The
feather of an insect has neither barbs nor shaft. For, though it is
called a feather, it is no feather at all, but merely a skin-like
membrane that, owing to its dryness, necessarily becomes detached from
the surface of the body, as the fleshy substance grows cold.
These animals then have their bodies insected, not only for the
reasons already assigned, but also to enable them to curl round in
such a manner as may protect them from injury; for such insects as
have long bodies can roll themselves up, which would be impossible
were it not for the insections; and those that cannot do this can
yet draw their segments up into the insected spaces, and so increase
the hardness of their bodies. This can be felt quite plainly by
putting the finger on one of the insects, for instance, known as
Canthari. The touch frightens the insect, and it remains motionless,
while its body becomes hard. The division of the body into segments is
also a necessary result of there being several supreme organs in place
of one; and this again is a part of the essential constitution of
insects, and is a character which approximates them to plants. For
as plants, though cut into pieces, can still live, so also can
insects. There is, however, this difference between the two cases,
that the portions of the divided insect live only for a limited
time, whereas the portions of the plant live on and attain the perfect
form of the whole, so that from one single plant you may obtain two or
more.
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