B L A 



B L A 



England was orlg-inally a native of the caftern parts of the 

 glob , or, as feme fiippofr, of America, from whence it 

 was loiici fince imported into Europe, and is now coin- 

 p'etrly naturalized to our climate. This is the hlnrta onental'ts 

 of lyllematic writers. Anothtr creature of t'.is kind, blaltn 

 ylnier'uana, was alfo introduced with the raw fugars brought 

 loirie years ago to Europe from America. 



All the known fpcries of cock-roaches, whether in the 

 larva, pupa, or pcrfeft winged Rate, fecrtte themfelv-s in the 

 day time, and wander about during the night in fearch of 

 food. In allulion to this circumftance, the ancients called 

 them lucifug;e, infcfts that Ihun the light. The common 

 cock-roach will eat almoll any fort of provifion, preferring, 

 however, bread, meal, fugar, and ftale meat, either of which 

 it is obferved to devour with the greateft eagenufs. Ex- 

 cept in being completely dellitute of wings and wing-cafes 

 the larva refembles the perfetl iiifedt, and in the pupa ftate 

 nothing more than the rudiments of the wings are percepti- 

 ble. In the dark they are remarkably attive and brific in all 

 th.eir motions, and on the leail difturbauce, or the return of 

 light, retreat again to their lurking places with timidity and 

 precipitation. They can fly fwiftly, but they feldom ufe 

 their wings for this purpofe ; even when moft clofely pur- 

 fucd they are known to trull rather to their legs, with which 

 they are able to run with no fmall celerity. The fumes of 

 charcoal, we are told, may be employed with fuccefs in de- 

 ftroying thcfe unwelcome inmates. 



The following fpecies of the hlatta genus, are defcribed by 

 Linnxus, Fabricius, Gmclin, &c. viz. giganlcci, madcri!:, 

 tegypttaca, occ'ulentalh, funnamcnjjs, americana, mijlra'ajij;, 

 erylhocepbala, capenjis, intiica, nivea, irrorata, •vlrijis, 

 brcifdlenfis, pellveriana, oricrital'ts, c'tnda, picla, •vartegata, 

 lappon'ica, gcrmanica, riificollis, maculata, mcirg'inata, oh- 

 longatiu mtithiln, fufca, deujla, chlorotica, lahjftma, nterrirra, 

 ferfpkillaris, afiatlca, fcheffen, fylvejlr'u, pennfyl-van'ica, livi- 

 ffa, rufa, gnfen, mlnutifftma, aptera, pundulata, oce/lata, which 

 fee, refpeClively. 



Blatta, according to fome writers, was alfo ufed for a 

 particular kind of kermes, or chermes ; or, according to 

 others, for " the purple-worm," by which the coccus cadi, 

 or cochitiearm[t& was moft likely meant. But both of thefe 

 acceptations are fufpicious. We kr.owthat the word blatta 

 was anciently ufed for a kind of moth, whole fat was reputed 

 excellent for the cars. This laft was called the book-worm 

 moth. See Book-worm. 



Blatta Americava ofCatefby is oi \\\<! fi'.pha genus with 

 modern entomologifts. Gmelin fpeaksof ii under the hame 

 of S'dphii Americana. 



Blatta by%ant'ina, in Phy/iology and Pharmacy, the oper- 

 culum, or lid of a turbinated ihcU, whufe filh yields a purple 

 dye. 



The llatta differs from the lid of the luccwtint-or pur- 

 pura, in iignre ; the firft being.oblong, the latter round: 

 but in the (hops they are ordmaiily confounded, and fold 

 for erch other. The blatta byz-antiua is alfo confounded by 

 apothecaries with the unguis odoratus, from which it 

 ought to be diftinguilhcd, as belonging to another kind of 

 ftell-filh. 



Dr. Lifter takes the blatta byzantina to have fucceeded the 

 unguis odoratus, and to have been brought into the fhops in 

 its place. In Diofcorides's time, the bell was brought from 

 the Red Sea, viz. the paleft and fatteft ; the blacker and It Is, 

 from Babylon, or the Perfian gulf: but it feems, latter times 

 took up with thofe found about Conllantinople ; whence 

 the prefent fhop-i/a.'/a had its name. 



The name bialta feems- to have been given to this opercu- 

 lum from the colour ; as being of a dark hair-colour, as the 



common Malta orienlalis, or common ro^iJ-rMf^, fo frequent 

 in London, is. 



The blatta byrcantirn, when exhibited internally, renders 

 the body foluble, fuftens the fplcen, and difculTes peccant 

 hur-iours. When ufed externally, by way of fumigation, it 

 reftores epileptic patients, and women labouring under a 

 ftrangulation of the uterus. In other difordtrs its tffecls are 

 the fame with thofe of moll teftaceotis fubltaiices. 



BLATTARIA, \nB'>taiiy. See Celsia, Lythrum, 

 PHNTAPETFs,and Verbascum. 



BLATTERI^, Affinms. See Lvsimachia. 



BLATTINIJS, in Entomology, a {pedes of Jlapiyl!r:;j 

 that inhabits Auftria ; the colour is black ; thorax broad ; 

 wing-cafes and the legs teftaceous and gloffy. Shranck. Inf. 



BLATUM-Bi;lgium, in Ancient Geography, a pro- 

 montory of Britain, mentioned in Antonine's Itinerar)-, con- 

 cei-ning the fituation of whicii antiquarians have entertained 

 different opinions. Camden, Gale, Baxter, and fome others, 

 have fixed it at Boulnefs, on the fouth coa'.l of Solway firth, 

 at the end of Sevems's wall ; yet Mr. Horfley affi ^ns its fitua- 

 tion at Middleby in Annandale. Here, as at the moft remote 

 !i-nit of the province of Britain, Antonine commences his 

 fecond route. A military way led from Blatum-Bulgium to 

 Luguvallium, or Carlifle. 



BLAU, in Geography, a river of Germany, in the circle 

 of Sw^bia, which rifes near the foot of a hill in the Blau- 

 topfe, as it is called, and runs into the Danube at Ulm. 



BLAUBEUREN, a town of Germany in the circle of 

 Swabia and duchy of Wirtemberg, in a fmall diftricl of the 

 fame name, feated on the river Blau, 7 miles W. of Ulm. 



BLAUDRUSELU.S, in Zoology^ (olaft'en ill.), phoca 

 criflata of Erxleben and Gmelin, and hooded fenl of Pennant. 



BLAUENTHAL, in Geography, a town of Germany, 

 in the circle of Upper Saxony. 



BL AUER-Bocx, in Zoology, one of the names given by 

 authors to the blue antelope, antilope Icucophica. \ ide Kolbe 



VoRGEB. 



BLAVET, in Biography, a celebrated performer on the 

 German flute, the firft, perhaps, who greatly diilinguifhed 

 himfelf by that inllrument after it fuperfedcd the com- 

 mon-flute, and became in general ufe. He was born at 

 Befan^on, and coming to Paris in 1723, foon acquired a 

 great reputation. The prince of Carignon, who knew his 

 merit, enhfted him in hisfervice; gave him an apartment 

 in his hotel, and a penfion. He was afterwards appointed 

 fuperintendant of the comte de Clermont's band, and re- 

 mained in that nobleman's fervice to the end of his life. 



To his admirable talents, Blavet joined the refpeftable 

 virtues of focitty ; his manners and conduct were blamelefs, 

 his temper tranquil, and his probity fcrupulous. He mar- 

 ried at eighteen, and lived upwards of fifty years with his 

 wife in uninterrupted harmony and afftftion. We are 

 always glad when to great profcfTlonal abilities, fuch an 

 eftimable character can be joined. 



Blavet's excellence on the German flute had been heard 

 of all over Europe, before the character of Weideman was 

 eftablilhed in England, or that of Q^antz in Germany. 



About the end of i^C-^ he was attacked with the ftone, 

 which was a malady then more dangerous than it became 

 afterwards, by the ll<ill, experience, and fuccefs of eminent 

 furgeons; but determining too foon, like our poor countryman 

 Dr. Worgan, to fubmit to the operation, he died under 

 it in 17 S, leaving behind him the elteem and regret of all 

 who knev/ him. 



Blavet, in Geography, a river of France, which runs into 

 th-. fea oppofite Belle Ifle. This forms a good harbour and 

 fpacious road. 



4 D 2 BLAU- 



