The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 3 (of 6)

BOOK XI. THE VARIOUS KINDS OF INSECTS. CHAP. 1. (1.)—THE EXTREME SMALLNESS OF INSECTS. We shall now proceed to a description of the insects, a subject replete with endless difficulties;[3] for, in fact, there are some authors who have maintained that they do not respire, and that they are destitute of blood. The insects are numerous, and form many species, and their mode of life is like that ...