LEl' 
sfaVvmg, a fate, however, to which the lit- 
tle labourers are exposed in consequence 
of these depredations. 
L. pusillus, inhabits the south-east of 
Russia, is solitary, and rarely to be observ- 
ed, even where most abundant. It is only 
about six inches in lengthi It generally in- 
dicates its residence by its sounds, resem- 
bling those of a quail. Its pace consists of 
a succession of leaps, rather than steps. It 
sleeps with its eyes open, is particularly 
gentle, passes but little of its time in sleep, 
and is perfectly fami'iadzed in the course 
of two or three days after it is taken. 
Lepls, in astronomy, a constellation of 
the southprn hemisphere. See Astronomy. 
LERCHEA, in botany, so named in ho- 
nour of John Lerche ; a genus of the Mo- 
nadelphia Pentandria class and order. Es- 
sential character : calyx five-toothed ; co- 
rolla funnel-form, five-cleft ; antheis five, 
placed on the tube of the germ ; style oue ; 
capsule three-celled, many-seeded. There 
is but one species, viz. L. longicauda, na- 
tive of the East Indies. 
LERNEA, in natural history, a genus of 
the Vermes Molliisca class and order. Body 
oblong, somewhat cylindrical, naked ; two 
or three tentacula each side and round, by 
which it affixes itself; two ovaries, project- 
ing like tails from the lower extremity. 
These insects are without eyes, and are said 
to be very troublesome to fish, adhering 
very firmly principally to the giUs and fins. 
There are fifteen sj)ecies. L. meridiana is 
one of' the largest European species, often 
measuring an inch in length, and is a very 
common insect during the decline of sum- 
mer, generally appearing in the hottest part 
of the day. It is brown above ; briliiant 
tawny beneath ; shining like satin. 
LESKIA, in botany, so named from Na- 
thaniel Godofr. Le.ske, Professor of Natural 
History and Oeconomy, in tiie University 
of Leipsic; a genus of the Cryptogamia 
Musci class and order. Natural order of 
Mosses. Generic character : capsule ob- 
long; peristome double; the exterior with 
sixteen teeth, which are acute ; the interior 
membranaceous, divided into equal seg- 
ments. Males, gemmaceous in different in- 
dividuals. 
LETH.ARGY, in medicine, a disease 
wherein such a profound drowsiness or 
sleepiness attends the patient, that he can 
be scarce awaked, and, if aW'aked he re- 
mains stupid, without sense or memory, and 
presently sinks again into his former sleep. 
LE'ETER, a character used to express 
LET 
due of the simple sounds of the voiefe; Stli! 
as the different simple sounds are expressed 
by different letters, these, by being differ- 
eutiy cbuipounded, become tiie visible signs 
or characters of all the modulations and 
mixtures of aounds used to express our 
ideas in a regular language. Thus, as by 
the help of speech we render our ideas au- 
dible, by the assistance of letters we render 
them visible, and by their help we cart 
wrap up our thoughts, and send them to the 
most distant parts of the eirth, and read the 
transactions of different ages. As to the 
first letters, wliat tliey were, who first in- 
vented them, and among wliat people they 
were first in use, thei e is still room to doubt ; 
Philo attributes tins great and noble inven- 
tion to Abraliani ; Josgplms, St. Irenaeus, 
and others, to Enocii ; Bihliander, to Adam J 
Eusebius, Clemens Alexandrinns, Cornelius 
Agrippa, ami otliers, to Moses; PomponiuS 
Mela, Herodian, Rufus Ee.stus, Piiiiy, Lu- 
can, &c. to tlie Piicsnidians ; St. Cyprian, to 
Saturn ; Tacitus, to tiie Egyptians ; some, 
to tiie Ethiopians ; and otliers, to the Chi- 
nese : but, with re.spect to tliese last, tliey 
can never be entitled to tliis honour, since 
all their cliaracters are the signs of words, 
formed wdthout the use of letters ; which 
renders it impossible to read and write 
their language without a vast expense of 
time and trouble; arrd absolutely impos- 
sible to print it by tliehelp of types, or any 
other manner but by the engraving, or cut- 
ting in wood. See Printing. 
There tiave also been various conjectures 
about tiie different kinds of letters used in 
different languages; tlius, according to Cri- 
nitns, Bloses invented the Hebrew letters ; 
Abraham, the Syriac and Chaldee ; the 
Phcenicians, those of Attica, brought into 
Greece by Cadmus, and from thence into 
Italy by the Pelasgians ; Nicostrata, the 
Roman; Isis, tiie Egyptian; and Volfilas, 
tli'ose of the Goths. 
It is probable that the Egyptian Iiierogly- 
phics were tiie first manner of writing: but 
wliether Cadmus and the Phoenicians learn- 
ed the use of letters from the Egyptians, of 
from their lieigiibonrs of Judea or Samaria, 
is a question; for since some of the books of 
the Old Testament vVere tlieil written, they 
are more likely to Iiave given them tkk hint 
than the hieroglyphics of Egypt. But 
wheresoever the PheeniciaUs learned this 
art, it is generally agreed, that Cadmus, the 
son of Agenor, first brought lettefs into 
Greece ; whence, in following ages, tliey 
spread over the rest of Europe. 
