PR 1 3505 .^7 X Class___Tli"35:&3 Book .\\S. CojpghlN^ copypiGHT DEPosrr. THE POET GRAY AS A NATURALIST : THE POET GRAY AS A NATURALIST WITH SELECTIONS FROM HIS NOTES ON THE SYSTEMA NATURE OF LINN^US AND FACSIMILES OF SOME OF HIS DRAWINGS By CHARLES ELIOT NORTON CHARLES E. GOODSPEED boston: mdcccciii Copyright, 1903, by Charles E. Goodspeed ^(.A \;T ft/--. ,'. '■': -.,X D. B. Updike, The Merrymount Press, Boston THE POET GRAY AS A NATURALIST "The unique distinction may be claimed for Gray,'' says Mr. Lowell in his delightful essay on the poet, "that he is the English poet who has written less and pleased more than any other." The slenderness of his poetic product, and several ex- pressions in his letters concerning his indolence and his ennui from want of occupation have tended to create an impression of him as an intellectual idler and voluptuary whose idea of "para- disaical pleasures" was to read eternal new romances of Mari- vaux and Crebillon, and whose sovereign anodyne was Fasti- dium. There could hardly be a more mistaken impression. It is true that he wrote no poetry of consequence after he was forty years old. The stream of his inspiration, which up to that time had been intermittent, but had occasionally gathered head enough to set in motion the wheel of expression, after this period ceased to flow in the channels of poetry. He regretted, his own sluggishness and indisposition to write; but the effort to overcome it was beyond his power. In 1758, when he was forty- two years old, he wrote to his friend Mason, "I cannot brag of my spirits, my situation, my employments, or my fertility; the days and the nights pass, and I am never nearer to anything but that one to which we are all tending; (5) THE POET GRAY yet I love people that leave some traces of their journey be- hind them." And again in the same letter, "If I were to coin my whole mind into phrases, they would profit you nothing, nor fill a moderate page." Ten years later he wrote to Horace Walpole, who had urged him to compose more poetry, "Till four-score and ten, whenever the humour takes me, I will write, because I like it, and because I like myself better when I do so. If I do not write much, it is because I cannot." And to his friend Wharton he excused his unproductiveness, saying, "I by no means pretend to inspiration, but yet I affirm that the faculty in question is by no means voluntary. It is the result, I suppose, of a certain disposition of mind which does not depend on one^s self, and which I have not felt this long time." Thus, with no strong impulse or special motive for expres- sion, with no professional occupation and no liking for general society. Gray resorted to books and to the study of nature, and found in them employment which suited his temperament, af- forded to him the mild happiness which turned his occupations to pleasures, and soothed his conscience for allowing his rare genius to lie fallow. In a letter written in 1757 he says, "To be employed is to be happy;" but he adds, "This principle of mine (and I am convinced of its truth) has, as usual, no influence on my practice. I am alone and enmtye to the last degree, yet do nothing." The words are not to be taken literally. Few men, free (6) AS A NATURALIST from the compulsion of necessity or of a profession, have em- ployed themselves more steadily. There were not many fields of knowledge, with the exception of mathematics and the physical sciences, which he did not make his own. He read everything; and when his younger friend, the Reverend Norton NichoUs, ex- pressed surprise at the extent of his reading, he said, "Why should you be surprised, for I do nothing else.?" In reality Gray did much more than merely read; his "nothing else" took no account of the extraordinary range of copious and elaborate annotations which he made on the margins of his books, and in which the extent and thoroughness of his learning and the va- riety of his intellectual interests were abundantly displayed. Nor did it take account of his constant and careful observations of nature, and his exact records of them. He kept minute diaries, in which he entered daily notes on the weather, and recorded the opening of the flowers, the ripening of the harvests, the changes in the vegetation of the different seasons, the coming and departure of the birds, together with many miscellaneous remarks on the objects and aspects of nature. We have no full description of his rooms in Pembroke Col- lege, but from scattered sentences in his letters it is plain that they had a pleasant air, and gave evidence in their arrange- ments and furnishings of his many accomplishments and fastidi- ous taste. He was fond of music, and well acquainted with its (7 ) THE POET GRAY history and with the works of the great masters. There was a harpsichord in his study, and later a forte-piano, on which he often played. He was a skilful draughtsman with pen and pen- cil, and many portfolios of drawings and of engravings and mu- sical scores lay about the room, or upon the shelves of his book- cases, wherever the crowd of books, of which he had a large and excellent collection, left space for them. The ancient classics were his intimates; his knowledge of early English literature was beyond that of any of his contemporaries, with perhaps the exception of Warton, the historian of English poetry ; and his familiarity with Shakespeare was that of a lover. He was master of Italian and of French, and was more or less ac- quainted with many other languages. His library represented the wide fields of his learning. As happens with every lover of books, the more he had the more he wanted, and "he had," writes the Reverend Mr. Cole, a familiar acquaintance of the poet in his later years, "not only a large collection in a room on the same floor with his chamber, but hired a room or two above his apart- ments which were completely filled with books." He adds, light- ing up his description with a pleasant little gleam of the poefs character, "I have reason to mention this . . . for he was contin- ually lending to me from his store." In the windows of his room were boxes of flowers, which he tended with special care. "And so you have a garden of your ( 8 ) AS A NATURALIST own," he wrote to his friend Nicholls, "and you plant and trans- plant, and are dirty and amused; are you not ashamed of your- self? Why, I have no such things, you monster; nor ever shall be dirty or amused as long as I live! My gardens are in the win- dow, like those of a lodger up three pair of stairs in Petticoat Lane or Camomile Street, and they go to bed regularly under the same roof that I do." "The favorite study of Mr. Gray for the last ten years of his life," says Mason in his Memoirs of the poet, "was Natural His- tory. ... He followed it closely, and often said that he thought it a singular felicity to have engaged in it, as, besides the con- stant amusement it gave him in his chamber, it led him more frequently out into the fields, and, by making his life less seden- tary, improved the general course of his health and spirits." Gray''s letters afford abundant confirmation of Mason's words, but still stronger evidence of his devotion to the study of nature is found in the marginal notes with which he enriched the pages of his books. Mason speaks especially of his notes on Hudson's Flora Anglka^ and on the Systema Naturae of Linnaeus, "which latter he interleaved and filled almost entirely." In a letter writ- ten after the poefs death, Mr. Cole says: "He had Linnaeus's Works interleaved always before him, when I have accidentally called upon him." Gray bequeathed to Mason his manuscripts and the better (9) THE POET GRAY part of his books, among them this copy of the Systema Na- turae. At Mason's death, in 1797, they passed to Mr. Richard Stonhewer, one of Gray's oldest friends, and when he died they came into the possession of his executor, the Reverend Mr. Bright of Skeffington Hall, Leicestershire. When Mr. T. J. Mathias was preparing his edition of Gray's Works, which ap- peared in two quarto volumes in 1814, Mr. Bright placed at his disposal the mass of Gray's manuscripts, whether in independent note-books or on the margins of printed books, and from them Mr. Mathias selected the material which fills his second volume. Among his selections were specimens of Gray's annotations to the Linnceus; but though they occupy twenty-five pages they represent only an inconsiderable part of the notes. Some thirty years later, in 1845, many of the books and manuscripts of Gray which Mr. Bright had possessed were sold at auction in London. Most of them were purchased by Mr. Penn of Stoke Pogis, who occupied the house called West End, which had be- longed to Gray's uncle, Mr. Rogers, and in which Gray's mother had spent the last years of her life, and where she had died. Some years later Mr. Penn sold the manuscripts at auction, and apparently disposed of the mass of the books by private sale to a bookseller. At any rate some of the books got into the mar- ket, and were dispersed. The Linnceus finally found its way into the hands of Mr. Ruskin. He kept it among his treasures for ( 10) AS A NATURALIST many years, and after his death it was given to me by his cousin and heir, Mrs. Arthur Severn. Linnaeus was the elder contemporary of Gray by nine years, and his life lasted for nearly seven years after the death of the poet. The first edition of his famous work was published in 1735, when he was but twenty-eight years old. It presented a comprehensive view of the three realms of nature, — the animal, the vegetable and the mineral, — and in its admirable system and not less admirable definitions brought an order into the study of zoology and botany which had hitherto been lacking. It at once became the chief manual of students of Natural His- tory, but the very stimulus and guidance it afforded led to such increase of knowledge that the work required frequent revision and enlargement, and in the tenth edition, published in 1758, Linnaeus embodied the results of more than twenty years of in- vestigation and reflection. This was the edition which Gray used and annotated to such extent that his additions and illustra- tions are found on almost every page of the two volumes which treat of animals and plants, and if printed would form a volume at least equal in size to one of the original. The work which these volumes exhibit is so remarkable a monument of Gray's learning and industry, and throws so much light on his occupations and interests, especially during the last ten years of his life, that some knowledge of it seems essential, not ( H ) THE POET GRAY only to the understanding of the course of his days, but even more to a just appreciation of his character and his acquisitions. The first volume of the Systema Naturae^ treating of the Ani- mal Kingdom, has eight hundred and twenty-four pages; the second, treating of Plants, contains five hundred and sixty-six. Gray had both volumes interleaved, thus doubling their size. He divided the first into two parts, one comprising the portion deal- ing with Mammalia, Birds, Amphibia and Fishes, the other the portion treating of Insects and Vermes. This first part of the first volume is of three hundred and thirty-eight printed pages, so that interleaved it consists of six hundred and seventy-six pages in all, of which six hundred and twenty -two contain notes by Gray ; of the fifty-four which have no notes, twenty-eight are of the general introduction, six are occupied with the lists of genera and species, while eleven only belong to the descriptive text, and most of these are in the section of Pisces. The notes vary greatly in character and in extent, — some consist of mere marks of reference, but most of them are of considerable length, often occupying a large part or even the whole of a page. Their main object was to add information, gathered chiefly from books but largely also from his own observation, to the brief scientific descriptions of Linnaeus. Some of the notes are in English, but most of them are in Latin, with numerous citations in French or Italian. Gray wrote Latin with ease, and with mastery of a large ( 12 ) 4i MAMMALIA FERj^. Felis. Pardus mas, Panthera femina. /^Ip. ^tgypt. 257, i. jf / j. PaidrJ.is. R^j. quadr. 166. Thris mexicina. Hem. mex. 498. t. 498. Pinum Dafypus. Nieremb. nat. 153. t. I5'3. habitat in Indiis. Onca. 4. F. canda elongata , corpore flavefcente maculis nigris '^'^'^'^^t^' rotundato annularis medio flavis. ' /^.^ i^^L-., ^ ^f^^. frT"^^-. ' Paidus f. Lyn'x brafilienfis. Raj. quadr. i68/'-'.^<'^' -«^..*,^,il^-v„j;)gliava. /u.7rf;;r. Zrrf/. 2:5-7. '-"t/-^^^ .-^-^z^ .-ai o-?/ z,:^-...,--^ ■^^^-^^v/S^i^i^'.t^ Habitat iu America mendionali.J^^/';:^ Z^^-^^^. Pardsiis. 5-. F. canda elons^nta, corpore maculis fuperioribus virga- yZ., ^-»^6a.*«^rrr^Aa>C«.-t's; iiiicriutio'is orbiculatis. i^yjJ. nat. 4. n. 4. ^'^/:^^,CjLi-^^'to^^^. Cato-Pardrs ^nicxicanus. Hc-n:. msx. <^\x. t. 512. 7»i-,«:u;<^/;.<^e^<7<=-i^,C:;tus Pardus f. Catus americanorum. Raj. quadr. 169-. ./%<»-<^i^«-<-<»i^-'-^ - -* =^t'=-*''i^ - tiniutat in America, s y«««i^ y i-r-cJia^ ^«^^V-. ■^'"■a*-^'^-''* Magnitude Mclis fupra fufcus ., fultus mJbicavs \ Line.<^yC. . '^ Habitat id Europjs ah'Jir.dis fyhis. /■x^';'^^ y^i6'^;^«J congsnerhm , triinqnilUi , err jmoAt/ , cauiaya ■■' ' erigit ; cxcitata cgiiiffrma , [candit , /r^^^j jrernit odo- rc uyKkrodaco ., I-/iur7un Leo., i:: pr.cdara i-ateuta cau- ^arn tr.ovet y ocali tioSlu luce'iit ., inbiando pr,vdain kait- rit ^ clamcndt rixandvque mifcre amat. Fupilla i»' terdiu perpoidicnlari oblo::^a., wodn tcreti a:7;pH.tia\ tiygivbtis complicatis ivcedit ., patce hibit ^ urinn corro- fiia^ ftercur fcpelit., carnci edit vegeiabi}uin:'c rcfpuit, «.< inftanie ti'mfjcjUte mar:H la'V^t .^ dorfum ta tcuebrii eleSrijaf ; in ail-um a^ca dccidxt in pedes. Piuicet no» habet. Dekilatiir Maro , Nspeta, VahrtAiCa.. -1 • • / • ■/.■./. T, V. . >»^»^ , ■ %/ ^i^t-r^-iu^ t_ r' *-< ■ 7/ '-'7 rj^ - /yiA-y-ia-*). -.1- f: 7 ^ / tfiivi'ui. ~,CA»J: ^^ .^^^.^' • <:a-&jL. , ^iji-J-ik^ 2^^^.?^-^;, Z*^-L ^ AS A NATURALIST 132. The Rose-Ousel** 133. The Black-bird 134. The Ring-Ousel 135. The Cross-bill** 136. The Gross-beak** 137. The Bull-finch 138. The Green-finch Loxij; Embeeiz.e 139. The Pied-Chaffinch** 140. The Bunting-Lark 141. The Yellow-Hamber 142. The Chaffinch (Fringill.e) 143. The Brambling (Fringill^) 144. The Starling (Sturnus) Fringillj; 145. The Aberduvine, or Siskin * 146. The Linnet 147. The Red-headed Linnet 148. The Sparrow t 149. The Reed-Sparrow 150. The Mountain-Sparrow * Roseus Merula Torquatus Citrvirostra Coccothraustes Pyrrhula Chloris Nivalis Calandra Citrinella Ccelehs Montifringilla Vulg} Spinus Linaria Caniiab. Dom. Schosn. Mont [^ The facsimile shows that the space on the page is so occupied with drawings that for lack of room many of the following names are abbreviated.] ( 33 ) 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160, 161, 162 163, 164, 165. 166. THE POET GRAY The Gold-finch MOTACILLE The Hedge-Sparrow The Nightingale The Pettychaps The Sedge-bird The White-Throat The Wagtail The Yellow-Wagtail The Whin-chat The Wheat-ear t The Black -cap The Red-start The Robin The Wren The Copped Wren * The Green Wren Pari 167. The Crested Titmouse 168. The Great Titmouse 169. The Tom-tit 170. The Coal-mouse 171. The Marsh Titmouse 172. The long-tail'd Titmouse ( 34) Card. Curr. Luscin. HippoL Salic. Sylvia Alba Flava Ruhetr. Oenanth. A trie. Phoenic. Ruhec. Troglocl. Regulus Trochil. Crist. Mq^'or. Ccerul. Ater Palustr. Caudat. ^l/-aL^ ^ f Arz-tj^ '^-O i->7- C-'-S^i^i a^ i/e^ ^^^rj- r^^^ ^^Z^, ^ ^^^^V^- » . ,//-iJi— c' a--iyjlli)r-3-i:tJi^ ^^^ Jlye. / >' f^y^fa.3-. AS A NATURALIST 173. The Beardmanica * Biarm. HiRUNDINES 174. The Swallow Rustic. 175. The Marten Urhk. 176. The Sand-Marten Ripar. 177. The Swift Apus 178. The Goatsucker (Caprimulgus) Eur op. 179. The Gair-fowl, or Penguin** (Alca) Impenn. 180. The Fulmar * (Procellaria) Glacialis 181. The Great Plover ** t (Scolopax) Glottis 182. The Peterill * (Procellaria) Pelagica 183. The Stone-chat (Motacilla) Ruhicola Of these the Canada-Goose., Swan-Goose, Muscovy-Duck , Pea- fiocky Turkey y Guinea-Fowl, Pheasant, Cock <§• Hen, have been un- doubtedly imported into these our islands. NAMES OF BIRDS FOUND IN SCOTLAND (as yet uncertain) 1. The Dunter-Goose 2. The Skeeling-Goose, or Anas Tadorna ? 3. The Colk, cristata, cauda longa, ansere minor, lanugine tecta: an Anas Mollissima ? 4. The Albanock. Alca Arctica {Martin, of the W. Isles, p. 227). (35 ) THE POET GRAY 5. The Kittiwake, a Gull. Larus Rissa. 6. The Pickerel 7. The Sea-Coulter 8. The Taster 9. The Sea-Cock 10. The Lyre 11. The Tyst, an Colymbus Grylle ? 12. The Badoch 13. The Smlefanger 14. The Cockandy 15. The Thrissel-cock 16. The Gare 17. The Gawlin 18. The Rain-Goose 19. The Bonnivochil, Bishop, or Carrard 20. The Goylir, or Malifigy 21. The Sereachan-aittin. 22. The Faskidar. Larus Parasiticus BIRDS FOUND AT HARTLEPOOL IN THE BISHOPRICK OF DURHAM (as yet doubtful — 1765) 1. The Teazer. Larus Parasiticus 2. The Rot-Goose, an Anas Bernicla ? (36) AS A NATURALIST 3. The Terum. Sterna Hirundo 4. The Little Pet 5. The Black-headed Gull. Larus Ridibundus 6. The Willock. Alca Torda 7. The Brocket. Tringa 8. The Grey Stint, an Tringa Cinclus ? 9. The Black « 10. The White " 11. The Rae 12. The Dunling. Tringa Alpina 13. The French (or White) Linnet, an Embariza Nivalis ? 14. The Gold-Spink 15. The Curlew-Hilp (37) THE POET GRAY Falco chrys.etos The Tme, or Royal Eagle In rupibus praeruptis nidus: ova 4 {Faun. Suec). Voce querula, acuta, clangit, ferocia sumnia (Aldrov.). Cadaveribus etiam pri- dem emortuis vescitur {Kramer). In Hiberniae montibus, in Snow- don & in Cheviot, sed rarius, nidificat {Pennant, ^ Wallis) ad Warkworth in Northumbria. \^p. 88.'] Falco milvus The Kite, or Glede Alis expansis in aere se librat, nunc immobilis, nunc fluxu quo- dam in gyris natans, prsedae intentus. In Anglia omni anni tem- pore conspicitur, avibus domesticis insidians, audax & molestus. Pedes flavi {Brisson, v. l,p. 4-lo)- Iris flava. Magnitude Galli ma- joris. Alae subtus albent {Kramer) qui tres alias specias (aut varie- tates) describit, p. 3£6. In Scotia dicitur the Fish-taiVd Gled. [p. 89.] Upupa cristata The Hoopoe, or Hoop In Northumbria interdum, sed rarius, & in agro Surreiano & Cornubia visa. Sono proprium nomen exprimit; Suecis rusticis belli omen. Ova in cavis arboribus duo cinerea ponit {Linn. F. Suec.) crista duplex, plicatilis, testacea, apicibus nigris {Brisson, V. 2, p. 4^6). Victitat insectis {Kramer). In Scotia etiam & Or- ( 38 ) J^' ■ r-^-/>^ /'., i^M. ,A^^^'^' /Zj*~jai ^^ ^^, 'S'^' J2 ^ Sj'r^.r-- -^i^f-^ I AS A NATURALIST cadibus visa est {Sibbald). In insula etiam Zeylona avis migra- toria (Edw. I.e.). [p. 117.] Anas tadorna The Sheldrake, or Burrow-Duck, or Bergander Well known in Kent, Lancashire, Wales, etc. Caro non admo- dum sapida aut delicata, quamvis in ventriculo nee pisces neque ossa piscium invenerim ( Willughhy, p. 278) plumae mollissimae, ut in No. 12. Mas caruneulam gibbam habet ad basin rostri; caput & coUum superius nigro-sericea, fasciam per abdomen due- tam nigram. In euniculorum foraminibus nidificat ( Will.). Litora etiam Northumbriae, Farnamq insulam habitat (Wallis). Marem (primi anni avem) Cantabrigias descripsi, die 3 Martii. Caput antiee compressum, vertice depress© totum nigro-nitens. Collum, alarum teetrices, corpus, femora, nivea; pectus, dorsum antiee, crissumq ferruginea; fascia in dorso utrinq, & per totum abdo- men a sterno ad erissum usq nigra. Remiges 1 ad 10 subacutae, nigrae; 11-23 (quas speculum formant) extus viridi-nitentes basi atq apice nigrae; intus albae, apicem versus oblique nigrse; 22-24 extus ferrugineae & prope rachin nigrae, intus albae; 25 alba, mar- gine exteriore nigro; caeterae albae. Cauda rotundata alba, rec- tricibus 16 (1 excepta) apice nigris. Rostrum simum coccineum, ungue apicis naribusq nigris. Pedes pallide incarnati, unguibus nigris. [p. 1^2.] (39) THE POET GRAY Anas glaucion The Lesser Red-headed Duck Maris caput sordide nigrum, macula alarum alba. Fceminae ca- put sordide fuscum, loco maculae alaris pennae 5 distinctae albae; collare album {F. Suec.). Avis Cantabrigise in foro venalis mense Februario mihi allata est, PocJcerill vel Packer ibi dicta. Caput colore murino; collum & latera albida; dorsum & cauda ro- tundata e cano nigricant. Remiges 1-10 nigricantes, intus canae: 11-14 apice interiore albae: 15-21 totae fere albae. Caudae tec- trices subtus albae. Abdomen album circa anum cinerascens. Ros- trum plumbeum lateribus & subtus nigrum. Pedes lutescentes membrana nigra palmati. Caro nigra, dura, piscosa. Irides flavae. Parum cum Glaucio, Will. No. 12, convenit, multo melius cum foemina A. Clangulse, p. 369. [p. 126.] Meleagris gallopavo The Turkey Caro lautissima, candidissima. Mas inflatus, capite prae ira ru- bicundo, gressu lento & ridicule superbo circa foeminarum puUo- rumq cohortem vigilat; canes, homines etiam (praesertim si terga vertant, aut veste rubra utantur) rostro, unguibus, alis adoritur, quamvis innoxius & imbecillus. Vox tumultuosa, cum fragore efFusa. Principio saeculi 16^, ut avis mira & peregrina a P. Gillio & Longolio apud Gesner. describitiu"; nunc ubiq in Europa com- ( 40 ) AS A NATURALIST munis in villarum cortibus (it was first brought into England in 1530). Foeniina caruncula frontis breviore; cauda nunquam erecta, timidum animal, ca,lcaribus carens, interdum pectore bar- bato (B?'isson, v. 1, p. 160). Sylvestris pondere aliquando 60 lb., saspe 40 lb. In vivariis Angliae nunc propagatur; carne sapidis- sima, Phasianum semulatur. \^p. lo6.] Alauda arborea The Wood-Lark Gregatim volitando cantillat: cantus liquidus, varius, suavissi- mus, soli Lusciniae cedens. Arboribus insidet, primo vere & per autumnum integrum praecipue canora. Plumas capitis subinde in cristam erigit. Inter frutices ad sylvarum margines nidifitac. [p. 166.] LoxiA pyrrhula The Bull/inch HoRTis invisa, gemmis vescitur; voce simplici, sibila, clara. Mu- sicas modulationes addiscit miro ingenio & docilitate, quas reci- tat fistulas tonos imitata. Facile cicuratur. Ova 5 parit in sepibus. [p. 171.] HiRUNDO URBICA The Marten, or Martlet Paulo antequam migrant, mane congregantur in tectis soli ex- positis. Pedes alba lana vestiti. Nidus parieti adhaerens, ostio (41 ) THE POET GRAY laterali, e luto. In terra male ambulat. Semper eadem fere tempore redit, nulla caloris ratione habita, & insecta nulla inveniens ali- quando inedia perit (Mem. de VAcad. des Sciences^ 1740. Reau- mur). Cauda minus bifurca, quam in No. 1. Subtus albissima est, pedes quoq albidi (Brisson, v. ^, p. Ijdl ). In litore nostro australi (ad Southampton) festo S. Michaelis frequentes volitare vidi; die Octobr. 2do. omnes discesserant, tempestate tepida. [jo. 19'2.\ ( 42 ) AS A NATURALIST I AMPHIBIA REPTILIA i Lacerta vulgaris The Newt, or Wall-Newt Sole occidente, Septembri exeunte, in gramine cepi Cantabrigi^. Caput supra depressum, oculis prominentibus. Color livide flave- scens, fascia ad dorsum utrinque longitudinali fused. Cutis (lente j visa) scabriuscula apparet. In aqud ope caud^ agitatae celeriter natare potest, nee tamen libenter. r ^q^ t AMPHIBIA NANTES Raja The Ray, Skate, or Flaire Testcl^ illae parallelogrammi oblongi figura, quarum longiora latera sandapilae aut vehieuli manualis in modum utrinque ex- tensa sunt, ^stu marino ejeetae in arenosis frequentes littoribus, nihil aliud sunt quam ovorum test^ Raiarum, aliorumq piseium cartilagineorum: aperto Raiae utero bina hujusmodi ova perfecte formata et partui proxima exemimus (Wilhghby, p. 76). These on the coast of Durham are calPd Sea-Purses, & in Cornwall Piz- gee's ii.e.) Fairie's Purses. They are of a tough membranaceous substance more flexible than horn, but stifFer than leather: their colour is a dark reddish-brown, and shining (on the inside) like satten. [p. 231.] (43 ) THE POET GRAY PISCES MuRiENA ANGUILLA The Eel In fluviis nostris, lacubus, piscinis fere omnibus frequentissimae. . . . Our Ancestors divided them according to their size and price into Great-eels, Spitch-cock eels, Shaft-eels, Brewet-eels, Pim- pering-eels, etc. tho' possibly this latter might be a fish of a dif- ferent kind, for Gesner describing a species of Loach calPd in Germany Beizker or Meerput^ adds, Idem aut simillimus fuerit, qui a Flandris Pywper-ele nominatur: e Flandria in Angliam importari audio. The smaller eels we now call Grigs. Nella citta di Coinacchio, la quale e circondata d'acqua salsa, si piglia gran quantita d'Anguille, che son le migliori di Lombardia, e si portano salate per tutta Italia {B. Scappi. f. 136). Ex Arno fl. anguillae omnes Augusto mense ad mare descendunt, ut ibidem pariant; faetus autem a mari statis temporibus (a Februario ad Aprilem) ad Pisas usque ascendunt {Redi apud Ramm, Synops. P'lsc. p. 37). They are also caught in the sea at Southampton in October, but greenish of colour, and yellow on the belly, and at Hartlepool in summer, tho' small, not varying at all in colour. [p. 24s.] ( 44 ) 1 AS A NATURALIST MUR.ENA CONGER The Conner Eel CoNGRi mari refluo capti in fossis et puteis litoralibus Cornubiae eviscerantur, sole exsiccantur, et resolvuntur in pulverem, qui in Portugallia venditur et usurpatur vice farinae avenaceae (Robinson apud Willughhy, append, pag. 27). Hodie neque aulae principes, neque ipsi cupedivorae, congrum magni faciunt: soli Hispani, Ro- manae urbis inquilini, eum in summo honore habere videntur (P. Joviusy c. 30). II Gongoro e assai buono quando si piglia nella sua sta- gione, laqual comincia da Decembre, e dura per tutto Marzo {B. Cappi). Dorsum lateraque cinerea; abdomen album; pinnae caeru- lescentes margine nigricante. Linea later, subelevata, recta; sub ea punctorum ordo albidorum. Tentacula 2 rostri brevissima, obtusa; labia crassa, pulposa; dentes serrati, minimi; iris oculi argentea; pin. pect. radiis circ. 13; membr. branch. 7 tantum. P. d. (caudali analiq unita) infinitis. In Southampton, Oct. 9. observavi (45 inches long, 10 round, weighed 6-J lbs.) Vitae tenax, ut anguilla; caro albissima, oculis grata, soiida, sed insulsior, et aristis scatens innumeris. [p. ^^5.] Gadus morhua T%e Cod, Keling, or Melwell Ex hepatibus asellorum majorum fit oleum, quod lucernis aliis- (45 ) THE POET GRAY que usibus mechanicis inservit, praesertim in Islandia. Honim piscium ova saliuntur, condiuntur, et in usu sunt, vice Caveare et Botargo: Dani, Galli, et Batavi deferunt (Fr. Resare^ Rave, Rogues) ab Islandia magnam quantitatem hujusmodi ovorum ad impascendas piscinas et lacus, et ad saginandos pisces fluviatiles. {Dr. Robinson, ap. Willughhy, append, pag. 27.) Vesica Mor- huae natatoria, crassa, glutinosa, dorso annexa, quam cod-sounds dicimus, (Norw. Sundemaver) ob suavitatem saporis maxime ex- petitur. Huic pisci variis modis exsiccato aut salito innititur pars magna commercii nostri. Aere frigido Islandiae et Norvegiae exsiccatus, sine sale, stoch-Jisch vocatur, cum sale autem klip-Jisch. Ubique in nostro oceano capitur, sed in Americano infinita copia circa insulam Newfoundland a Februarii mensis initio per aesta- tem integram: in Norvegia etiam copiosissimus, cum praecedente, sed aestate. [p. 262.] CONUS SCORPIUS The Father Lasher PiscicuLUM mihi ad Hartlepool allatum describo, quern C. Scor- pium puto, licet colore variantem. Thoracicus erat. D: 9, 15. P: 15. V:acuminatae,albidae,4. A:12.C:circ: 12. Memb. branch.5. Longit. unc. 1-f .Nigricabat totus, abdomine medio albido. Pinnae (ventralibus exceptis) omnes fusco maculosae. Caput magnum: oculi in vertice depresso approximati; inter hos spinae 2 retror- (46) AS A NATURALIST sum spectantes: opercula utrinq spinis 4. Sulcus longitud. a fronte ad pinnam dorsi ductus. Maxillae subaequales denticulis scabrae. Corpus antice tumens, teretiusculum : a pectore postice compres- sum, attenuatum. [p. 366.] Pledronectes solea The Sole Maxima in Belgicis Oceani litoribus; Romae pedalem longitudi- nem raro superat; in lautioribus conviviis, in summa etiam caete- rorum piscium copia, magnam obtinet claritatem (P. Jov. c. 26). Semper Angliae mensis et Galliae accepta. Nulli cedit suavitate et salubritate; semper charo constat, quamvis frequentissima. Tes- taceis vescitur, quorum testas menstruo quodam in visceribus dissolvit {Phil. Trans. 17 ^^y p. 37. ColUnson). Oculi magis inter se distantes quam in congeneribus; filamenta pilos imitantia, alba, innumera, in sinistra capitis parte; pinna caudae subrotun- data; ventral es minimae, exiles; pectoralis sinistra alba, dextra dimidio nigra (ArtecL); os arcuatum. [p. 270.] Gasterosteus aculeatus The Stickleback, or Bonstickle Spinas pro lubitu arrigit vel deprimit ( Will. p. 34-1 ). Anterior cor- poris pars loricata tegmine osseo; pro pinnis ventralibus laminae duae osseae triangulares, singulae aculeo valido armatae {ibid.). Ri- vuli & piscinae fere omnes hoc pisce scatent, qui aliorum piscium (47) THE POET GRAY ova & pisciculos recens natos avidissime vorat, majores etiam audacissime persequitur, & aculeis vulnerat. Mense Maio parit {Phil. Trans. 174-7, p. 4'^4-)- In fluvio Witham agri Lincolniensis juxta Boston oppidum copia infinita capiuntur, unde incolae mag- nam olei vim extrahunt (Act. Anglic. 1696, p. o^S). In mari ad Hartlepool frequens, ubi Sea-Hass vocatur; specie (ut credo) non diversus, cauda utrinq carinata, pinna c. bifurca; membrana p. v. sanguined, [p. 295.] Trigla cuculus The Red Gurnard A NOSTRis inter lautos pisces habetur: captus spinas erigit et sonitum curre edit, unde nomen ( Will. pag. 281 ). In nostro speci- mine oris ambitus, opercula subtus, pinnae ventrales, analis, cau- dalis, pectoraliumque basis, rubrae; latera etiam media rubescunt: caput supra totum, dorsumque cinereo-virescunt; venter albus; la- bium superius apice emarginatum, lobis rotundatis, asperis. Super- cilia spinosa; pone branchiarum opercula utrinque spina: pinnae dorsales (quarum Ima radiis spinosis) in sulco spinis utrinq. mar- ginato recumbunt; linea lateralis recta, fusca. Corpus teretius- culum, postice attenuatum; caput magnum, fronte depressa. In Southampton observavi die secundo Octobris. Caro alba, solida, sapidissima; pinnae pectoris maxim ae, rotundatae, intus cinereo- virescentes, margine pulchre caeruleo; os magnum, labiis, palato, ( 48 ) AS A NATURALIST linguaque scabris; radiis osseis arcuatis branchiorum intus obtuse dentatis; pinna caudae sub-bifida (ibid.). [p. 301.] Clupea alosa The Shad, or Mother of Herrings Sabrinam, fluvium nostrum, Martio & Aprili mense ascendunt pingues & ovis prsegnantes, Maio macilentas & effcetas ad mare redeunt ( Will. p. 227). Itali pro magnitudine piscis variis no- minibus appelant. Romae pulparum mollitie & sapore primo vere aestimantur, sed spinulae frequentes inter edendum molestae sua- vitatis gratiam minuunt (P. Jovius, c. 37); gravi pretio ibi ve- nundatur. In Pado etiam, Arno, Liri, Vulturno, &c. capitur. At Rome it comes into season in February, and lasts all May; it must be dressed the day it is caught (Bart. Cappi). Degli Agoni salati, che si pigliano in gran copia nel lago di Como, ne son portati per tutta Italia (B. Scapp'i.f. 129). The Irish call it a Pollan. In Southampton Octob: ineunte observavi. Squamae magnae aurato-argenteae : dorsum pulchre caeinileo-virescens. Li- tura, maculaeq ovatae 4 s. 5. utrinq nigricantes. Cauda bifurca; linea later, recta. [p. 318.] Clupea encrasicolus The Anchovy Encrasicholi inveniuntur in mari Britannico, praesertim vero circa litora Cambro-britanniae, ubi numerosissime capiuntur, prae- ( 49 ) THE POET GRAY parantur, & hue illuc transmittuntur sub falso nomine Shads. Italicis vix inferiores sunt (Collins^ de sale ^ piscaturd, p. 101 ). In litore Cataloniae & Provinciae magnis gregibus natantes ab initio Decembris ad Martium medium noctu accensis facibus ca- piuntur {Encyclop.). Corpus teretiusculum, pellucens; rictus am- plus; Cauda forcipata; squamae deciduae. \^p. 318.] Cyprinus carasius The Crucian^ or Crusoe (in Siiff'olJc) In piscinis SufFolcife invenitur. Sapore Cypr, Carpioni longe in- ferior, Aprili optimus, Maio parit. Caro subflava & viscosa. Ad Thornham sub fine Septembris observavi. D. 19, P. 13, V. 9, A. 7 vel 8, C. 19. Vertex & dorsum lividum : abdomen & latera sub- aurata. Pinnae livido-sanguineae. Iris subaurata nubeculis fuscis. Squamae magnae imbricatae. Linea lateralis subarcuata, ventri pa- rallela. Longit. 10 unc. ^, latit. 4 unc. Radius 2dus pinn. dorsi aniq postice duplici serie aculeatus. A Lernaea Cyprinacea vexa- tur, quam C. Tinea repurgare ereditur (S.N. ed. 12). [/>. 321.] Cyprinus auratus The China Gold and Silver Fish PisciUM puleherrimus, e China primum in insulam S. Helenae deinde in Angliam A.D. 1728 invectus in vivariis nostris facile propagatur. Fine Aprilis Maioq mense parit. Colore & magni- tudine multum variat, apud nos saepe pedalis, pinnaq caudae (50) AS A NATURALIST simplici. Secundo aetatis anno fulgorem acquirit : sunt tamen qui semper nigricant. Caro sapore C. Carpionem superare dicitur, elixa aut frixa editur. (Baster) narium tubuli extantes. Pinna dor- salis caudalisq variant: caeterae omnes apice rotundatae (Edw.). Fine Aprilis Majoq mense prurit, ventrem cum mare collidens. Circa Idus Junias pulli apparent nigricantes. Micis panis, insec- tisq vescuntur. Pinnis mire variant: dorsum nunc laeve omnino apterygium; nunc tuberculis adiposis pinnarum vice; nunc pinna magna rad. 18 vel 20; nunc parva rad. 3 vel 5; nunc pinnis 2, rad. 8, 5. Pinna ani nunc gemina; saepe simplex, rad. 9. Pinna caudae nunc simplex, rad. 18; nunc gemina, basi superius coalita. Maxillae (ore clauso) sequales. Linea lateralis curva dorso pro- pior. Oculi prominentes, iride angustissima (Baster. I.e.). Pinnae ani radius 2dus. postice serratus (S.N. ed. 12), \^p. 322.] Cyprinus argenteus TTie White Bait Maxilla inferiore longiore, iridibus argenteis. Habitat in mari Angliae, flumina subiens. Thamesin aestate ad Blackwall & Wool- wich usque magna copia ascendit. Biuncialis, Eperlano simillimus : sed membrana branch, radiis 3 tantum; pinna dorsalis unica. Nee odorem violae habet. Farina respersus, frixusq editur, tenerrimus, nee aristae ullae percipi pos- sunt. Junio mense gustavi. \^p. 323.] (51 ) THE POET GRAY Cyprinus orsus The red-hacked Chub, Riid, or Fin-scale In fluvio Cherwell Oxoniae notus, & in lacubus agri Lincoln. & Eboracensis. Aprili mense parit, semper fere tempestivus, men- sisq acceptus ( Will. p. 253). De pisce hoc, quem Rudd vel Fi7i- scale vocamus, dubito. Corpore est maxime compresso, ut in C. Brama, dorso cultrato. Pinna D. rad. circiter 18, pectorales sub- rotundatae rad. 13, ventr. 9 s. 10, analis 7 tantum, quorum primus robustior & postice serratus. Cauda bifida rad. circ. 20. In operculo branch : utroq seriem punctorum 13 juxta margines numeravi; inter rostrum autem oculosq utrinq 3. Linea later, rectiuscula, in medio corpore subdescendens. Rostrum obtusius- culum, rictus non magnus. Specimen a fl. Cherwell allatum apud D. Barrington observavi. Back red, sides yellow-brown, scarlet spot on the gills, belly white, belly-fins and tail reddish, broad sides. The flesh is red, dry, short & wholsome. \^p. 3^4-] (52) ■ •.^-^- .-»» >,»< ' f^S^t^Jt.'^^ ii = .-rt-.- ^—■' J--^ '' ^^."^ji .?a-^ t »i^ 'ril^-t' ^ ■>~£.xJirvt- .a - AS A NATURALIST VOLUME I. PART 2. INSECTA [On a Jly-leqf of this second part of the first volume Gray has written thejblloiving: — ] TERMINI ARTIS Antennce. Organa mobilia insectorum, ad oculos posita. SetaceWy quae extrorsum tenuiores. Filiformes, quibus eadera fere totius est crassities, MoniliformeSy quae ex pluribus compositae sunt globulis, fa- ciemq praebent monilis. Clavatw, quae extrorsum crassiores. Capitatce, apicem globulo terminantes. Fissiles, cum clava in lamellas longitudinaliter se dividit. PerfoliatcBf cum verticillatim lamellae transversales apparent. Pectinatce, quorum unum latus pilis instruitur in formam pectinis. Barhatos, quae pilis sine ordine iiisis. Alee PrimoreSy (in papilionibus) sunt majores, seu anteriores. " Secundariw, posteriores. Larva, vermiculus e semine insecti natus, antequam subierit me- tamorphosin. Pupa, larva quum primam metamorphosin subierit, antequam in perfectum statum pervenerit. ( 53 ) THE POET GRAY Coleoptera, insecta, quorum alae elytris tectae sunt. Hemiptera, insecta, quorum alae non ex toto, sed ex parte, tectae sunt elytris. Gymnoptera, insecta elytris destituta. Elytron, ala superior cornea, sive Crustacea, quae alas inferiores tenuiores tegit. Scutellum, crusta parva inter elytrorum aut alarum paria ad basin thoracis collocata, quasi thoracis apex a tergo. Sutura, rima qua coeunt elytra, vel cum thorace, vel inter se in- vicem. Palpi, quasi antennulae, ad os collocati. Halteres, capitella petiolata sub alis Dipterorum. EUnguis, OS nullum, unde insectum edere nequit. Spirilinguis, os lingua spirali simplici, vel duplici. Tetrapus, 4 pedes unguiculati, licet saepe duo alii absque ungui- bus. [The Jbllowing list of terms of colour is written on the leaf next qfier that on which are the Termini Artis.^ 1. Testaceus, colour of a tile, or brick -dust. 2. Griseus, a mixture of brown and red, or red-hasel. 3. Ritfus, same, more heightened with red. 4. JEneus, copper-colour'd, with the reddish lustre of that metal. 5. Ferrugineus, of a reddish-yellow, like the rust of iron. 6. Ater, of a deep and perfect black. ( 54 ) AS A NATURALIST 7. Pallidus, a pale sordid flesh-colour, with a tint of yellow. 8. Sericeus, with a shining gloss, like silk-stuffs. 9. Holosericeus, with a pile, like velvet. 10. Auratus, with a golden gloss. 11. PiceuSj black with an eye of red. 12. Violaceus, deep blew-purple, or indigo. 13. Atro-ccerulescens, shining black with an eye of blew. 14. FulvuSy bright orange-tawney. 15. Cinereus, of a sordid yellowish-brown, or dark-olive. 16. Niger, a dull and bro^vnish black. 17. Castaneus, a deep chesnut colour. IS. [A line obliterated.] 19. Fuscus, dark brown. 20. Cyaneus, deep-blew, like polish'd steel neal'd in the fire. 21. CarjLus, grey. 22. Luteus, saffron-yellow. 23. Purpureus, scarlet. (55) THE POET GRAY [The following verses descriptive of the Orders and Genera of Insects are on the inserted leaves opposite the characters of the Orders and Genera as given hy Linnceus. They are a mere piece of ingenious trifling, but they illustrate Gray''s easy mastery of Latin versification. They were printed hy Mathias in his Works of Gray, 18U, vol. ii.p. 570.] I. COLEOPTERA Alas lorica tectas Coleoptera jactant. Antennis Clavatis Serra pedum prodit Scarabaeum et fissile comu. Dermesti antennae circum ambit lamina caulem, Qui caput incurvum timidus sub corpore celat. In pectus retrahens caput abdit claviger Hister. Occiput Attelabi in posticum vergit acumen. Curculio ingenti protendit cornua rostro. Silpha leves peltae atque elytrorum exporrigit oras. Truncus apex clavae, atque antennula Coccionellae. Antennis Filiformihus Cassida sub clypei totam se margine condit. Chrys'mela inflexa loricse stringitur ora. Gibba caput Meloe incurvat, thorace rotundo. Oblongus frontem et tenues clypei exerit oras (56) 7 ■ S^. ^ Vx^^ ^ / ■,:^^i/ifJ:.i~.£^~f S^- ^J^^ AS A NATURALIST Tenebrio. Abdomen Mordellae lamina vestit. Curta elytra ostentat Staphylis, caudamque recurvam. Antennis Setaceis Tubere cervicis valet, antennisque Cerambyx. Pectore Leptura est tereti, corpusque coarctat. Flexile Cantharidis tegmen, laterumque papillae. Ast Elater resilit sterni mucrone supinus. Maxilla exerta est, oculoque Cicindela grandi. Bupresti antennae graciles, cervice retracta. Nee Dytiscus iners setosa remige planta. Effigiem cordis Carabus dat pectore trunco. Necydalis curto ex elytro nudam explicat alam. Curtum, at Forficulae tegit hanc, cum forcipe caudae. Depressum Blattae corpus, venterque bicornis. Dente vorax Gryllus deflexis saltitat alls. II. Hemiptera DiMiDiAM rostrata gerunt Hemiptera crustam. Fcemina serpit humi interdum: volat aethere conjux. Rostro Nepa rapax pollet, chelisque. Cicada Fastigio alarum et rostrato pectore saltat. Tela Cimex inflexa gerit, cruce complicat alas. Notonecta crucem quoque fert, remosque pedales; ( 57) THE POET GRAY Cornua Aphis caudae et rostrum: saepe erigit alas; Deprimit has Chermes, dum saltat, pectore gibbo. Coccus iners caudae setas, voHtante marito; Thrips alas angusta gerit, caudamque recurvam. III. Lepidoptera Squamam alae, linguae spirara Lepidoptera jactant. Papilio clavam et squamosas subrigit alas. Prismaticas Sphinx antennas, medioque tumentes; At conicas gravis extendit sub nocte Phalaena. IV. Neuroptera Rete alae nudum, atque hamos Neuroptera caudae. Dente alisque potens, secat aethera longa Libella. Cauda setigera, erectis stat Ephemera pennis. Phryganea elinguis rugosas deprimit alas; Hemerinusque bidens: planas tamen explicat ille. Et rostro longo et cauda Panorpa minatur. Raphidia extento coUo setam trahit unam. V. Hymenoptera At vitreas alas, jaculumque Hymenoptera caudae, Foemineo data tela gregi, maribusque negata. Telum abdit spirale Cynips, morsuque minatur. (58) \'\ /y /"P". z**' •''' ''' ''' ■ -^ " .. / ,^^ ■J.^JD^ a.A'-^' C'^-'-^.-'Li^: > / ■ /■ ^. ffl ^^l:^.L^^^ji^ 3^S- 2..^ O. v're^ >fi.,^-».^^^ *^ a.* »-<-,>■. (^^>-2..^/c-^e-v*.-iCk_o£- ^ %>.*•.■ a-<.i-^j'y t-ya^Z^. j >,.• ^ 3-./ .^ ^r-^,^ ,^.i- ->*-*-*«/ / ?T I / £±A..»v%.. a-^*^ a-^r^ -^^^a^^^^ , ^^a 7-- AS A NATURALIST Maxillas Tenthredo movet, serramque bivalvem; Ichneumon gracili triplex abdomine telum. Haurit Apis lingua incurva, quod vindicat ense. Sphex alam expandit laevem, gladiumque recondit. Alae ruga notat Vespam, caudaeque venenum ; Squamula Formicam tergi, telumque pedestrem, Dum minor alata volitat cum conjuge conjux. Mutilla impennis, sed cauda spicula vibrat. VI. DiPTERA DiPTERA sub geminis alls se pondere librant. Os Oestro nullum est, caudaque timetur inermi. Longa caput Tipula est, labiisque et praedita palpis. Palpis Musca caret, retrahitque proboscida labris; Qua Tabanus gaudet pariter, palpis sub acutis. Os Culicis molli e pharetra sua spicula vibrat; Rostrum Empis durum et longum sub pectore curvat; Porrigit articuli de cardine noxia Conops; Porrigit (at rectum et conicum) sitibundus Asilus; Longum et Bombylius, qui sugit mella volando. Unguibus Hippobosca valet; vibrat breve telum. VII. Aptera Aptera se pedibus pennarum nescia jactant. ( 59) THE POET GRAY CiCINDELA CAMPESTRIS Mensa Aprili medio in loco arenoso collium Hogmagog prope Cantabrigiam cepi, Maio etiam in pratis. Labium superius, & maxillarum bases flavescunt; denies, palpi, infimiq antennarum articuli auro resplendent; harum summi tomentosi, opaci; oculi grandes nigricant; abdomen a tergo sub alis smaragdo viridius lucet; punctis albidis aliquando caret. Aureus nitor ex toto corpore radiat. Pedes longissimi {F. Suec). Majuscula inter coleopteros, in borealibus Angliae montosis ad Calendas Junias admodum frequens, erucas (etiam hirsutas) saltu & volatu venatur, devoratq {Lister). Larva 6-pus, albida, capite fusco. Foveam cylindricam in arena excavat, cujus in osteo vigi- lat, ut insecta praetereuntia captet, devoretq {Ins. Paris, v. l^pp. IJfiet 15 4-). Coleopterorum nostratium forte pulcherrima est. Ab- domen glabrum, aureo-violaceum ; corpus subtus viridi-auratum, lateribus cupro nitentibus; elytra plana, viridi-sericea, punctis eminentibus confertis, auratis, aspersa; maculae Iseves albo-fla- vescunt; margines aurei; femora asneo-purpurea, supra pilis flavis ciliata; thorax angustus, rugosus, viridi-auratus, marginibus pur- pureo-auratis; ad femorum basin corpus ovale durum; alas fuscae. Vicinia Londini vera primo non infrequens. [p. 4-07.] CiMEX GOTHICUS NosTER, quern in Solidagine cepi Julio mense medio, descriptioni (60) AS A NATURALIST Linnaei non in omnibus convenit: sed Scopoli C. Gothicus (No. 381) proculdubio idem est. Corpus nigrum est, glaberrimum : tho- rax convexus, niger; elytra ferruginea versus marginem nigrican- tia, ubique punctata (uti & thorax), juxta apicem corii macula luteorubra, ipso tamen apice nigro: membrana elytri nigricans, macula in margine baseos albida; scutellum thoraci concolor; alae nigricantes. Caput inter antennas lagvissimum, postice ferru- gineum. antennae, corporis fere longitudine, articulis 4, quorum infimi 2 crassi, subvillosi, nigri: 2dus longissimus, 4tus brevis- simus. Femora nigra e apice, tibiisq mediis ferrugineis. Variat ely tris, thorace, scutello, flavescentibus : alls inferioribus hyalinis, radiantibus. [p. 4-4-'^'] Coccus CACTI The Cochineal CoMMERCii Hispanici pars maxima, regni Mexicani thesaurus, auro atq argento aequiparandus. Quotannis in Europam impor- tantur lb circiter 880,000. quae aestimantur 15,050,690 Libr. Fr. monetae. Servari potest detrimento nullo annis centum (Reaumur). In Georgia & Carolina australi Cacto Opuntia vescens non raro invenitur. Foemina adulta viciae magnitudine, rubra; thorax con- vexus, glaber, abdomine duplo longior; antennae breviores; artus intumescentia corporis inutiles evadunt, & intra rugas conduntur. Mas pulicis magnitudine, glaber, ruber; alis 4 niveis incumben- tibus sub-patentibus, basi attenuatis; antennis thorace paulo Ion- (61 ) THE POET GRAY gioribus; collo coarctato, capite globoso; setis caudalibus, quad- ruple corpore longioribus; agilissimus (Ellis). Foemina tincturam illam nobilem, pretiosam, suppeditat lanae sericoq aptam; non lino, neque gossypio; e violaceo coccineam, addita autem disso- lutione stanni, igneo-coccineam, coloruni omnium fulgidissimum. Insectum hoc sylvestre Cochenille Campetiane dicitur, domesticum autem Mesteqice sive Tescalla {Encyclop. Teinture). \^p. 4^7.] MUSCA CUPRARIA PuLCHERRiMA. Seta antennae fere terminalis: caput inter oculos nitide caeruleo-viride, uti & pectus, subtus; os album, tumidum; abdomen cupro rubente fulgens, subtus nigricans, depressum, ver- sus apicem latius; hal teres albidi; alas hyalinae macula fusca. Va- riat (sexu,ut videtur) capite, thorace, abdomine rubro-auratis, sive violaceis nitentibus: margine abdominis villoso: ano diminuto: alis versus apicem fuscescentibus, macula media fusca grandi: oculis supra brunneis, subtus viridibus. Haec major est; Musca Formosa (ut opinor) Scopoli, No. 910. In horto cepi, die 28 Junii. Pedes nigricant geniculis primis pallidis. [jo. 598.^ ACARUS CANCROIDES Termete Pulsatorio victitat. Cutem hominum capite penetrans, unde papulae cum dolore hoiTendo. Motu retrogrado utitur {F. Suec). In cistula lignea inter Hymenopterorum cadavera ambu- lantem die l™o Julii observavi; motu directo tardiuscule progre- (62) AS A NATURALIST diebatur, manibus chelatis (corpore longioribus) porrectis, expan- sis, vibratisq viam explorans, praedae intentus. Totus ferrugineus est: abdomen a tergo lineis transversis distinctum, quas, inter- secat medias linea una pallidior longitudinalis : subtus in medio ventre macula pallescens. [p. 616.'\ Phalangium opilio The Shepherd-Spider y or Carter^ or Long-legs, or Harvest-Spider Pedibus longissimis, tenuissimis; post frontem verrucula, cujus apex in duplicem cristam spinularum abit; corpus subcrustaceum incisura nulla; maribus cornicula praslonga, pedes magis fusci. Foeminae Augusto mense gravidas. Frequens in pratis, hortisq {Ray) culices & muscas praedatur. Abdomen subtus segmentis 4, s. 5; supra indivisum, spinulis sive denticulis sparsis (uti & thorax) asperum. In medio thorace tuberculum eminens, duplici spinarum serie cristatum, oculos laterales (utrinque unum) sus- tinet: nee plures ego, nee GeofFrceus, nee Scopolus, vidimus. In fronte brachia 2, corpore toto longiora (cum extendantur), ex unico articulo prseter basin constantia, apice acuto, manus sive chelas inflexas, longissimas, teretes, subventricosas sustinente pol- lice mobili, digito fixo, omnino ut in Cancris plerisque: digiti subaequales apice nigri; palpi 2 pediformes, articulis 5, ut in Araneis. Igitur a Cancris distinguitur palpis pediformibus^ oculis (63) THE POET GRAY in tuberculo thoracis sitis, abdomine siihglohoso, non infleoco; ab Araneis oculis ^, manibusq chelatis. \^p. 618.^ Aranea The Spider [Thejirst sentence of the following passage is from Linnceus, the rest is added by Gray.] Aranea fila ducunt, pleraeque telas struunt, insectis pascuntur rapinaque vivunt; Penes in palpis gerunt. Solitariae, vigiles, me- ditabundae, famelicae, exosse, faecunditate summa, moribus di- versae. 1. Textrices^ quae rete horizontale texunt. 2. Jucupes, quae perpendiculare. 3. Captivce^ quae in foliis convolutis, florum caly- cibus, &c. se includunt. 4. Erraticce, quae praedam discurrendo quaerunt. 5. Geometrce, pedibus anticis extensis. 6. Vibrantes, sa- lientes, coarctatae. 7. Laterigradce, incessu etiam laterali. {Scopo- lus,p.393.) VERMES. MOLLUSC A ASTERIAS OPTIURA The Sea-Scorpion of Barbadoes Lege — stella orbiculatd, squamosa (F, Siiec). Ad Hartlepool non infrequens a piscatoribus in pelago capitur, dum escas in hamo, ut No. 2, arrodit, in littore nunquam inveni. Corpus par- vum, planum, figura subinde mutabili, (nunc enim orbiculatum, nunc pentagonum, nunc 5-lobum) tactu asperum: squamas ne ( 64) AS A NATURALIST lente quidem distinguo, sed tubercula potius minutissima, con- ferta: color sanguineus centre lutescente. Radii concolores 5,longi, aculeorum ordinibus 6 utrinq ciliati; aculei pallide flavescentes, duriusculi, obtusi; e sulco longitudinali sub radiis singulis ten- tacula innumera vivens exserit, ut No. 2, Radii omnes e vertebris osseis miro artificio junctis compositi, quos motu serpentine in omnem partem torquet, & moriens saepe ipsa frangit, abjicitq, ut Cancer chelas. [p. 662. \ VERMES. TESTACEA OsTREA MAXIMA The Scallop OsTRE^ eduli proximas deliciae. In freto juxta Portland & alibi in illo mari piscantur {Lister). Valvae separatae ad Hartlepool ali- quando ejiciuntur, radiis circiter 20 vel 22. \^p. 696.^ OsTREA EDULIS The Oyster L'OsTRiCA in Corsica, nelle spiaggie d'Ancona e in quelle di Chi- ozza e molto conosciuta, perche in questi due mari n'e maggior copia che in altri luoghi. In Venetia se ne trovano quasi tutto Tanno (5. Scappi). Mense Junio prsegnans ovulis, initio Au- gusti vivos foetus parit: sine coitu genus propagat {Baster. Sub- sec. 1, p. 31 ). Ostrea recens nata, tenella, celerrime natat, undu- (65 ) THE POET GRAY latoq motu branchiarum gaudet, quas tunc parum e testa exse- rere potest: adulta in fundo maris quiescere cogitur {id. t. ^, I. 3, p. 1j^6). Maxima inter Scotiae rupes expiscatur; in Essexia & Cantio mediocris, sed sapore omnium delicatissimo, in fossis alveisq maritimis pinguefacta: in alto mari salsior, macriorq. [p. 699.] Turbo littoreus The Whelk or Periwinkle In locis scopulosis frequentissimus, Junio mense. Coit in sicco. A Belgis editur, gustu non insuavi {Lister). Linguam habet ex- erendam, spiralem, apice in setas divisam, fere ut in Lepade Balano {Busier. Subsec. I. 3, p. 111). In Scotia etiam frequens editur. Londini quoq in viis coctus puerulis vendi solet. Striae (in majoribus saltern) non eminent, sed fasciae potius sunt an- gustae, quae spiram sequuntur. Margo anfractuum majorum ca- riosus: suturae etiam aliquot transversae, subeminentes, irregu- lares. Color variat, plerumq canescens fasciolis nigricantibus; aliquando fulvus; intus albus. [^. 761.] Patella pellucida Patella forte eadem, quam semel ad Hartlepool inveni. Li- vida erat, obovata, gibba, supra subopaca : vertex laevis, margin! postico propior, subrecurvus, apice tamen non libero, nee in mucronem assurgente: ex hoc lineae 4 cserulescentes antrorsum ( 66) S^6". ( (^s^^-,-,/:>/.:^yjJ ^-r-O^iJ-- AS A NATURALIST ducuntur, subinde interruptas: utrinq autem lineolae similes 8, s. 10 (testa luci apposita) pellucent: subtus tota caeruleo-nitens pro situ variabilis; margine dilatato planiusculo, in sinum postice retuso, labiato. Diametrum longius, 10 lin. |. Vidi etiam minorem, membranaceam, absque vertice, pallidam, radiis 4 tan- tum caeruleis. An varietas? [p. 783.] A Limited Edition of five hundred copies of this book was printed on hand-made paper, by D. B. Updike, The Merrymount Press, Boston, November, 1903. This is copy N^* .5^00. DEC 16 1303 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS "l iiiiiiyiiiiiiiiilli lull ill, III 014 151 578