"in apprehending they have one, upon the fame "great Principles laid down before; and fince there is

a ftrong Prefumption that all other Species have it, "as arifing from the Neceffity of their Nature, the "Presumption feems equally ftrong for them, as for "the reft. But the Difficulty lies in being able to "know and distinguish it, part of them live in an "Element forbidden to us, and many of the others "efcape our Sight by their Smallness. But how do 66 we know that Fishes have not as many, and per-. "haps more, vocal Expreffions than the Birds them

felves? They all of them feem to be formed upon "the fame Model: Some fly, others fwim; but fly"ing and fwimming are one and the fame Motion, "the Difference is only in the Element. We are

told, in the Book of Genefis, Ch. i. v. 20. that "God created at the fame time both Fishes and Fowls from the Bofom of the Waters. Fifhes

have five Senfes, as well as Birds and other Ani"mals, and why fhould they not have the Faculty "of speaking as well as the reft? It is true, we can"not hear them fpeak or fing; but it is, perhaps, for "want of proper Organs to hear them. The Water "is thoroughly penetrated with Air, which the Fifhes "breathe, Why may they not, with that Air, and

兰

by means of a Spring equivalent to the Tongue "and Throat, form Vibrations and Sounds too nice and delicate for our Ears, but which are easily ❝ heard and understood by their own Species? The Ear of Man is extremely coarfe, which is the Re"fult of a neceffary Providence; for, were our Ears. fenfible of the minuteft Vibrations of the Air we "live in, we fhould be for ever stunned with a thou

"fand

fand confufed Noifes, which would never permit us to diftinguish any one of them. There are then "certainly, in the Air, many Sounds, which we do "not hear; fuch as, for inftance, the Noife of a "Silk-worm gnawing a Mulberry-leaf; if he is

alone, or there are but few of them together, no

"body can hear them; but put a certain Number of "them in a Cabinet, and then all those little Noises

joined in Unifon, become mighty fenfible to our "Ears. How much more is it poffible that there may be in the Water Noifes infenfible to us, and "that Fishes may by that means speak, without being audible to us; at least I delight in thinking so, "not to rob any Part of the Creation of those Perfections which Nature ufes to beftow on all: Nor

could I think, without a kind of philofophical Me"lancholy, that he had doomed to eternal Silence "innumerable Nations, which inhabit the Immensity

of the Seas and Rivers. Silence is the Portion of "the Dead; fpeaking enlivens the Living themfelves, You may laugh, and be as merry as you "please upon my speaking Fish, as doubtless he was

laughed at that first mentioned a flying Fish, and "yet the one may chance to prove as true as the other.

"The Reptiles and Infects are juft in the fame Cafe. There are many Kinds of Reptiles which have very diftinct vocal Expreffions, fuch as Serpents, Frogs, and Toads; and confequently, ar"guing upon the Principle of the Uniformity of Nature, we are intitled to fuppofe an Equivalent in the reft; not to mention fupplemental Miens, Looks, and Geftures. It is not quite fo with the

Infects;

"Infects; there is no Species of them, that we know "of, that has vocal Expreffion, properly so called: "The Cry of the Cricket, the Singing or Chirping "of the Grafhopper, the Noife of certain Butter"flies, and the Humming of Flies, are not properly "vocal Sounds, but Noifes caufed by the trembling "of a Membrane. But what of all that? It cannot "be doubted but that the Cry of the Cricket and "Grafhopper, ferves them to call each other, in or"der to meet, and, very likely, to converfe. It may "be thought that the Humming of the Flies likewife ferves them to know each other in every Society, either by the Uniformity or Unifon of the Tone, "or imperceptible Differences not within our Reach, "which may be equivalent to vocal Expreffions, and "is, at the fame time, a Proof how Nature, always uniform as to what is general or effential, is, at the

fame time, ingenious in varying the Means and Par❝ticulars of her own Productions. Now, what Na"ture has done for fome Infects, fhe has certainly done for all.

"There is, for inftance, a particular Sort of "Spiders, which have a very fingular Method of

teftifying to each other their Defire of being toge"ther. The Spider that wants Company, ftrikes, "with I know not what Inftrument, against the "Wall or Wood where he has fettled, nine or ten "gentle Blows, nearly like the Vibrations of a Watch

(which therefore the Ignorant and Superftitious call "a Death-watch) but a little louder and quicker; "after which she stays for an Answer: If fhe hears "none, fhe repeats the fame, by Intervals, for about ❝an Hour or two, refuming this Exercife, and refting

"alternately

"alternately Night and Day. After two or three Days, if she hears nothing, fhe changes her Ha"bitation, till fhe finds one that answers her. It is "another Spider that anfwers her exactly in the fame. "manner, and as it were by Echo. If the latter "likes the Propofal, the Converfatiou grows brifker, " and the Beating becomes more frequent. Give "Attention to it, and you will find, by the Noife, "that they gradually approach each other, and that "the Beatings come at last so close, that they are con"founded, after which you hear no more Noife; "very likely the reft of the Converfation is whispered. "I have often-times amufed myself in making the "Echo of a Spider, which I have heard beating, and "whofe Noife I imitated, and fhe answered me punc"tually; fhe fometimes even attacked me, and be

gan the Converfation: I have often given that "Diverfion to feveral People, and made them believe "it was a familiar Spirit.

"How many like Discoveries might we make upon "Infects, if our Organs were delicate enough to fee " and perceive their Airs and Motions, to hear their "Voices, or what Nature has allotted them instead "of Voices, I make no doubt but we should find, "in Ants, Bees, Worms, Scarabæus's, Caterpillars, "Palmer-worms, Mites, and all the Infects, a

Language defigned for their Preservation, and the

Supply of their Wants. And as there are certain "Species of Infects, in which we observe greater "Industry and Knowledge than in large Animals, "it is not improbable that they have likewise a more "perfect Language in Proportion, always confined, "however, to the Neceffaries of Life,"

Thus

Thus far I have transcribed almost intirely from the ingenious Author, who, upon this Head, talks more like a Philofopher, than in any other Part of his Work. But, were we now to enter into a minute Examination of the various Labours, the indefatigable Application, the public Spirit, the regular Policy, the exact Oeconomy of the feveral Families of Infects, Bees, Ants, and Wafps in particular, of which you find moft furprifing Accounts in Spectacle de la Nature, and other learned Writers; it would be very hard to account for them, any otherwife than by allowing fome mutual Means of Communication betwixt the Individuals of each Society, which we may venture to call a Language, or fomething analogous to it; and why should we be afraid of allowing this, when we confider, that even the most inarticulate Sounds are a Kind of Language to fome Part of the Creation or other: Nay, I may venture to add, even to ourselves. Do not the Drum and Trumpet speak to the Soldier? Does not every mufical Sound speak to fome Part of our Nature? How are we excited, by some, to martial Rage and Fury; softened by others, into jovial Mirth and Pleasures, and diffolute Luxury; and melted by others into the tenderest Sentiments of Pity and Compaffion, and sometimes even into Tears! Nay, the most discordant and grating Sounds have a Power over us; they make difagreeable Impreffions, and excite painful Senfations in us; they difcompose and diffipate the Spirits, they feem to curdle the Blood, like Acids thrown into Milk, they enfeeble the whole nervous System, they spread a Trembling through our Joints, and Palenefs over our Faces, and make the ftouteft Heart to tremble. Mr. Collier has

fome