Figure 1a.  Bonnett, C. 1745. The Chain of Being. In Traité d'Insectologie, premier parte. Paris: Durand. This diagram, originally meant to be a single long sequence, has been divided into two parts for ease of viewing. It shows the elements fire, air, water and earth at the bottom, followed by metals, minerals, rocks, plants, insects, snakes, fish, birds, and quadrupeds. After monkeys and orang-utans, the chain culminates in man.