FLO 
FLU 
reftion, it can dive with equal facility. As thefe 
motions are very rapid^- the little animal appears as 
if jumping in the water; it's head always tending 
to the furface, and it's tail ftretched downwards. 
The Water-Flea is produced from an egg, 
which, when excluded, is carried on the back of 
the female ; and, foon after, is feen floating round 
her in the water. At firft, it exhibits the appear- 
ance of a very fmall whitifh infeft, endued with a 
very nimble motion; and, except in colour, it un- 
dergoes no change, only continuing to grow larger 
and redder in proportion to it's age. 
Thefe infefts fometimes remain feveral days on 
the ilirf^.ce of the water; and, at other times, they 
are only feen at the bottom; but, v/hether at the 
bottom or the furface, they are conftantly in mo- 
tion. They flied their fkins like mod other in- 
fefts; and thefe exuvife fo exactly refemble the 
creatures themfelves, that the flough may eafily be 
miftaken for the animal. 
FLESUS. An appellation ufed by fome au- 
thors to exprefs the flounder, the paflTcr fluviatilis 
cf naturalifts in general. 
FLITTER MOUSE. A name fometimes 
given to the comnion bat. 
FLORUS. An appellation given by Aldro- 
vandus, and fome other naturaliflis, to the bird ge- 
nerally knov/n in England by the name of the 
t/hinchat; a kind of the cenanthe, or fallow- 
finch. 
FLOUNDER; the pleuroneftes flcfus of Lin- 
nreus. This fifh may be eaflly diftinguifhed from 
any other of the fame genus by a row of fmall 
fiiarp fpines furrounding it's upper fides, placed 
juft at the junftion of the fins with the body. The 
upper part of the body is of a pale brown colour, 
fometimes marlced with a few obfcure fpots of dirty 
yellow; and the belly is white. A variety of this 
Flounder is fometimes found with the eyes and the 
lateral line on the left fide; of which Linnsus 
makes a diilinfl fpecies, called pleuroneftes pafl^er; 
but, as this fiffe diff'ers from the common kind in 
no other refpeft, it does not feem reafonable to fe- 
parate them. 
The Flounder is a native of all parts of the Bri- 
tifh fcas; and it even frequents thofe rivers at a 
confiderable difliance from the falt-water ; forwhich 
reafon fome writers liave termed it paflfer fluvia- 
tilis. L'l rivers, however, it never attains to any 
great fize; but it's flelli is reckoned fweeter than 
that of thofe Flounders which inhabit the fea. 
The weight of the largeft of this fpecies feldom 
exceeds fix pounds. 
FLOWER-ROOT WORM. A peculiar 
fpecies of Fly-Worms which inhabit the bulbous 
roots of flowers. Towards the end of autumn, 
wlien the roots of narcilTufes are taken out of the 
earth, each of them is very frequently found to 
contain a fingle worm, which eats and deftroys 
them. Such roots as contain thefe pernicious 
lodgers may be eafily known, by having fmall aper- 
tures in fome parts of their furfaces, at which thefe 
deilruftive aniinalcules entered when fmall, and 
which probably ferve them in a larger fl:ate for 
the purpofe of refpiration. The interior parts of 
thefe bulbs are always found rotten ; and the in- 
ciofed Worms lie in a kind of brown dirt made by 
their own liquid excrements, mixed with the frag- 
ments of the roots which they have confumed. 
Thefe Worms undergo all their transformations 
in fliells formed of tlieir own flcins, which are of 
the .fame ovated lhapes with thofe of blue flefh- 
fiies, but confiderably larger, and of a greyifli co-^ 
lour. This, however, is not all the difi-'erence per- 
ceptible between thofe fhells ; for, on the anterior 
and fuperior parts of them are two horns which 
feem intended to convey the air into the corfelet; 
the old fi:igmata, v;hich ferved the creature in it's 
Worm-ftate, being now obliterated. Afier hav- 
ing undergone all the necefiary changes, the fhell 
burfts open in the month of April, and emancipates 
the inclofed fly. 
This fly has at firfl: the appearance of an hum- 
ble bee; and, without fome degree of attention, 
they are not eafily diftinguifned. It is covered 
v/ith black, yellow, and reddifh hairs, after the 
fame manner as the common humble bees j but it's 
antennae, which are of the battledore fafiiion, plainly 
prove that it does not belong to the bee kind, even 
did not it's having only two wings evince the con- 
trary, 
FLUDER, or SEA-FLUDDER. A water- 
fowl of the colymbus or diver kind, defcribed by 
Gefner, and fome other authors, under the title of 
colymbus maximus. It is nearly of the fize of 
the goofe, and moves very flowly either in the wa- 
ter, on land, or in the air. It's beak is long; it's 
legs are very fliort ; it has a Ihrill voice ; and it dives 
to a prodigious depth. It's feet are webbed; it's 
back is of a greyifii colour; and it's belly is white. 
It very nearly approaches to the northern colym- 
bus, ca lied the lumme, diflering only in colour, 
which in birds is frequently found to be only an ac- 
cidental variety. 
FLUSHER. The common appellation for the 
lefl!er butcher-bird, called by authors the lanius 
minor, and by Aldrovandus lanius tertius. The 
beak is long, black, and a little hooked at the ex- 
tremity; the mouth is internally of a yellow co- 
lour; and the tongue is jagged. The middle of 
the back and the fmaller wing-feathers are a red- 
difli brown; the head and rump are grey; a broad 
line pafl^es on each fide of the head, rifing from the 
angle of the beak; the belly is white; the throat 
and breaft are v/hitifh with a reddifh caft; the 
greater plumage of the wings is mottled with brown 
and black; and the legs and feet are a deep blueifh 
black. 
This bird builds in holly-buflies, and other fimi- 
lar fituations. It lays fix oblong egs, white at the 
fmaller end, and ornamented v/ith a circle and red- 
difli fpots at the other. It is common in Ger- 
many, and in the northern parts of England. See 
BuTCHER-BlRD. 
FLUTA. A name given by Gaza and fome 
others to the common fparus, diftinguiflied by Ar- 
tedi by the appellation of the plain yellow Iparus 
with a large annular black fpot near the tail. 
Fluta is alfo a name given by Columella to the 
murjena of Ariftotle ; which in the Artedian fyflrem 
is difl:inguiflied under the name of the murzena 
without pe£loral fins ; a peculiarity evidently and 
obvioufly marking it from all others of the kind. 
FLUVIATILES COCHLEA. An appel- 
lation given by naturalifts to thofe fpecies of fhell- 
fifh which are never found in falt-water. Thefe, 
though much lefs numierous than fea-fhells, are yet 
of a greater variety and beauty than is commonly 
fuppofed. Such as have already fallen under the 
examination of conchologifts may be arranged un- 
der their proper genera, in the fubfequent man- 
ner. The univalves comprehend two fpecies of 
patellar ; one having a beak at the fummit of the 
fhell; and the other being deftitute of this appen- 
