popular litrttanarj) of &mmatrtt Mature. 391 



and those which fall over them are a lighter 

 green. The upper part of the tail is of a 

 bright blue colour, the central feathers being 

 slightly tinted with green. The crown of 

 the head is red ; and the legs and feet are 

 of a blue-black. 



RAJAH LORY. (Lorins rajah.") The co- 

 lour of this splendid bird is a vivid scarlet, 

 with the wings entirely golden yellow : on 

 the top of the head is a broad spot of the 

 same colour, and across the breast a broad 

 bar : the thighs are yellow ; the bill yellow- 

 ish white ; and the legs blackish. 



KIXG LORY. (Aprosmictus scapuJatris.') 

 The habitat of this showy and noble species 

 is New South Wales, where it is said to be 

 almost wholly confined to the brushes, as it 

 there finds a plentiful supply of seeds, fruit, 

 and berries ; but we find in Mr. Gould's 

 description, that " when the Indian corn is 

 becoming ripe it leaves its umbrageous abode 

 and sallies forth in large flocks, which commit 

 great devastation on the ripening grain." 

 The sexes differ very considerably in the 

 colouring of the plumage : the male has the 

 head, neck, and all the under surface scarlet; 

 back and wings green, the inner webs of the 

 primaries and secondaries being black ; 

 along the scapularies a broad line of pale 

 verdigris green ; the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts rich deep blue ; tail black ; bill 

 scarlet ; legs nearly brown. The female 

 has the head and all the upper surface green j 

 throat and chest green tinged with red ; ab- 

 domen and under tail-coverts scarlet ; rump 

 dull blue ; two centre tail feathers green ; 

 the remainder green, passing into bluish 

 black ; and with a rose-coloured spot at the 

 extremity of the under surface. Another 

 species, the RED-WINGED LORY {Aprosmictus 

 erythropterus"), is said by Mr. Gould to have 

 much of the character of the King Lory, 

 being morose, indocile, shy, and wary ; and 

 is as exclusively an inhabitant of the in- 

 terior 

 Loryi 



extend along the coast. He further tells his 

 readers, that the extensive belts of Acacia 

 pendula which stretch over and diversify the 

 arid plains of the great Australian basin, 

 are tenanted with thousands of this bird, 

 besides numerous other species, roaming 

 about either in small companies of six or 

 eight, or in flocks of a much greater number. 

 It is beyond the power of my pen (says Mr. 

 Gould) to describe or give a just idea of the 

 extreme beauty of the appearance of the 

 Red-winged Lory when seen among the 

 silvery branches of the acacia, particularly 

 when the flocks comprise a large number of 

 adult males, the gorgeous scarlet of whose 

 shoulders offers so striking a contrast to the 

 surrounding objects. 



LOTTIA. A genus of Mollusca, closely 

 resembling Patella ; but the shells are 

 generally rather flatter, and have the apex 

 placed somewhat nearer the posterior 

 margin. 



LOUSE. (Pecliculus.l A genus of para- 

 sitic aptera, most disagreeable and unseemly 

 to us, from the idea that invariably aecom- 



exclusively an inhabitant of the in- 

 of Australia as its near ally the King 

 is a denizen of the thick brushes which 



panies their presence viz. that they are 

 seldom prevalent where cleanliness is not 

 wholly neglected. They ai'e characterized 

 by having six feet formed for walking, a 

 mouth furnished with a proboscis, antennae 

 as long as the thorax, and the abdomen 

 depressed, and formed of several segments. 

 They undergo no metamorphosis, they are 

 very prolific, and their generations succeed 

 each other very rapidly. The number of 

 species is very considerable ; for not only 

 are the human race, but many animals also, 

 subject to the intrusive visits of its pecu- 

 liar parasite. 



The Pediculits humanus, or common louse, 

 is distinguished by its pale and livid colour, 

 and lobated, oval abdomen. It is produced 

 from a small oval egg, popularly called a 

 nit, fastened or agglutinated by its smaller 

 end to the hair on which it is deposited. 

 From this egg proceeds the insect, complete 

 in all its parts, and differing only from the 

 parent animal in its smaller size. When 

 examined by the microscope the principal 

 appearances are as follow : the trunk or 

 proboscis, which is generally concealed in 

 its sheath or tube, is of a very sharp form, 

 and is furnished, towards its upper part, 

 with a few reversed aculei or prickles : the 

 eyes are large, smooth, and black ; the 

 stomach and intestines, which possess the 

 greater part of the abdominal cavity, afford 

 an extremely distinct and curious view of 

 the peristaltic motion ; while the ramifica- 

 tions of the tracheae or respiratory tubes ap- 

 pear dispersed throughout various parts of 

 the animal : the legs are short, and termi- 

 nated by a sharp-pointed double claw ; and 

 the insect is everywhere covered by a strong 

 granulated skin. It would be as unnecessary 

 as disgusting to dwell on the habits of this 

 insect, or on the dreadful and loathsome 

 disease by which, in ancient times, the human 

 race was visited ; and from which Herod, 

 Antiochus, Callisthenes, Sylla, and many 

 others, are said to have perished. Those 

 who would study the history, scientific and 

 popular, of these parasites, must take ad- 

 vantage of Mr. Denny's elaborate work : the 

 number of species found on Birds, &c., in 

 this and other countries, is very great. 



LOVE-BIRD. (Peittacula.) The name 

 given to a beautiful and diminutive group of 

 birds belonging to the Psittacidce. They 

 are distinguished by the tail being slightly 

 graduated : they are found in both conti- 

 nents ; and are remarkable for having no 

 furcula. 



LOXIA. A genus of Conirostral passerine 

 birds, remarkable on account of the peculiar 

 conformation of the bill, which is compressed, 

 and the two mandibles so strongly curved, 

 that their points cross each other. [See 

 CROSSBILL.] 



LUCANID^3. [STAG BEETLES.] An 

 important family of Coleopterous insects, 

 comprising some of very large dimensions. 

 The LucanidcK are distinguished by having 

 the antennae terminated by a large club, 

 composed of several of the apical joints ; by 

 the legs being robust, the anterior tibia: being 



