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respondeat. Cavendum est ne hoc insemim, quod
verus est rusticorum mortis agus pulsatorius,) cum alio conindamus, quod interdUm eodem nomine dicitur,
quodque horologii more diu et sine ulla intermissione sonum edit; pertinet enim hoc ad ordinem penitus diversum, nomine Termitis pulsatorii a Linnaeo distinctum. Claudet hanc Mortis agi descriptionem quod in opere celeberrimo, Pseudodoxia scilicet Didemica, observavit vir doctissimus Thomas Brown. Qui ab animis populi unicam hanc superstitionem posset evellere, ille profecto a pavidis nutricum et aviarum capitibus sudoris multum gelidi depelleret.'
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GENERIC CHARACTER. Antennae fili rin; the last joinis larger than the
Phil. Trans vol. 2O. p. 376. Vol. 22. P. 832. Amongst the popular superstitions Whicli the almost generat illumination of the present centUry has notbeen able to obliterate, the dread of the Death-watchmay weli be considere 1 ag one of the most predominant; Whicli, though nothing more than a sinali insect, stili continues to disturb the habitations os rural tranquillity With ground tesse sears and absurd apprehensions. It
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It is not indeed to be imagined that they Who are en-gaged in the more important cares of providing the immediate necessaries of life mould have either iei reor inclination to investigate with philosophic exactnessthe causes of a particular soland : yet it must be allowedio be a very singular circumstance that an animal socommon mould not be more universalty known, and the cause of the particular noise whicli it occasionalty mahes, be more generalty understood. It is chietiyin the ad vanced state of spring that this alarming litilebeing commences iis soland; Whicli is no other thanthe cali or signat by whicli the insedis of this species mutuatly attend to each other, and which may be considered as analogo us to the cali os birds; though noto ing to the voice of the insedi, but to iis beating onany hard substance With the shield or fore part of iis head. The prevat ling number of distinet strokes whichil beais, is frona severi to nine or eleven, Which very circumstance may perhaps stili add in sonae degree tothe ominous character whicli the animal bears amongst the vulgar. These fouiads or beats are given in apretiy qui ch succession, and are repeated at uncertain intervals; and in old houses where the insedis arenUmerous, may be heard almost every hour of the Jay;especialty is the weather be warm. The soland exachlyresembles that which may be made by beating moderately hard with the nail on a table. The insedi is os a colour so nearly resembling thatos decayed Wood, viz. an obscure greyish brown, thatit may for a considerable time elude the search of the inquirer. It is about a quarter of an incli in tength, and is moderately thick in proportion. It belongs
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to the class of coleopterous insedis, or sucta as have
genus to Whicli it unquestionably belongs is that os Prinus; but it is remarkable that it does not occur in the twelfili edition of the Systema Naturae of Linnaeus; nor has Fabricius distinctly mentioned it in his en-tomological works, uniesse his Dermoles tesselatus beintended for the fame insedi, in whicli casse he musthave placed it in a wrong genus. In the twentieth anclt enly-second volumes of the Philosophical Transactions it has been long ago described, and some very just observations made relative to iis habiis and generalappearance, by the celebrated Mr. Derham, and it is extremely singular that so remarhable an insedi mould
have alm ost escaped the notice of more modern ento-
mologisls. Ridiculous, and even incredibie as it may appear, it is an animal that may in sonae measure he tamed; at least it may be so far familiariged asto he made to beat occasionalty, by taking it out ofiis confinement and beating on a table or board, whichil rea lily an Mers, and will continue to beat as osten
We must be caresul not to con und this insedi, whicli is the real Death-watch of the vulgar, emphaticalty so called,) with another insedi, which mahes a Mund like the liching of a Walch, and which continues iis soland for a long time With Iut intermission :it helongs to a totalty different tribe stom the Death-watch, and is the Termes put atorium os Linnaeus. I mali conclude this description of the Death-watch by a sentence stom the celebrated Work Pseudodoxia videmica
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Di emica, or Vulgar Errors, by the learned Sir Thomas Brown, who expresses himself in s me suci, word sas these. He that could eradicate this error Domthe minds of the peopte Would fave from many acold fineat the meticulous heads of nurses and grand-
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CHARACTER GENERIC US. Rosrum conico-gibbum, frontis basi rotundatum versus caput: Mandibula inferior margine laterali inflexa. Nares in basi rostri. Lingua integra.
Lin. 8s. Nat. p. 299 ARACTER SPECIFICUS, M. LOXIA CRISTATA RUBRA, capistro nigro, rostro pedibusque sanguineis. Lin. Sets. Nat. p. 3OO
COCCOTHRAUSTES VIRGINIANA CARDINALIS dicta.
Lath. inae o n. p. 375-Ε calidioribus Americie Septentrionalis partibus in Europam jamdudum illata est Loxia Cardinalis. Ob
colorem lautum splendidumque VocemqUe potentem et suaviloquam apud nos magni semper habita est, nec desunt qui eam ipsi lusciniae vix ac ne vix cedere existimant. Ingenio est alacri, vivido, docilique.
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Tongue truncated. SPECIFIC CHARACTER, M.
Lath. Θn. 2. p. 118. The hird here figured is a native of the Warmer paris of North America, stom Whence it was imported soonaster the first discovery of that continent; and stom thegio ing splendor of iis colour, and the extraordinarypo ers of iis note, soon became a distinguimed favorite in Europe. It is even by s me considered as scarceinferior to the nightingate. It is a bird os a lively nature, and possesses a considerable degree of docility.