140 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



and beautiful forms and structure deserve." The importance, how- 

 ever, of illustrating this tribe will be evident when it is stated that 

 almost every species of quadruped and bird has its peculiar parasite, 

 and many of them are infested by two, three, or even five distinct 

 species — that these offer so great a diversity of colour, form, and 

 habits, that none but an entomologist would recognise the family 

 to which they belong from any analogy they bear to the more fami- 

 liar examples. Notwithstanding the number of individuals conti- 

 nually offering themselves to the obsei'ver of nature, it is no less 

 strange than true there is no one book to which he can refer for the 

 purpose of naming them. It must not, however, be inferred from 

 this that the subject has been wholly neglected by men of science, 

 for so early as 1688 forty species were figured and described by 

 Redi, since which we find the illustrious names of Linnaeus, Geoffroy, 

 De Geer, Scopoli, Schranke, Fabricius, Albin, Latreille, Hermann, 

 Olfers, Lyonet, Panzer, Leach, Nitzsch, and Children, assisting to 

 elucidate this group. But as the labours of many of these natural- 

 ists are difficult to come at, and several when procured give little 

 more than a catalogue of names, without figures or reference to de- 

 scription, few can avail themselves of the benefit they offer. The 

 work will form a concise concentration of the information already 

 possessed, with original figures, drawn and coloured after nature, and 

 will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the entomological litera- 

 ture of this country. 



Mr. Denny will feel greatly obliged by the transmission pf exam- 

 ples of the different species of Pediculidce and Nirmidce from the fol- 

 lowing quadrupeds and birds : — 



Fox. Otter. Polecat. Weasel. Squirrel. Hedgehog. Mouse. Rat. 

 Shrews. Mole. Dormouse. Guinea Pig. Hare. Seal. Wild Cat. 

 Bats. Pine Martin. Goat. 



Kite. Goshawk. Kestril. Eagle. Owl, Little Owl. Roller. 

 Nutcracker. Creeper. Wren. Long-tailed Titmouse. Goldfinch. 

 Pine Grossbeak. Redstart. Redbreast. Ringouzel. Dipper. Pratincole. 

 Bittern, Crane, Night Heron, Ibis. Bustard. Little Bustard. 

 Northern Diver. Black Stork. Quail. Hawfinch. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, 



April 12th, 1838.— Robert Maughan, Esq., Member of the Wer- 

 nerian Society, in the Chair. 

 Mr. Forbes read a paper on the specific claims of Primula acaulis. 



