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Caesaris satum aut praeibant aut sequebantur portenta, memoravit Virgilius.
- nec tempore eodem Tristibus aut extis fibrae apparere minaces, Aut puteis manare cruor cessavit.'
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The animescule of whicli microscopical figures, very highly magnified, are represented on the annexed plate, is amongst those legions os animaled heingswhicli, in the warmer monilis, Contribute to peoplethe generality of stagnant Walers; somelimes Covering the whole suriace With a continued meet os a red orgreen colour, and semetimes diffusing a strong tinge of those colours throughout the whole masi or body of the water. The generat shape of this animalcule is notmuch unlike that os a sug, hut iis motions are more analogous to those of a leech. In iis postures it is infinitely variabie, possessing, like many others of the animalcular
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animalcular tribe, the highest degree os contractileporuer; in consequence of Whicli it occasionalty appears in ali the variotis states of elongation and contractionaepresented in the plate; and not Unfrequently reducesitself to a globular form. Iis motions are rather soN
ralty appears trant i arent at both extremities, while thebody seems filled with a congeries of globules or grainsos a green or reddim colour, and not ill resem-bling the spawn os sim. The head or fore-part is obtuse, but the tali or extremity is acute, and somelimes exhibiis a sight appearance of bifurcation at the tip; but this is a particular whicli in generat is scarce to beperceived. The disserence in colour belween these
animalcules seems hardly sufficient to justist our regard- ing them as specificatly distinet; since both the greenand the red sori are so perseetly alike in other res pedis that no disserence can be perceived het een them. The green sori may be very frequently observed in most stagnant Walers in the monilis of May and June, and sonaetimes much sooner, appearing commonly Onthe sursace in the evening and early in the morning, and retiring to ards the middie of the day to the bottona. The red variety is far lesi common, and theappearance Whicli it sonaetimes exhibiis is sicli as toalarm a superstitious mind with the idea of the waterbeing tinged with blood: a panic of whicli numerous instances have been adduced by authors; and whicli is
the more excuseable in those who are ignorant of the cause, as the animalchales are so extremely minute as
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even taking up the Water and examining it affords tothe vulgar no satisfactory elucidation. I remember toliave more than once observed the whole suriace of a large moat or pool completely covered in the space of a single night with this animalcule, when the daybe re there Was not the least appearance of discoloration in the water : the whole surisce appeared as iscovered with florid blood. It smould be observed that severat other species of animal cules somelimes give the fame tinge to stagnant waters, though in a far tessstriking degree: thus the monoculus pulex of Linnaeusis frequently so numerous as to redden the water: the larva of the common gnat has also been known to produce a similar discoloration. These are appearances whicli in test enlightenedages, unassisted by the microscope, have so osten fili edthe minds of the peopte With the most terribie apprehensions, and have been regarded either as the precursors of me great calamity, or magnified into the immediate symptoms of heavenly displeas ure. We are assured by the celebrated SKammerdam that the cityos Leyden was in a state os confernation on discovering one morning that the waters of that place were apparently changed into blood; which, upon accurate examination, Was found to be oKing to no other causethan prodigious numbers of minute red animalcules,
in ali probability of the very sanae species here represented. For the effect whicli sucii appearances produced on the miniis of the ancients, it may be sufficientio recal to the recollection of the re ader the words of
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Virgil, who, in his terrific list os prodigies which either
preceded or accompanted the death of Julius, has notneglected to enumerate this phaenomenon.
- nec tempore eodem Tristibus aut extis fibrae apparere minaces, Aut puteis manare cruor cessavit.
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ARACTER GENERIC US. Rosrum lamelloso-dentatum, ConveXUm, obtusum. Lingua ciliata, obtusa.
Cum ipsa nive candidior sit cycnus commUnis, Colorque ei constans semper fuerit et perpetuus, mirUm fortas sonet populi auribus qui jam olim in proverbium abiit cycnus niger. Nemo tamen sanus unquam dubita- Verit quin e numerosissimo genere anatino exstare posset alicubi in terris species quaepiam distincta, quae forma licet modoque vivendi cycno candido simillima, a na-tUra tamen colorem prorsus contrarium sortita sit. Haec jam tandem comperta est in Nova Hollandia insulisque adjacentibus, quamque tabula fideliter depictam ostendit. Si nigredinem excipias, convenit huic in reliquis fere omnibus cum cycno Europaeo. Idem ei natanti decor, eadem nec ingrata superbia, variique corporis P stus.
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situs. Tota avis, remigibus albis exceptig, coloris estaterrimi. Rostrum amoenissime rubrum, cute implumi, quae basin cingit, super frontem late et ultra oculos eX- currente. Apici mandibulae superioris nigricanti prope alacet macula flava. Crura nigra, pedes paulo pallidioreS. Amicissime nobiscum communicavit exemplum sideliter depictum, unde figuram hanc nostram mutuati
sumus, Thomas Wilson armiger, quod ei nuperrime miserat cum aliis multis hujusmodi cimeliis Dominus White, Novae Hollandiae chirurgus praecipuus.