4{ 
{| 
276 
M. WILDENOW, in a differtation on 
botanical geography, firft printed in the 
annals of Botany, lately publifhed at 
Leipzig, has demonftrated, that the 
plants of the north of Afia, are nearly 
the fame as thofe of America. 
A complete and fplendid edition of the 
works of Geoffroy Augutftus Biirger, is 
now publifhing by CHaRLys REINHARD, 
at Gottingen. The two firft volumes 
contain his poetical pieces, with a portrait 
of the author, a frontifpiece, and many 
beautiful vignettes,- by. M. FrorgeLLo ; 
the third volume contains the firft part of 
his mifcellaneous works, namely a tranf- 
lation of feveral books of the Iliad, into 
kexameter and iambic verfes, with vig- 
nettes—Fiorillo, &c. The ath volume 
(not yet publithed) will contain the reft of 
his mifcellaneous works. 
It appears from a memoir lately read to 
the national infticute, by citizen Lace- 
PEDE, on the organ of vifion, in the 
Sth called, copEtT ANABLEPS, that,a 
miftake has hitherto prevailed, with re- 
gard to the real ftructure of the eye of this 
animal, as the anableps has been luppofed 
to have four eyes, a faét which appears 
very extraordinary and even unique, com- 
pared with all the other forms which red- 
blooded animals prefent; he thought this 
fingular conformation deferved to be more 
attentively examined. He has found the 
eye of this fifh to be placed in an orbit, 
the fuperior border of which is much 
elevated ; but, it is very big and very 
prominent. The cornea when confidered 
attentively, appears to be divided into 
two very diftinét parts, nearly equal in 
furface, each making part of a particular 
{phere, the one placed upwards, and the 
other downwards, and united by 2 fmail, 
ftrait, membranous, rather tran{parent 
band, and which is nearly in an horizon- 
tal plain, when the fifh is in a natural po- 
fition. _ In confdering the inferior cornea, 
there is eafily perceived acrofs that cornea, 
@n iris, and a prunella, or ball, pretty 
large, beyond which the cryftalline ap- 
pears; under the fuperior cornea, a {e- 
cond iris, pierced with afecond prunella, 
as alfo diftinguithed. The two irifes touch 
one another in many points, beneath 
the fhort, horizontal band, which con- 
nects the two corneas... ‘Thefe two irifes 
are the two plains, which fupport. the 
two {mall hemifpheres formed by the two 
corneas, and are included one over the 
ether, io as to produce an open angle. 
But, although there are many principal 
couble parts in the eye of the anableps, 
fuch asa double corata, a double cavity 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
[Novs 
for the aqueous humour, a double iris, 
a double prunella, citizen Lacepede thinks. 
himfelf juftified in confidering the ana- 
bleps, as having only a fingle eye on each 
fide, as there is only one cryftalline, one 
vitreous humour, and one retina, 
The nefts, which certain Americaa 
wafps fabricate and fufpend to the 
branches of trees, &c. have been long 
known and admired by the curious. 
They are conftruéted of a very fine web, 
of a very folid and pretty white pafte. 
Their form is that of a bell clofed upor 
all fides, excepting a narrow hole at the 
bottom. 
The infe& which conftru&s this curi- 
eus edifice has been defcribed by Fabri- 
clus, under the name of wvefpa nidulans. 
Independently, however, of this fpecies, 
there is another fort, which is alfo from 
Cayenne, in America, known only in the 
cabinets of a few amateurs, and which 
has not been perfectly defcribed. Cuvier, 
in a note read lately before the philomathic 
fociety of Paris, gives this account of it. 
It has in general more. volume than the 
preceding f{pecies, and its paite is grey, 
coarfer, lefs homogeneous,. and lef folid. 
The bottom of its neft alfo in lieu of be- 
ing fhaped funnel-like, is flat, and the 
orifice appears at one of the fides of the 
bottom part, and not in the middle. 
In the country where it is found, this 
{pecies of wafp, is called the tatou USP 
(mouche tatou.) It differs greatly m 
form, from that which Fabricius has de- 
{cribed; it is all entirely of a fhining 
black ; the firft articulation, or joint of its 
abdomen, is narrow, and in form of a 
pear; the fecond, larger than the others, 
is in form of abell; the wings are brown. 
The following is the charaétér affigned 
to it, hy citizen Cuvier. 
Vefpatatua, Nigra, Nitida, Alis fufcis, 
abdomine pedicallato. 
M. ScyRaADER, jun. profeffor at the 
Univerfity of Kiel, in Holftein, has lately 
entered into the fervice of Ruffia, in qua- 
lity of optician infvector of the cabinet 
of phyfics, and member of the academy 
of fciences, at Peterfburg; with an ap- 
pointment of r400 roubles per annum. 
This learned man, las lately publithed in 
German, a Sketch of Experimental Phyfics, 
founded, as to the chemical part, on the 
new thecry. (Printed at Hamburg, anda 
Danifh tranilation of it publifhed at Co- 
penhagen.) M. Schrader, has been par- 
ticularly diftinguifhed, for many years 
paft, as 2 conftru€tor of telefcopes, after 
the model of M. HerscuHeEt’s, of the 
length trom four-to twenty feet. The 
; mechaniim 
