The Life of an Insect: being a history of the changes of insects from the egg to the perfect being.
Science
The Life of an Insect: being a history of the changes of insects from the egg to the perfect being.
Insects
It is not difficult to remove the compound eye of an insect; and in
so doing it will be found that each lens is as clear as crystal. The
ingenious Réaumur actually succeeded in removing one and adjusting it
to a lens; and he found that he could see through the insect's eye
very distinctly, only he says the surrounding objects appeared to be
greatly multiplied. There is a common optical toy which is ground into
a number of facets which communicates this appearance to objects when
seen through it, and thus furnishes us with a good illustration of the
endless confusion of images which would have perplexed the insect, had
not the various beautiful contrivances of which we have spoken been
adjusted to prevent it.
But we must guard against a very natural mistake which might arise upon
the subject of the eyes of insects from supposing them in any degree
comparable to those of higher animals as regards their motions. When
man, or an animal, wishes to look at any object, they do so by causing
several muscles to be brought into action which move the eyes round so
as to receive the rays of light from the particular point where this
object is placed; and so admirably arranged is the mechanism by which
these movements are effected, that they are as well provided for all
the purposes of sight with two eyes as with twenty. In insects no such
apparatus exists; the eyes are quite immovable; they are, in fact, set
in the head like a gem in a lady's ring, and are altogether removed
from the control of the insect. In order to obviate the annoyance and
inconvenience which would result from this arrangement, their eyes are
formed on the wonderful principles already mentioned, and, instead of
insects being furnished with two eyes, they are provided with many
thousands! They are thus enabled to enjoy not only the same extent and
range of vision with ourselves, but even a much larger.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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