Watfolu 327 
was engaged, both at home and abroad. He 
kept up a clofe correfpondence with Dr. 
HuxHAM for many years. We find among 
his correfpondents abroad, the names of 
M. Peyssonnel, Clairaut, Bose, the 
Abbe Nollet, M. Allemand, M. Jus- 
si eu, and many others, as may be feen from 
the letters communicated by him to the 
Royal Society. 
In Od:ober 1762, Dr. Watson was 
chofen one of the phyficians to the Found- 
ling Hofpital, which office he held during 
the remainder of his life. 
We find alfo two zoological articles laid 
before the Royal Society by Dr. Watson • 
The firfl of thefe relates to the infedl called 
the Vegetable Fly^ which had impofed on 
the credulity of many, under the idea of its 
being an infed: flying about with a vegetable 
growing on its back : whereas in fail it 
was nothing more than a fungus of the 
Clavaria genus, growing from the dead 
nymph of a Cicada^ as well as from any 
other putrid anirnal fubftances [n). The 
firft author who feems to have counte- 
{n) Phil. Tranf. Vol. liii. p. 27 1, tab. 23, 
Y 4 nanced 
