LABURNUM LAC. 



dish orange, with six or seven scales in succession 

 between each ray of the caudal fin. Back and sides 

 bluish green, paler on the belly ; all the scales mar- 

 gined with orange red, the margins varying in breadth 

 in different specimens, and thus producing the preva- 

 lence of the blue or orange colour ; six rows of scales 

 between the lateral line and the middle portion of the 

 dorsal fin. Head and cheeks bluish green, reticu- 

 lated with orange red lines ; lips flesh colour ; about 

 eighteen teeth in each jaw, conical, those in front the 

 longest ; the tail slightly rounded at the upper and 

 under corner, the top dusky." 



GREEN-STREAKED WRASSE (L. lincatus). This 

 species sometimes makes its appearance upon the 

 British shores, but very rarely ; it is understood, 

 however, to be the same species which is common in 

 the Mediterranean, and known there by the name of 

 the parrot fish. Its ground colour is a tine grass 

 green, deeper on the back than in any other part, and 

 passing into greenish yellow on the belly. There is 

 a stripe of bright blue passing along each side from 

 the head to the tail ; but this is said to be a character 

 of the male only, the female being uniformly green 

 in all the upper part. The fins are also green. The 

 body is rather lengthened, and more oval than the 

 former species. The upper jaw is longer than the 

 lower, and both jaws are furnished with teeth, those 

 in the front being largest. It visits our shores, at 

 least the shore of Cornwall, the only one on which 

 it has hitherto been observed in the summer season ; 

 but it is little known even to the fishermen, and is a 

 subject of curiosity rather than of use. 



THE BLUE-STRIPED WRASSE (L. voriega tits'), is not 

 so rare upon the British shores as the former, and it 

 is pretty common on the south and east of Ireland. 

 The general colour of the body and head is orange, 

 varying from orange red to orange yellow, palest on 

 the belly, and striped with bright blue on the sides. 

 The eyes are orange and blue ; the membrane which 

 connects the first twelve rays of the dorsal fin is blue 

 with an orange margin, and the remaining portion of 

 that fin orange with blue spots; the rest of the fins 

 are orange with blue tips. This one grows to the 

 length of a foot, which is considerably more than the 

 species immediately preceding. Different specimens 

 are subject to considerable varieties of colour, but 

 they are all very beautiful ; indeed, in so far as colour 

 is concerned, this is one of the most splendid fishes 

 which occurs in any part of the European seas. In 

 the Mediterranean, where its colours are finer than 

 they are when it ranges into colder latitudes, it is 

 sometimes called the peacock fish. 



THE SEA WIFE (L. vetida). This species grows 

 to rather more than a foot in length, and it has the 

 caudal fin slightly rounded, though not more so than 

 some of the others. The upper part of the back, the 

 neck, and the sides, are blue of an intense colour, 

 and sometimes passing into blackish purple on the 

 middle of the back. It is marked also with bright 

 orange, and the head has a tinge of flesh colour more 

 or less intense. The irides are blue, and so also are 

 all the fins, with the exception of the tips of the vent- 

 rals, which are black. This fish is described by some of 

 the continental naturalists as being common on the 

 coast of France, and ranging as far north as Norway; 

 but if this be correct it must pass round the western 

 side of Britain, as it is exceedingly rare on the 

 British shores ; and the opposite shores of the Ne- 

 therlands and Germany are not suited to its habits. 



THE RED WRASSE (L. cnmeus). This specie^ 

 occurs on many parts of the British coasts, and also 

 on those of Norway and in the Baltic. The usual 

 colours are fine orange red on the upper part, passing 

 into pale orange on the under. A portion of the 

 spinous part of the dorsal fin is rich purple, and two 

 spots on the posterior part of the same fin, and a third 

 one nearer the tail, are very deep purple. Four spots 

 of very delicate rose-colour alternate with those three 

 dark purple ones, and give a very striking character 

 to the upper part of the fish, from the middle of the 

 dorsal fin backwards. Its habits do not appear to 

 differ in any important particular from those of the 

 rest of the genus. Such are a few of those which 

 occasionally occur on the British shores. 



LABURNUM, is the Cytisus laburnum of Lin- 

 naws, one of the most beautiful and conspicuous 

 flowering trees in this or any other country. It is 

 said to be a native of Switzerland, and was introduced 

 into this country as far baclt as 1596. It is scarcely 

 necessary to add that it belongs to Lcgitminosfc. 



LAC INSECT. A small annulose animal, inha- 

 biting the East Indies, belonging to the genus Chcrmes, 

 of which the female is large, unwieldy, and destitute 

 of wings ; and the male small, provided with two 

 wings, and a pair of slender filaments arising from the 

 extremity of the abdomen. It derives its specific 

 name, Chermes Lacca, from the substance called lac, 

 which is found upon several trees and shrubs in the 

 East Indies, and which is of considerable use in 

 various manufactures, being employed in its manu- 

 factured state in the making of sealing wax, varnishes, 

 &c. ; it is also the basis of the French polish, and is 

 used in manufacturing waterproof hats. Dr. Rox- 

 burgh has published a detailed account of this insect 

 and its production, in the Philosophical Transactions 

 of the Royal Society. " Some pieces of very fresh- 

 looking lac," observes this author, " adhering to small 

 branches of mimosa cinerea, were brought to me from 

 the mountains. I kept them carefully iifwide-mouthed 

 bottles, slightly covered ; and fourteen days from the 

 time they came from the hills thousands of exceed- 

 ingly minute red animals were observed crawling 

 about the lac and the branches it adhered to, and still 

 more were issuing from small holes on the surface of 

 the cells. By the assistance of glasses small excres- 

 sences were also observed interspersed among these 

 holes, two regularly to each hole, crowned with some 

 very fine white hairs, which being wiped off, two 

 white spots appeared. The animals, when single, 

 ran about pretty briskly; but in general, on opening 

 the cells, they were so numerous as to be crowded 

 over one another. The substance of which the cells 

 were formed cannot be better desribed, with respect 

 to appearance, than by saying that it is like the 

 transparent amber of which beads are made. The 

 external covering of the cells is about the twenty- 

 fourth part of an inch in thickness, it is remarkably 

 strong and able to resist injuries ; the partitions are 

 much thinner. The cells are in general irregular 

 squares, pentagons, and hexagons, about an eighth 

 of an inch in diameter, and a quarter of an inch drop ; 

 they have no communication with each other. All 

 those opened during the time the animals were issuing 

 from them, contained on one side, which occupied 

 halt' the cell, a small bag, filled with a thick jelly-like 

 red liquor, replete with what I take to be the eggs. 

 These bags adhere to the bottom of the cells, and 

 have each two necks, which pass through holes in 

 B2 



