SCRIPTURE I.NsECTS. 211 



His only difficulty Bursman obviated by receiving hiiu into iiis house 

 where he remained until spring. 



After his engagement witli Bursman had terminated, he became phy- 

 sician to George Clitlbrt, Burgomaster of Amsterdam, and of a princely 

 fortune. ClifTort's connexion with the Dutch East India Company and 

 immense wealth enabled him to enrich his garden at Hartecamp with 

 natural curiosities from India. Whilst the prevailing taste of the age 

 and his own inclination made him one of the most munificent patrons of 

 horticulture. Here Linnaeus was in an earthly paradise ; surrounded by 

 curiosities from all parts of the world, enjoying access to a splendid li- 

 brary, with a munificent patron to procure all he wished, there was no- 

 thing more to be desired. 



Here we will leave our naturalist, for the present, rejoicing that, after 

 so many labors and difficulties, he is at length reposing in the blessings 

 of a well-earned reputation, and the gratification of his fondest antici- 

 pations. 



SCRIPTURE INSECTS. 



Baltimore^ Juhj^ 1815. 

 Dear L. — In your last letter you ask my opinion in relation to the 

 animals mentioned in Lev. xi. 20 — 23. The English text is as follows : 

 ''All fowls that creep, going on all four, shall be an abomination unto 

 you. Yet these ye may eat of, every flying creeping thing that goeth 

 upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the 

 earth; even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the 

 bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grass- 

 hopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have 

 four feet, shall be an abomination unto you." Now, what does Moses 

 mean by '•'•fowls that creep, going upon all four?" In looking at the 

 Hebrew text, I find that a more literal translation would be "every wing- 

 ed or (flying) creeping thing walking on four feet," so he evidently 

 means that insects in general shall not be eaten by the Jews, excepting 

 those subsequently specified. But you will at once start an objection 

 that all perfect insects have six feet, or as yo7i woidd sciennfically ex- 

 press it, they are hcxapodul animals. I reply that Moses evidently re- 

 garded the two anterior feet as arms or paws, and this opinion is con- 

 firmed by Bochart in his Hierozoicon. This, then, would exclude from 

 the Mosaic dialetics all insects excepting locusts, or more properly grass- 

 hoppers, for the word locust is improperly applied to the musical animal 

 which bears that name in this country. The scripture locust is the 

 grasshopper. Why do 1 conclude that locusts or grasshoppers were al- 



