Dn, Smitu’s Introductory Difcourfe. 45 
friend and very counterpart Dr. Garden, to whom Linnæus was fo 
much obliged in his laft edition of the Syftema Nature that I 
think no name occurs there more frequently. This gentleman, 
long refident in Carolina, is celebrated for his difcovery of the 
Siren lacertina, that fingular animal, for which Linnæus was ob- 
liged to form a new order in his fyftem. Dr. Garden is now re- 
turned to this country. Long may it be before I am at liberty to 
pay that unreferved tribute to his merit which I have given to the 
departed Ellis ! 
It is well known that Mr. Ellis was one of the firít who clearly 
made out the animal nature of corallines, and his opinion on the 
fubje& is now univerfally adopted. In the beginning, however, he 
had an opponent in Dr. Bafter, a Dutch naturalift, who main- 
tained a contrary opinion, and argued with great ingenuity for the 
vegetable nature of thefe bodies, afferting that the polypes were 
merely accidental inhabitants of thea and not a part of their fub- 
ftance. The fame author has publifhed feveral other works on 
different marine infeéts, worms and plants, under the title of Opu/cula 
Subfeciva, which are elaborate and curious: they are the perform- 
ances of a real obferver. 
'This intricate part of natural hiftory has been inveftigated by 
feveral other writers, as Bohadfch and Muller; but by none more 
ably than the celebrated Pallas, whofe fyftematic work on Zoophyta 
is neceffary to all who apply themfelves to this ftudy. 
No branch of natural hiftory, after botany, has for fome 
years paft had more attention paid to it than entomology. Noor is 
this to be wondered at. Botany neceffarily leads to the ftudy of in- 
feéts; for it is impoffible to inveftigate plants in their native fitua- 
tions, without having our attention perpetually awakened by the 
infinite variety of thofe active little beings, employed in a thoufand 
different ways in fupplying themfelves with food and lodging, in 
repulfing 
