LINITEAN SOCIETY OP LONDON. xli 



culiarity. Mr. Smitli was employed to engrave some of the plates 

 of the ' British Entomology ' and of the memoirs on 'Parm Insects ;' 

 and on one occasion when one of his plates was taken by Mr. Smith 

 to be approved, Mr. Curtis, having carefully examined the impression 

 for a considerable time, at last turned to Mr. Smith and said, " Sir, 

 you have only put twelve hairs upon this fly's tail instead of thir- 

 teen !" This complaint, indicating so great a perception of pre- 

 cision, had yet such a droll effect, that the workmen could not 

 resist a hearty laugh. 



Personally, Mr. Curtis was very reserved in his communication 

 with such of his brother entomologists as were known to be engaged 

 in works intended for publication ; but to those with whom he 

 held unreserved intercourse his manners were engaging and kind. 

 To use the words, in a letter to Mr. "Westwood, of Mr. Halliday, 

 who had enjoyed an uninterrupted friendship with Mr. Curtis of 

 more than thirty years, " he was indeed very loveable, warm-hearted 

 (too much so perhaps for his own tranquillity), pure-minded, and 

 honourable." 



Daniel Frederick EscJiricJit, M,D., Sfc., the eminent Danish 

 zoologist and physician, was born at Copenhagen on the 18th of 

 March 1798. He early distinguished himself, by his Inaugural 

 Thesis on taking his degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1825. This 

 essay, entitled "De Functionibas Nervorum Faciei et Olfactus 

 Organi," met with considerable attention both in his own country 

 and abroad. He commenced the practice of his profession at Nexa9 

 in the Island of Bornholm, but does not appear to have devoted 

 himself very long to its duties ; for, from 1825 to 1828, he was 

 engaged, at the expense of the state, in scientific journeys in 

 foreign countries. In 1830 he was named Extraordinary Profes- 

 sor of Medicine in the University of Copenhagen, and ordinary Pro- 

 fessor in 1836 ; and in the year 1844-45 he filled the honourable 

 post of Eector of the same University. 



His principal works are, ' Description de I'CEil humain,' published 

 in 1863 ; ' Eecherches zoologiques, anatomiques, et physiologiques 

 sur les Cetaces des Mers Septentrionales ' (1849) ; ' Twelve Lec- 

 tures on select subjects in Biological Science,' published in 1850, 

 of which a German translation, under the title of • Das physische 

 Leben,' appeared at Berlin in 1852 ; ' On the Possibility of curing 

 and teaching Idiots and Congenital Imbeciles ' (1854) ; and, be- 

 sides these, science is indebted to him for numerous memoirs, 

 many referring to the Cetacea, m the ' Transactions ' and ' Pro- 

 ceedings ' of the Danish Academy, the ' Bibliotlieque de Medecine,' 



LINN. PEOC. — VOL. VII. d 



