LEP 



LEP 



remove a leper, who came to church or 

 to public meetings, to annoy his neigh- 

 bours; but it could only lie when the 

 party appeared outwardly unwholesome 

 by his sores and smell ; and if he kept at 

 home, it could not be enforced. It seems 

 to have been a wise provision for the 

 health of the public. 



LEPTOCEPHALUS, the morris, in na- 

 tural history, a genus of fishes of the or- 

 der Apodes. Generic character : head 

 small and narrow, body exceedingly thin, 

 compressed ; no pectoral fins. This fish 

 was first discovered near the isle of An- 

 glesea, by a gentleman of the name of 

 Morris. It is four inches long, with an 

 exceedingly small head, and a body so 

 thin as to be nearly transparent; on a 

 slight view, it might almost be consider- 

 ed as a tape-worm. 



LEPTOSPERMUM, in botany, a ge- 

 nus of the Icosaiidria Monogynia class 

 and order. Natural order of Myrti. Es- 

 sential character : calyx five-cleft, half 

 superior; petals five, with claws, longer 

 than the stamens ; stigma capitate ; cap- 

 sule four or five-celled ; seeds angular. 

 There are eleven species, of which JL. sco- 

 parium is a small tree or shrub, growing 

 to a moderate height, generally bare on 

 the lower part, with a number of small 

 branches growing close together towards 

 the top ; the younger ones are silky : it 

 grows commonly in dry places near the 

 shores in New Zealand ; the underwood 

 in Adventure-bay, Van Diemen's land, 

 chiefly consists of this shrub ; the leaves 

 were used by Captain Cook's ships' 

 crews as tea, whence they named it the 

 tea-plant ; the leaves have a very agree- 

 able flavour, and a pleasant smell when 

 fresh ; if the infusion was made strong, it 

 proved an emetic to some, in the same 

 manner as green tea; it was also used 

 with spruce leaves, in equal quantities, to 

 correct their astringency in brewing beer 

 for them, which rendered it exceedingly 

 palatable. 



LEPTURA, in natural history, a genus 

 of insects of the order Coleoptera. An- 

 tennse setaceous ; four feelers filiform ; 

 shells tapering towards the tip ; thorax 

 slender, rounded. There are nearly one 

 hundred and fifty species, in two divi- 

 sions,^ viz. A. lip entire ; B. lip bifid. Ma- 

 ny of the species of this genus are very 

 beautiful; among these maybe mention- 

 ed L. arcuata, of a black colour, with 

 wing-sheaths marked by transverse yel- 

 low ; lunated bands pointing backwards. 

 It is a native of Europe, and is found in 

 the woods during the summer months, 

 and generally measures about three,-quur- 



ters of an inch in length. L. aquatica, is 

 so named from its being particularly 

 found in the neighbourhood of waters, 

 frequently on the plants which grow near 

 the water's edge. It is only half an inch 

 in length, and of a g'olden green colour, 

 sometimes varying into copper- colour, 

 purple, or blue, and is distinguished by 

 having a tooth or process on the thighs of 

 the legs. 



LEPUS, the hare, in natural history, a 

 genus of Mammalia, of the order Gliros. 

 Generic character : two fore -teeth above 

 and below ; the upper pair double, two 

 small ones standing within the exterior. 

 These animals exhibit several considera- 

 ble differences from those of the order 

 Glires in general, to which, however, up- 

 on the whole, they are with more propri- 

 ety attached than to any other. By an ap- 

 pearance of rumination, they appear 

 somewhat connected with the Pecora. 

 There are fifteen species, of which the 

 following chiefly deserve notice. 



L. timidus, or the English hare. This 

 animal is a native of almost every coun- 

 try of the old continent, and is generally 

 of the length of two feet. Its upper lip 

 is divided, and its eyes are extremely pro- 

 jected, and, it is said, kept open by it 

 during sleep. It subsists on a great va- 

 riety of vegetables, particularly those 

 which possess milky qualities ; the bark 

 of young trees, and their tender shoots, 

 are likewise often taken by them for 

 food. It produces generally three young 

 ones at a time, and breeds at least three 

 times in a year. The hare seldom quits 

 its seat, or form, as it is called, during the 

 day, unless compelled by the approach of 

 enemies ; but takes its range for food and 

 excursion by night, always returning, it is 

 said, to her habitation by the same track 

 by which it was left. In* this form it will 

 sometimes suffer itself to be approached 

 so nearly, as to be nearly trodden upon 

 before it starts for escape ; the first ad- 

 vances of the enemy having probably not 

 attracted its attention, and those which 

 immediately followed, being attended by 

 a species of fascination, or prostration of 

 energy, the frequent effect of terror, til}, 

 at length, the imminence of its danger 

 rouses every nerve and muscle, to exer- 

 tions which enable it to leave its enemies 

 at a considerable distance. Its fleetness 

 is such, as to give it the advantage over 

 many of its numerous adversaries. Its 

 quickness of hearing, and comprehen- 

 sion of sight, by which last it receives 

 the impressions of objects on almost 

 every side, are also important means of 

 its protection. The similarity of its co 



