36 History of British Entomostraca. 



have said above has been retained by almost all succeeding authors, 

 though most of them have applied the term Branchiopodes to some 

 particular division of them. Linnaeus only describes nine species 

 in his Systema Naturce. Seven others, however, had been figured 

 by the microscopical observers, Joblot, Baker, Frisch, Geoffroi, and 

 Ledermuller, while a few others had been added by the celebrated 

 Stroem, Goeze, and Herbst. * Of all the earlier writers, however, 

 the illustrious De Geer has perhaps given the most interesting me- 

 moir upon these insects. f He describes at length and figures most 

 accurately seven species, and adds to the description some exceed- 

 ingly interesting details. He seems to been aware of the transfor- 

 mations of the Cyclops, and has given pretty accurate figures of the 

 young, though unfortunately he was not able to follow up his obser- 

 vations, and trace the final change into the perfect animal ; which 

 has since his time been so ably done by Ramdohr and Jurine, appa- 

 rently without knowing of each other's discoveries. Leeuwenhoek 

 also noticed the great difference between the young and old of these 

 little animals, but did not follow up his observation either. Swam- 

 merdam and Schoeffer have given a good many details with regard to 

 some species of the Entomostraca ; but though much interest may be 

 derived from a perusal of the writings of these different authors, 

 still it is to the celebrated Danish naturalist, Otho Fridericus Mul- 

 ler that we are most indebted. To him we owe the collecting the 

 various species already made known, into one memoir — the arrang- 

 ing them into distinct genera and species, — many important and ex- 

 ceedingly interesting details with regard to them, never before made 

 known, and the addition of an amazing number of new species, which 

 that zealous naturalist discovered in the fresh waters, and on the 

 sea coast of Denmark and Norway. He may be called the first re- 

 gular historian of these insects. To him it is that we owe almost all 

 our knowledge with regard to them ; and to his eloquence is perhaps 

 owing the further researches and more detailed histories of succeed- 

 ing naturalists. His work on the Entomostraca, published in 1785, % 

 is one of the most interesting memoirs in natural history that we 

 are acquainted with ; and though it appears from later naturalists, 

 that he has fallen into several errors, still it is the most complete 

 and the best history of the Entomostraca that has ever been publish - 



* Muller. 



f Memoires pour servir a l'Hist. des Insectes, tome vii. Mem. 7. (French 

 edition. Stockholm, 1778.) 



\ Entomostraca, seu Insecta testacea qua? in aquis Daniaeet Norvegiae reperit, 

 descripsit et iconibus illustravit Otho Fridericus Midler. Lipsiaeet Havnis?, 1785, 

 4 to. 



