276 



GANGETIC HINDOOSTAN. 



be formed into a ftrong and ufeful filk ; the one is the Pbalana 

 AtlaSj Gm. Lin. v. 2400. Merian Inf. Sur. 52. which inhabits 

 the orange tree; it is a gigantic kind, finely exhibited in Shaw's 

 Nat. Mifc. tab. ii. The other is found in Bengal-^ and is thus 

 defcribcd by the late Sir William Jones, in a letter to Do6tor 

 Anderson, dated May 17, 1791 ; "We have," l:ud the lamented 

 genius, " a beautiful filk worm in the north eafl: of Bengal, 

 " which feeds (wholly, I believe) on the Ricinus, whence I call 

 " it PbaLena Ricini. It is fea-green, with foft fpines, very large 

 " and voracious, and fpins a coarfe, but fi:rong and ufeful filk ; 

 « the moth of a great fize, and with elegant and dark plu- 

 ** mage. Is it known to European naturaliils ?" I will anfwer 

 the pofthuraous queftion : who fo proper as the late Mr. Pen- 

 nant^ ^ It is the fynonymous Pbalcena oi Fabricius, Gm. Lin. v. 

 p. 2443. 

 Serpents. The .ferpents of Hindoojian are very numerous, the known 



fpecies amount to forty-fix. I have before mentioned fuch 

 which have been proved by experience to be fatal to mankind. 

 M. de la Cepede gives a dreadful catalogue, among which are 

 numbers of the Indian, to be noted with the mortal mark ; 

 but he does not enter into their nature, the fymptoms of their 

 bites, nor^the means of cure. I find only four frogs, and 

 eighteen lizards. * 



But the world is indebted to my friend Do6tor Patrick 

 Rujfel for a moft fplendid hiftory of the Serpents of the Coro- 

 mandel cod-dif in the fame form, and under the fame patronages 



* See my Literary Life, Title-page, and Advertisement. 



as 



