CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 137 



encircling a thrum of small flowers. It hath no full, or 

 double flower. M. Magnole told me that he hath fre- 

 quently found about Montpellier the Chondritta Sesamoi- 

 des, dicta carulea, fore complete Eyst. circa fontem Piguet. 

 This hath a very full flower, and seems to me to differ 

 nothing from the Chondritta ccerulea Cyani capitulis, but 

 in its flower. 



4. The Seseli pratense Monspelicns. [Silaus pratensis, 

 Bess.] agrees with our English Meadow Saxifrage in 

 every particular. I cannot find the least note of dis- 

 tinction. 



Thus far your queries as to France, to which I will 

 tack an observation to fill up. 



I have*75bserved the inhabitants of Languedoc to get a tar- 

 like substance out of the Juniperus major baccd rufcscente 

 [Juniperus Oxccdrus, Linn.], much after the same man- 

 ner as pitch is got from the Pinus by a kind of distil- 

 lation per descensum. This they do successfully use in 

 curing several diseases of their cattle, especially scabs, 

 impetigo, and such like diseases. I know a practitioner 

 in Montpellier who frequently uses this same resina 

 junipcri in cutaneous diseases ; and I fancy it may prove 

 a good medicine in some scorbutic and calculous cases, if 

 methodically and judiciously managed. 



Since my coming into Languedoc, I have observed an 

 insect boring the lle coccigera with an instrument, or 

 organ, coming from its belly. I know not whether it 

 might not be conveying its eggs into the ilex, together 

 with a venomous vehicle for the birth of the kermes. I 

 wish I could meet the same opportunity again of making 

 farther observations. Malpighi's ' History of Vegetable 

 Excrescences ' might be farther confirmed thereby, as 

 that also which that excellent naturalist, Mr. Lister, 

 essayed in the ' Philosophical Transactions ' several years 

 before Malpighi. 



Since my coming to Montpellier I have seen several 

 scorpions creeping on the walls. I think they are the 

 same which Swammerdam hath figured in his ' History 



