Yet in his own country he was not honoured; it was in France that his work met with due appreciation, [135]

Ardent devotion to science brings on premature decay, [136]

Dark clouds overcast his later years, [137]

He died at the age of three and forty, [138]

His work is carried on by Leuwenhoek and Malpighi, [139]

CHAPTER II.—THE MICROSCOPE: HAS THE INSECT A PHYSIOGNOMY?

In the infinitely little lurks a great attraction for man, [143]

Hence its study should be systematically undertaken, [144]

Michelet applies himself to his microscope, [145]

And examines the structure of an insect's wing, [146]