LUTNEAlSr SOCIETY OF LONDON, ClU 



kind, eren in the hands of their author, are apt to be carried too 

 far in their application, and, when they fall into those of other 

 speculators of less information and less capacity, can hardly fail 

 to be grossly misused. This has been the case with Mr. MacLeay's 

 ideas; and thus, as observed by the author of a notice in the 

 ' Reader,' of his labours, the name of the " cil-cular system" and 

 of " quinarianism " became almost bywords; and the work of 

 one of the most thoughtful and original of English biologists sank 

 at one time into most unmerited neglect. 



Mr. MacLeay's second important work, entitled " Annulosa 

 Javanica, or an Attempt to illustrate the Natural Affinities and 

 Analogies of the Insects collected in Java by Thomas Horsfield," 

 appeared, in the 4to form, in 1825. And in 1838 he published a 

 similar work on the "Annulosa of South Africa," also with coloured 

 figures. 



The principal papers from his pen that have appeared in our 

 ' Transactions ' are : — 



1. On the Identity of certain Greneral Laws which have been 

 lately observed to regulate the Natural Distribution of Insects 

 and Fungi (vol. xiv.). 



2. Qn the Insect called Oistros by the Ancient Greeks and 

 Asilus by the Eomans (ibid.). 



3. Anatomical Observations on the Natural Glroup of Tunicata, 

 &c. (ibid.). 



4. On the Structure of the Tarsus in the Tetramerous and Tri- 

 merous Coleoptera of the French Entomologists. 



5. Remarks on the Comparative Anatomy of certain Birds of 

 Cuba, with a view to their respective places in the System of 

 Nature, or to their relations with other Animals (vol. xvi.). 



After his retirement to Australia, I am not aware that Mr. 

 MacLeay published anything ; but he has left, as I am in- 

 formed, a large collection of manuscripts on all subjects of natural 

 history, which, as greatly to the advantage of science, it would be 

 extremely desirable should be carefully examined, and those 

 among them fitted for the purpose published. There is rea- 

 son, I believe, to hope that this may be done, and that we may, 

 as in former days, again see the pages of the ' Linnean Trans- 

 actions ' graced by articles bearing the honoured name of William 

 Sharp MacLeay. 



Jean Jacques de MocJies, M.D., one of the oldest Fellows of the 

 Society, into which he was elected on the 18th of November, 

 1806, died on the 18th of April, 1864, and his decease should have 



