36 History of British Entomostraca. 
have said above has been retained by almost all succeeding authors, 
though most of them have applied the term Branchiopodes to some 
particular division of them. Linnaeus only describes nine species 
in his Systema Naturae. Seven others, however, had been figured 
by the microscopical observers, Joblot, Baker, Frisch, Geoffroi, and 
Ledermuller, while a few others had been added by the celebrated 
Stroem, Goeze, and Herbst. * Of all the earlier writers, however, 
the illustrious De Geer has perhaps given the most interesting me- 
moir upon these insects.f He describes at length and figures most 
accurately seven species, and adds to the description some exceed- 
ingly interesting details. He seems to been aware of the transfor- 
mations of the Cyclops, and has given pretty accurate figures of the 
young, though unfortunately he was not able to follow up his obser- 
vations, and trace the final change into the perfect animal ; which 
has since his time been so ably done by Ramdohr and Jurine, appa- 
rently without knowing of each other's discoveries. Leeuwenhoek 
also noticed the great difference between the young and old of these 
little animals, but did not follow up his observation either. Swam- 
merdam and Schreffer have given a good many details with regard to 
some species of the Entomostraca ; but though much interest may be 
derived from a perusal of the writings of these different authors, 
still it is to the celebrated Danish naturalist, Otho Fridericus Miil- 
ler that we are most indebted. To him we owe the collecting the 
various species already made known, into one memoir the arrang- 
ing them into distinct genera and species, many important and ex- 
ceedingly interesting details with regard to them, never before made 
known, and the addition of an amazing number of new species, which 
that zealous naturalist discovered in the fresh waters, and on the 
sea coast of Denmark and Norway. He may be called the first re- 
gular historian of these insects. To him it is that we owe almost all 
our knowledge with regard to them j and to his eloquence is perhaps 
owing the further researches and more detailed histories of succeed- 
ing naturalists. His work on the Entomostraca, published in 1785,^ 
is one of the most interesting memoirs in natural history that we 
are acquainted with ; and though it appears from later naturalists, 
that he has fallen into several errors, still it is the most complete 
and the best history of the Entomostraca that has ever been publish - 
* Miiller. 
f Memories pour servir a 1'Hist. des Insectes, tome vii. Mem. 7. (French 
edition. Stockholm, 1778.) 
| Entomostraca, seu Insecta testacea quae in aquis Daniaeet Norvegiae reperit, 
descripsit et iconibus illustravit Otho Fridericus Muller. Lipsiaeet Havniao, 1785, 
4 to. 
