwhat beneath the belly 5between which two
limits, if one may ghess by the sound, the wing feem’d to be mov’d for-
wards and backwards with an equal velocity: And if one may (from the
shadow or faint representation the wings afforded, and from theconside-
ration of the nature of the thing ) ghess at the posture or manner
of the wings, moving betweeen them, it feem’d to be this: The wing
being suppos’d placed in the upmost limit, feems to be put so that the
plain of it lies almost horizontal^ but onely the forepart does dip a little,
or is somewhat more deprest} in this position is the wing vibrated
or mov’d to the lower limit, being almost arrived at the lower li-
mit , the hinder part of the wing moving somewhat faster then the
former,