Natural History qfCerigo and its Dependencies. 63 



winds, but more especially SE. or sirocco, many species of 

 animals belonging to this sub-kingdom are driven on shore. 

 Among others, we have the Janthina fragilis, from which the 

 island is said to have derived one of its ancient names. Strabo 

 says that the first name of the island was Porphyra, and Ari- 

 stotle gives the derivation of the primitive name $rogpugoU<ra from 

 the quantity of porphyry the island was supposed to contain ; 

 while others maintain that it was not from the Greek word sig- 

 nifying porphyry, but from the word purple, on account of the 

 purple dye which the ancients extracted from the Janthina fra- 

 gilis, abundant on the Cerigo coasts. Pausanius says (chap, 

 xxi. b. iii.), " The coasts of Laconia abound in shells which 

 yield a purple dye, the best except those of the Sea of Feni- 

 cia." 



Like the mollusca, the articulata are much prized at certain 

 periods of the year as articles of food. In the class Crustacea, 

 examples of most of the great divisions were noticed, and in 

 the fresh water streams and ponds genera of the order Amphi- 

 poda. Of the class Arachnida, the genera tarantula and scor- 

 pio are common, occurring sometimes of a very large size. Peo- 

 ple are sometimes stung by scorpions without greater injury 

 than swelling the part, and producing a smarting pain, to allay 

 which a small quantity of olive oil is used. The genera of the 

 class Insecta are numerous, and require more space than can at 

 present be afforded. 



Vertebrate Animals. The animals of this great division are 

 few in number, but when abundant are periodical. 



Fishes. Migration, a subject of much interest to the philoso- 

 phical inquirer, is still but imperfectly understood ; indeed, the 

 facts on this head are comparatively few, crude, and ill digested. 

 Tribes of the class Pisces migrate regularly every season either on 

 account of want of food or diminished temperature. Some kinds 

 of fish are always to be found, but others only occur in particular 

 seasons, which circumstance the fishermen are well aware of, there- 

 fore use different kinds of tackle and bait according to the time 

 of the year. In autumn shoals of the genus Hemiramphus ap- 

 pear on the coasts, and are caught by rod lines trailed along the 

 surface-water; about the same period Mackerel, Crysophris, and 

 Boops abound ; they are fished for in the night and taken by 



