COLLOQUIA ENTOMOLOGICA. 331 



Piirpureus color huic, argentius essct in illis. 

 Non satis hoc Phoebo est : is enim fuit auctor honoris, 

 Ipse suos gemitus foliis inscribit ; et AI, AI 

 Flos habet inscriptum. 



Ent. I hope you are entertained. 



Erro. The AI AI are just the white marks which the 

 gladiole or cornflax, whichever you call it, bears on the lower 

 petals, and the " Vaccinia nigra," in " Formosum pastor 

 Corydon," is the same flower. Old Heyne says, " Vaccinia 

 nigra esse eundem florem cum Hyacinthis poetarum;" and 

 Duncan the same, — " Melius cum Turnebo et Salmasio dicemus 

 Hyacinthum esse." " Martinus," says Heyne, " Hyacinthum 

 poetarum lilium floribus reflexis sive Martagon esse putet;" 

 the common Martagon lily : but this could not be ; for we find 

 in Theocritus, " Kai to \ov fiiXav Ivrl kuX aypavTa vaKivdog," 

 which will not suit the Martagon : but all these things must 

 remain doubtful. Some commentator even says, that the Nar- 

 cissus of the ancients was our common red Valerian ! 



Ent. What think you was the Narcissus ? 



Erro. The Narcissus of Ovid was certainly our Narcissus 

 or Dafibdil ; the yellow centre, with the white petals round it, 

 is very accurately described, 



Croceum pro corpora florem 

 Inveniunt foliis medium cingentibus albis. 



Ent. Roey, I must learn French. 



Erro. Ovid's Narcissus is a beautiful story. 



Nee vigor, et vires, et quae modo visa placebant, 

 Nee corpus remanet, quondam quod amaverat Echo ; 

 Qui tamen ut vidit quamvis irata memorque 

 Indoluit; quotiesque puer miserabilis "Eheu" 

 Dixerat; hcec resonis iterabat vocibus " Eheu." 



Ent. I must learn French ; I know it must be useful — 

 yes, I must learn it — I must, indeed — between ourselves, on 

 purpose to puff myself in the French Magazines. 



Erro. M. Entomophilus a public dans le Magasin Ento- 

 mologique un traite sur I'Osteologie des Insectes ; ce savant a 

 deploye la plus grande erudition et un genie vraiment etonnant. 



Ent. I catch the idea of all that; it's about gardening; 

 my mind's eye pictures you in a straw hat, half way up a little 

 ladder, with a pair of scissors cutting off faded flowers and 



