LUC 



LUC 



poem, devoted to the Iiitercfts of liberty ; but it was one of 

 the firft. pieces of ancient literature that was pubhlhed during 

 the French republic, by Didot, i« a fplendid folio. 



LuCAN, in Gsography, a village of the county of Dublin, 

 Ireland, pleafantly fituated on the banks of the LifTey. It 

 is remarkable for a fulphureous medicinal fprina;, which is 

 much frequented. It is 65 miles W. from Dublin. 



LucAN, /ll, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in Aladulia ; 15 

 miles E. of Maralch. 



LUCAN AS, a jurifdiftion of the diocefe of Guamanga, 

 in the viceroyalty of Peru, commencing about 25 or 30 

 leagues S.W. of Guamanga. Its temperature is cool and 

 . moderate. The parts of the former breed large droves of 

 all forts of cattle ; and thofe of tlie latter are fertile in grain, 

 herbs, and fruits. It alfo abounds in valuable filver mines, 

 in which the riches of Peru chiefly conlilt ; and by thefe 

 means it becomes tiie centre of a very extenfive commerce ; 

 great numbers of merchants refovting liither with their goods, 

 and others for purchafing iuch provifions as their own re- 

 fpe&ive countries do not afford, for which they give in ex- 

 change ingots and pinnas of filver. 



LUCANIA, in Ancient Geography, a province of Italy, 

 bounded on the i-.orth by Campania and Apul^i!, on the eall 

 by Sinus Tarentinus, on the fouth by Brutium, and on the 

 weft by the Tufcan fea. A rid^e of the Apennines, running 

 from north to fouth, divides this province into two parts. 



LUCANUS, in Natural Hlflory, a genus of infefts of 

 the order coleoptera : antenna: clavate, the club compreflTed 

 and divided into fliort peftinate leaves ; jaws projeding be- 

 yond the head, fo as to refemble horns, toothed ; two pal- 

 pigerous tufts under the lip. 



This genus diflers chiefly from the ScahaBjEUS, (to 

 which the reader is referred,) in having the jaws confider- 

 ably elongated, fo as to give the appearance of a pair of 

 denticulated horns ; while the antenna; terminate in a laterally 

 flattened tip, divided on the interior fide into feveral lamellae. 

 There are twenty-fix fpecies, of which four are Britilh, 

 tvhich will be noticed by alleriflcs. 



Species. 



Alces. Jaws exferted, four-toothed at the tip. It in- 

 habits feveral parts of Afia. The head is large, depreffed, 

 black, finuate on each fide ; jaws longer than the head, 

 compreffed at the tip, and armed with a itrong tooth in tiie 

 middle within. 



GiRAFi'A. .Taws exferted, deprcfled, with many dif- 

 ferent fi zed teeth; lip rounded. Inhabits Afia. The jaws 

 are likewife very long ; the teeth at both ends larger ; thorax 

 with an unequal margin ; body black. 



* Cervus ; Stag-beetle, or llag-chaffer. Jaws exferted, 

 forked at the tip ; a fmall branch near the middle within. 

 It is the largeft of all the European coleopterous infcfts, 

 fometimes meafuring nearly two inches and a half in length, 

 from the tip of the jaws to the end of the body. Its general 

 colour is a deep chefnnt, with the thorax and head, which 

 is of a fquarifh form, of a blacker call ; and the jaws are 

 often of a brighter or redder chefnut colour than the wing- 

 ftjells ; the legs and under-parts are coal-black ; and the 

 wings which, except during flight, are concealed under the 

 ftiells, are large, and of a fine pale yellowifli-brown. This 

 remarkable infedl is chiefly found in the neighbourhood of 

 oak-trees, delighting in the fwcet exfudation, or honey-dew, 

 ft frequently obferved on the leaves. Its larva, which 

 perfectly refembles that of the genuine beetles, is alfo found 

 in the hollows of oak-trees ; refiding in the fine vegetable 

 iiaottid ufually feen in fuch cavities, and feediag on the fofter 



parts of the decayed wood. It is of a vfry confiJerablc 

 fize, of a pale ycllowilh or whitifh-brown colour; and when 

 itretched out at full length, meafures nearly four inches. It 

 has been fuppofed by Roefel, that thcfe larva were the 

 cajji of the ancient Romans, which, according to Phny, 

 were in high ellecm as an article of luxury. What renders 

 this fuppolition the more probable is, that the larvj; of a 

 fpecies of cerambyx, as well as of a curcnlio, are well 

 known to be greatly admired by the inhabitants of the Well 

 Indian iflands, and are frequently coUedted at a great ex- 

 pence, as "a highly delicate difli, being broiled or fried for 

 that purpofe. When arrived at its full fize, which, ac- 

 cording to fome, is hardly fooner than the fifth or fixth 

 Year, it forms, by frequently turning itftlf, and moilleiiing 

 it with its glutinous faliva, a fmooth oval hollow in the earth, 

 in which it lies ; and afterwards remainnig perfectly lliU for 

 the fpace of nearly a month, divells itfclf of its ikin, and 

 commences pupa or chryfalis. It is now of a fhorter form 

 than before, of a rather deeper colour, and exliibits, in a 

 llriklng manner, the rudiments of the large extended jaws 

 and broad head, fo confpicuous in the perfect infeft : the 

 legs are alfo proportionably larger and longer than in the 

 larva ftate. The ball of earth, in which this chryfalis is 

 contained, is confiderably larger than a hen's egg, and of a 

 rough exterior furface, but perfeftly fmooth and polifficd 

 within. The chryfalis lies about three months before it 

 gives birth to the complete infeft, which ufually emerges in 

 the months of July and Augull. The time, however, of 

 this infedl's growth and appearance in all its ftates varic-3 

 much, according to the difference of feafons. It is not very- 

 uncommon in many parts of England. 



The commonly fuppofed female differs fo much in ap- 

 pearance from the male, that it has by fome authors been 

 confidered as a dillinft fpecies. It is not only fmaller than 

 the former, but totally dellitute of the long and large 

 ramified jaws ; inilead of which it has a pair of 'very fliort 

 curved ones, flightly denticulated on their inner fide : the 

 head is alfo of confiderably fmaller diameter than the thorax. 

 In point of colour it refembles the former. Among thofe 

 who confider it as a diftinft fpecies m»f be numbered the 

 ingenious Mr. Marlhain, F.L.S., who, in his " Entomo- 

 logia Britannica," alRires us that the real female infedl ex- 

 tremely refembles the male, but is fmaller, and wants the 

 larger denticu'ation on the inner fide of each horn. The 

 generally fuppofed female he diftinguiflies by the title of 

 " Lucanus inermis." 



Saiga. Jaws exferted, many-toothed ; lip abbreviated, 

 emarginate. Inhabits America. Body depreflfed, fmooth, 

 black ; jaws hardly forked at the end. 



Elaphus. Jaws exferted, one-toothed, forked at the 

 tip ; lip deflefted, conic ; hind margin of the head much 

 elevated, emarginate. Female kfs ; the jaws not exferted. 

 Inhabits Virginia. 



Caprkolus. Jaws exferted, the middle denticles dif- 

 ferently Ihaped, forked at the tip. Inhabits Germany. It 

 is about half the fize of the cervus above delcrlbed ; jaws 

 with two thick approximate lobed denticles in the middle ; 

 body black. 



Da.ma. Jaws exferted, two-toothed within, as long as 

 the head. Inhabits Virginia. A variety has jaws entire at 

 the end ; thighs ferruginous. 



Femoratijs. Jaws exferted, three-toothed; body black ; 

 thighs ferruginous. It inhabits Cayenne. The head is 

 plain, almoll without lip ; thorax more duflty ; the fore 

 margin fulvous, ciliate ; the hind margin two-toothed eacij 

 fide; fcutel fulvous, filky. 



