506 



PULMOBRANCHIATA PUPPA. 



humour of dogs. It is certain, however, that the 

 name given to the insect by the Romans, Pulex, is 

 stated l>y Isidorus to have been derived from piilris, 

 dust, " quasi pulveris films." It is to Leuwenhoeck 

 and Rosel that we are indebted for a complete refu- 

 tation of these fancies, these authors having first 

 succeeded in rearing the insect through all its stage*. 



Having arrived at their final state, they commence 

 their attacks upon us, or upon our animals, as well as 

 upon pigeons, fowls, swallows, &c. They are very 

 tormenting to dogs, cats, &c. The customary idea 

 of sending dogs into the water to get rid of their tor- 

 mentors is quite erroneous, as it has been ascertained, 

 by M. De France, that fleas which had been kept 

 under water for twenty-two hours had survived. 

 Various plans have been suggested for destroying 

 them, but there is nothing like water, soap, and the 

 housewife's broom. . 



It is admitted on all hands that these insects, on 

 account of their peculiar structure and transformations, 

 constitute a distinct order amongst the metamorphotic 

 insects. Fabricius, indeed, regarded them as belong- 

 ing to his order Rhyngota, containing the suctorial 

 Hemiptera ; and it was long thought that they were 

 very nearly allied to the bug in the formation of the 

 mouth. In their transformations, however, they are 

 much nearer to the Diptera. De Geer formed them 

 into an order which he called Snctoria. Latreille 

 named the order Sipliimapteru, Kirby Aphanaptera, 

 and Lamarck restricted the name Aptera for their 

 reception. By Latreille they are placed between the 

 Pediculi (order Anopterri) and the Coleoptera. The 

 diversity in these views, and the celebrated men by 

 whom they have been entertained, will be sufficient to 

 show the interest which attaches to this group of 

 insects. 



We have already given, in the article CHIGRE, an 

 account of an insect of this family of a very obnoxious 

 nature, namely, the Pulex (Sarcophaga) pcnetram. 

 Since our article was published, we have seen a 

 translation of Messrs Pohl and Kollar's account of 

 the same insect, published in the Magazine of 

 Natural History, and accompanied by various 

 figures ; but it still appears that there are many 

 important question* in the history of that insect 

 which remain to be investigated. 



Of the other species of the family, P. irrilans, or 

 common bed-flea, and the P. canis, or dog-flea, are 

 best known. Some of the other species arc remark- 

 able for having the antennaa protruded from the 

 lateral aperture of the head, and standing erect like 

 a rabbit's ears. Mr. Curtis has formed these species 

 into a genus named Ceralop/iyl/us. 



PULMOBRANCHIATA. The first order of 

 the second class Paraccphalophora of modern mala- 

 cologists. Molluscs of this order have their organs 

 of respiration retiform or aerial, lining the upper part 

 of the cavity obliquely situated from left to right on 

 the origin of the animal's back, and communicating 

 with the ambient fluid, by a small round orifice pierced 

 on the right side of the reflected edge of the mantle. 

 All the molluscs of this order are more or less capa- 

 ble of respiring atmospheric air ; the greater number 

 of them are terrestrial ; some exist on the banks of 

 fresh water, and sometimes on the border of the sea, 

 none of them ever bury themselves in the mud, being 

 incapable of existing long without a supply of air, 

 except such as hybernate during the winter season, 

 viz., snails and their congeners, they are all phyto- 



phagous or vegetable feeders, and abound in all cli- 

 mates and portions of the globe. The first family 

 Lymnacea, includes the genera Lt/mntsn, Physa, and 

 Planorbis; the second family Aitriculacca, a portion 

 of the Linnapan genus Valuta, and the genera Pedipes, 

 Auricula, and Pyramidella; the third family consists 

 of the genera Helix, Sitccinca, JJulimis, Achntina, 

 Clamilia, Puppa, Carnc/illn, Hehcelltt, ]Ir/iro/iitt.r, 

 Testacclla, Parmacella, Limncclln, Limax, and Onc/ii- 

 (liitni. The species of this order are extremely 

 numerous, many of them exhibiting the most bril- 

 liant tone of colours combined with the greatest 

 delicacy of marking ; and our common field-snail, the 

 Helix ncnunalis, may bo quoted as an instance of an 

 European mollusc vying in beauty with any of ori- 

 ental origin, a circumstance rarely exhibited in shells 

 of these northern latitudes. The facility which many 

 species of this order affords the naturalist of con- 

 sulting and examining the structure of testaceous 

 molluscs renders them peculiarly interesting, and the 

 animal organisation is so marvellous, that every young 

 malacologist should patiently watch the development 

 and habits of the snail, in which he will find many 

 difficult solutions of Nature's operations more readily 

 understood than the most able writer could explain ; 

 by this humble preceptor he cannot for one instant 

 be led astray in drawing false conclusions as to the 

 structure of all testaceous molluscs, and more par- 

 ticularly such as are univalve shells. Under the 

 article CONCHOLOGY this fact is more amply detailed, 

 we will not, therefore, longer dwell upon it, merely 

 acknowledging our own gratitude for the instruction 

 and delight we have derived from this source. 



PULMONARIA (Linna-us). A genus of North 

 American and European herbaceous perennials, bear- 

 ing pentandrons purple, blue, or white flowers, and 

 belonging to Boraghiece. These hardy plants grow 

 on any light garden soil, and are known as lung- 

 worts from the speckled appearance of their leaves. 

 Several of them were formerly known as Litlio- 

 spcrnmms. 



PULTEN^EA (Smith). A genus of greenhouse 

 or conservatory evergreen shrubs, natives of Now 

 Holland. The flowers are decandrous, and the 

 genus ranks among the Lcguminoxep. The species, 

 which are pretty numerous (above forty), thrive well 

 in loam and heath-mould, and are increased by 

 cutting. 



PUNIC A (Willdenow). A srenus of two shrubs 

 or small trees, bearing beautiful icosandrous flowers, 

 and belonging to and constituting the order Granalce. 

 Of one of the species P. granatum, there are three 

 varieties differing in the colour and fulness of the 

 flowers. See POMEGRANATE. 



PUPA. One of the states through which the 

 metamorphotie insects pass immediately preceding 

 that of the imago or perfect form. See the article 

 INSECT. 



PUPIPARA. A group of dipterous insects, 

 which do not bring forth their offspring until it has 

 attained the pupa state. See HIPPOBOSCA. 



PUPIVORA. A section of hymenopterous insects, 

 which are parasitic upon other insects, which they 

 generally destroy in the pupa state. See HYME- 

 NOPTERA. 



PUPPA (Lamarck; TURBO, Linnaeus). This 

 genus of molluscs has very properly been separated 

 from the Turbines of the Linnxan school, from which 

 and the Helices this family is perfectly distinct ; they 



