ORNITHOGALUM. 761 
bercle at the navel, with fmall excavations all over them, 
of a blackifh-brown colour. It is a native of Italy; 
grows in great abundance in the kingdom of Naples; 
and is now become very common in England. The roots 
propagate fo fall by offsets and feeds as to become trou- 
blefome weeds in gardens ; and, where the roots have 
been thrown out-, they grow on dunghills and wafte places 
plentifully. It is alfo become a denizen of Swifferland, 
is common in the meadows near Berne, and in the or¬ 
chards about Geneva. It was cultivated in England in 
1633. Linmeus fays, it was known at Naples about 1570. 
It flowers in April and May. This fpecies is reprefented 
on the annexed Engraving. 
19. Ornithogalum lafteum, or large milk-white ftar of 
Bethlehem : clufter long, denfe; filaments awl-fliaped, 
the alternate ones flightly dilated ; braftes membranous, 
ovate. Leaves lanceolate, acute, fringed. Native of the 
Cape of Good Hope, requiring with us the fhelter of a 
frame. It blooms in fumrner, and is confpicuous for its 
numerous crowded large flowers, whofe ovate-petals are 
white on both fides, though greenifh at the bale. The 
leaves are about fix inches long, and near an inch broad. 
This is reprefented on Plate II. 
20. Ornithogalum Capenfe, or Cape ftar of Bethlehem : 
leaves cordate, petioled. This has an irregular tuberous 
root, varying greatly in form and fize, covered with a 
dark-brown fkin, from which fpring feveral leaves, upon 
pretty long footftalks, and having feveral longitudinal 
veins like ribwort-plantain. The fiower-ftalks are flender, 
naked, about a foot high, fuftaining feveral fmall green- 
ifh-white flowers, formed in a lcofe fpike, ftanding upon 
long flender pedicels. They come out in November, 
make but little appearance, and are not fucceeded by 
feeds in England. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
III. New Species. 
21. Ornithogalum crenulatum : leaves oblong, blunt, 
ciliate; raceme upright. 22. Ornithogalum rupeftre : 
leaves filiform, flefhy ; flowers reflex. 23. Ornithogalum 
ciliatum : leaves ovate, acute, ciliate ; raceme upright. 
24. Ornithogalum altifiimum: leaves oblong-elliptic ; ra¬ 
ceme very long; braftes briftle-fhaped. 25. Ornithoga¬ 
lum pilofum : leaves linear-enfiform, ciliate; flowers ra- 
cemed ; peduncles curved inwards. Found at the Cape 
of Good Hope by Thunberg. 
26. Ornithogalum bulbiferum : bulbs axillary ; ftem 
many-leaved ; one-flow'ered. This is a very diftincl plant, 
With a Ample one-flowered ftem ; leaves alternate-filiform, 
all having a little bulb in the axils; flowers yellow, like 
thofe of O. minimum, with awl-fhaped petals. Found by 
Pallas in muddy places that are dry by the Wolga and 
Jaick. 
27. Ornithogalum circinatum: hoary, with hairs; leaves 
linear, recyrved, channelled ; root-leaf folitary; ftem- 
leaves three; ftem three or four flowered. This refem- 
bles O. minimum very much, but is quite diftindt. The 
flowers are larger and handfomer than thofe of O. luteum ; 
the outer petals quite awl-fliaped. The whole plant, ex¬ 
cept the flower, covered with a very fmall hoary fhaggi- 
nefs. Found by Pallas in dryfpots near Aftrachan. 
28. Ornithogalum Japonicum : racemes fpiked, cylin- 
dric, very long; fcapes ftriated. Bulb conical, fleftiy, 
white, a little larger than a hazel-nut. Leaves radical, 
linear, flat, fmooth, upright, thorter than the fcape. Scape 
round, fmooth, upright, a foot high or more. Flowers 
upright, opening one after another, in a raceme of a fin¬ 
ger’s length or upwards; corolla blue-purple, fpreading, 
permanent. Native of Japan, about Jeddo, Nagafaki, &c. 
flowering in Auguft and September. 
29. Ornithogalum Sinenfe: fcape round, grooved 5 fpike 
Ample, long, upright. Bulb ovate, tunicated, an inch 
and a half long. Scape quite Ample, two feet high, 
ftraight, round, many-grooved, naked. Flowers fmall, 
violet, on fhort pedicels. Native of China about Canton. 
It is nearly allied to the preceding, but the flowers are by 
,Vol. XVII. No. 1214. 
no means in a branched or racemed fpike. The petals 
are neither diftindt nor very fpreading. The leaflet under 
each flower involves it, and is therefore rather a fpathe 
than a bradte. 
. 30. Ornithogalum graminifolium : leaves linear, en¬ 
tire, fmooth; raceme fpiked, eredt. 31. Ornithogalum 
albucoides : leaves linear, channelled, fmooth ; raceme 
upright. 32. Ornithogalum maculatum : leaves lanceo¬ 
late ; flowers directed one way; the three outer petals 
fliorter, dulky-fpotted. 33. Ornithogalum ovatum : leaves 
ovate, entire, fmooth ; raceme ovate. 34. Ornithogalum 
nanum; leavesobovate; fcape club-fhaped; flowers fpiked, 
aggregate, fleftiy. 35. Ornithogalum undulatum: leaves 
enfiform, waved; fcape fubcylindrical; raceme comofe, 
lhort. 36. Ornithogalum pundiatum : leaves enfiform, 
channelled; fcape cylindrical; raceme very long, comofe; 
flowers remote. Found at the Cape of Good Hope by 
Thunberg. 
37. Ornithogalum aureum, or golden ftar of Bethlehem: 
leaves ovate-lanceolate, edged with white flowers, ra¬ 
cemed, cluftered ; filaments placed on an emarginate nec¬ 
tary. Bulb whitifh: from this fpring three or four fmooth, 
fonmwhat-flefhy, upright, dark-green, leaves, about half 
an inch wide, and three or four inches long, edged with 
white, and, if magnified, appearing fringed with very 
fine villofe hairs. Stalk naked, fromeight to twelve inches 
high, fupporting many flowers, which fpring from the 
axils of large hollow pointed bradles, and, opening one 
after another, keep the plant a confiderable time in flower : 
they are ufually of a bright-orange or gold colour, but 
fometimes paler. Native of the Cape of Good Hope : in¬ 
troduced by Meffirs. Lee and Kennedy, a few years fince. 
It flowers in January and February, and continues for fe¬ 
veral months. 
Jacquin has figured five new fpecies (giganteum, fcil- 
loides, revolutum, juncifolium, barbatum), in t. 87, 88, 
89, 90, 91, of a magnificent work entitled Hortus Schcen- 
brunenfis. 
Propagation and Culture. Several of thefe plants (3,4, 
5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18.) are cultivated for ornament in the 
Englifli gardens, and are hardy bulbs. They are propa¬ 
gated by offsets, which their roots commonly produce in 
great plenty. The beft time to tranfplant them is July 
or Auguft, when their leaves are decayed ; for, if they 
are removed late in autumn, their fibres being fhot out, 
they will be apt to fuffer on being difturbed. They ftiould 
have a light fandy foil, not over-dunged. They may be 
mixed with other bulbs in the borders of the plealure- 
garden, and need not be tranfplanted oftener than every 
other year; for, if they are taken up every year, they will 
not increafe much; and, if they are fuffered to remain 
much longer unremoved, they will have fo many offsets 
as to weaken the blowing-roots. They may alfo be pro¬ 
pagated from feeds; but the plants will not flower under 
three or four years. 
The Cape forts are alfo propagated by offsets; but, being 
too tender to thrive in the open air, the roots muft be 
planted in pots filled with light earth, and in autumn 
placed under a hot-bed frame, where they may be fcreened. 
from froft, and in mild weather enjoy the free air. In 
the beginning of July the leaves and ftalks generally de¬ 
cay, and then the roots may be taken up, and laid in a 
dry cool place till the end of Auguft, when they muft be 
planted again. See Albuca, Hypoxis, Melanthium, 
and Scilla. 
ORNITHOGLOS'SUM, f. in botany. See Melan¬ 
thium viride, vol. xv. 
ORNITHOLI'THUS. See the article Mineralogy, 
vol. xv. p. 523. 
ORNITHOL'OGIST, f. [from ornithology.'] One who 
underftands the nature of birds; a defcriber of birds.— 
Soon after Mr. Adanfon’s Voyage to Senegal, Mr. Collin- 
fon firft, in the PhilofophicalTranfaftions, and, after him, 
the molt eminent ornithologi/ls in .Europe, feem to have 
conftdered this traveller’s having caught four European 
9 H fwallows. 
