ON INTRODUCED ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 65 



to the received opinion and Sibthorp's account of the Greek usage, is 

 one or more species of Scandix. — The S. trichosperma was received 

 from Egypt by Linnseus. 



The rxorsA of Aristophanes (Eccles. 929 and Lysistrat. 48), Theo- 

 phrastus vii. 9, Nicander (Ther. 838), and Dioscorides, clearly corre- 

 sponds with the Echium rubrum of Forskal. — Forskal found this plant 

 still used as a cosmetic in Egypt. 



The AMorriAos of Aristophanes (Lysistrat. 735), according to Sib- 

 thorp's and Scarlatus' account of the Greek usage, would seem to be 

 the Scorpiurus sulcata. — This plant was found by Delile along the 

 borders of the cultivated fields of Lower Egypt ; and the S. villosa 

 was seen by Forskal growing spontaneously at Cairo. 



The gtmon of Aristophanes, Theophrastus, Ariston, Hegesander, 

 and Athengeus ii. 60, according to Tournefort's and Sibthorp's account 

 of the Greek usage, is the Satureja ? capitata. — This plant abounds in 

 the Grecian Archipelago ; and was seen by Delile, indigenous near 

 Alexandria. 



The EAAEBoros of Aristophanes, Euryphon, Demosthenes, Theo- 

 phrastus, Dioscorides, and Oribasius, is considered to be the Helleborus 

 Orientalis ; an. indigenous plant of Greece. — Two kinds, however, are 

 mentioned by ancient writers ; and Forskal (Mat. Med.) notices the 

 importation and medical use in Egypt of roots of the " h. niger and 

 h. albus." 



The icatta noNTiKA of Ctesias, Dioscorides, and Athengeus, according 

 to Forskal's account of the usage at Constantinople, is the filbert 

 (Corylus avellana). — Virgil enumerates the filbert among cultivated 

 plants; and Pliny states (xv. 24), that it was brought into Greece 

 and Asia Minor from Pontus. The living plant appears to be un- 

 known in Egypt. 



Ctesias speaks of a bird in India that " could talk like man, and 

 even speak Greek, if it had learned the language ;" and in this descrip- 

 tion, we readily recognise the parrot (Psittacus). At this time, there- 

 fore, the parrot was unknown in Greece; but the bird must have been 

 introduced shortly afterwards, for it is mentioned by Aristotle, Ovid, 

 and Pliny. 



As the above-described parrot was partly "of the colour of ki n- 

 nabap," it would seem, that Ctesias referred to our modern cinnabar, 

 or vermilion (the sulphuret of quicksilver). — Crude quicksilver, 



