Natural-Historical Collections^ 451 



the kingdom of Pergamus became also a Roman province. Natural science had 

 been cultivated with some success, and the last king, Attalus III., had himself 

 been much devoted to botany. The king of Pontus, Mithridates Eupator, had 

 also applied himself to that science ; and it was on his account that names of men 

 were first given to plants. This prince was more especially desirous of knowing 

 plants which were considered as antidotes. The use of poisons was so common at 

 that period, that it is not astonishing that he wished to preserve himself from them. 



Nicander, physician to the last king of Pergamus, also wrote on poisons. He 

 has left two poems, the one entitled Theriaca, relating to venoms, which are 

 applied externally, — the other, entitled Alexipharmaca, treating of poisons which 

 are given internally. In his Theriaca he describes animals whose bite is veno- 

 mous. He speaks of twelve species of serpents, — one of them is the Coluber 

 Haje of Linnaeus. It is the serpent which was carried by the Egyptian boatmen, 

 and the one which Cleopatra made use of to destroy herself. Nicander relates its 

 battles with the ichneumon. Another snake described in this poem is the Ce- 

 rastes, (horned viperof the ancients,) which inhabits plains of sand ; the ten other 

 species are less easily recognized. Nicander speaks afterwards of the Geckos, of 

 venomous spiders, and lastly, of eight species of scorpions, described in such a 

 manner that they might probably be recognized by a person living on the spot ; 

 and his descriptions would even be very useful indications to a traveller. 



In the Alexipharmaca Nicander treats of poisons taken internally. He des- 

 cribes venomous plants, and the properties of their juices. Many erroneous state- 

 ments are met with in this poem. We nevertheless perceive that botany had 

 made some progress. Several plants which had not been mentioned by Theo- 

 phrastus are introduced. Nicander says that rats are fond of the root of the Aco- 

 nite. The fact passed for a long time as false, and has only lately been recog- 

 nized as true. 



• Nicander wrote about a century before Christ. In his works, which belong to 

 the end of the Grecian period, we already see evident signs of decline : we meet 

 with neither order nor method, nor any scientific object. 



( To be continued.) 



Distribution of Plants The Algse are exclusively the inhabitants of the sea, 



and they present to us this singular phenomenon, with respect to the geographi- 

 cal distribution of plants, that whilst under the equatoi the vegetation of the con- 

 tinents astonishes us by the size of the foliage, the thickness and elevation of the 

 stalk or of the trunk, according to the character of the species, the contrary exists 

 with respect to the marine algae ; for it is under that climate that they are reduced 

 to their minimum proportions. But we see these plants increase gradually in 

 size as we approach the cold latitudes of each hemisphere, and we shall lastly re- 

 mark, that it is in the countries which produce vegetables with the slenderest 

 leaves, as the resinous trees and the heaths, that we find in the greatest abundance 

 gigantic Alga;, composing in their mass a submarine forest at the bottom of all 

 gulfs. Some species of Alga; even represent, in their fan-shaped conformation, 

 the image of the leaves of the palm trees of the torrid zone. 



We may deduce from this observation, which hitherto had escaped naturalists, 

 this remarkable consequence in the geographical distribution of plants, — that 

 where the great vegetable forms disappear from the terrestrial surface, they pass 

 under the water.* 



■ ^ * In the article " Mer" of the Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat., Bory St. Vincent, 

 in attempting a distribution of seas from the character of its vegetation and 

 animal productions, has, we think, previously arrived at conclusions which 

 . would comprise this statement. Ed. 



