Retrofped of Domeftic Literature —Natural Hiftary, ce. 583 
unreafonably fevere upon Fabricius, for 
his ambitious attempt to erect a new fyf- 
tem of infectology, in oppofition to his 
mafter Linneus, The Linnean arrange- 
ment is founded on the varied ftrugture of 
the wings of infects, and on the abfence of 
that orgine The fyftem of Fabricius is 
founded on the varieties of thofe organs 
by which infects take their food. Mr. 
Kirby contends, that the organization of 
thefe latter parts is too minute and un- 
certain for the bafis of clafification, and 
that, however imperfect the Linnean [yf- 
tem might be, ic was ftill fufceptible of 
every poflible improvement, without the 
neceifiry of fubmitting to any fundamen- 
tal alteration. Mr. Kirby has prefented us a 
new delineation of the natural characters 
of the hymcnopterous infects, and a new 
arrangement of the gencra and families of 
the apes. Linnzus was content with a 
fingle genus—apis. Mr: Kirby divides 
them into two genera—melitta and apis 5 
the former having its Angua Mort in the 
point, ftraight, fomewhat flat, and inclofed 
within a -fort of cylindrical fheath ; the 
Jatter having its tingua fhorter, and fome- 
what bent on one iide. Both thefe genera 
are diftributed into two families, and then 
again the melitta into five, and thie apis 
into feven fubdivifions. The fpecies be- 
Jonging to the former amount to fourteen, 
and thofe of the latter to forty! In his 
inveiligation, Mr. Kirby has evinced the 
utmoft delicacy, perfeverance and correct 
ne{s. 
Mr. Roxpure has publifhed volume 2, 
fafcicuius iii,of the Plants of the Ccatt of 
Coromandel: the following is a lift of 
them—they are delineated with exquifite 
elegance ** Curcuma Montana. Julticia re- 
pens. Juftitia pe&inata. Gratiola vero- 
nicifolia, Graticla oppofitofolia. Rott- 
beellia comprefla. Rottheellia exaltata. 
Opilia amentacea. Erycibe paniculata. 
Triopteris Indica. Torenia cordifolia. 
Gmelina -parvifolia.  Stemodia viicofa. 
Serpicula verticillata. Valli{neria octan- 
dra. Stilagodiandra. Antidefma pubef- 
cens.  Rortlera tinGtoria. Cluytia col- 
lina. Cluitia patula. Cluitia Montana. 
Cluitia fpinofa. Cluitia fcandens. Mi- 
mofacinerea. Mimofacatechu.”’ | 
‘¢ The Woodland Companion ; or, a 
fort’ Defcription of Britifh Trees, with 
fome Accounts of their Ufes.”” This little 
work, compiled by Dr. Arkin, will be 
found extremely interefting and inftructive 
to young perfons. The plates (twenty- 
eight in number) are copied from Hunter’s 
edition of Evelyn’s Sylva. 
Previoully to his death, an event which 
' 
will long be regretted by every lover of 
fcience, Dr. GaRNeTT publifhed the firft 
volume of his ** Annals of Philofophy, 
Natural Hiftory, Chemiftry, Literature, 
Agriculture, and the Mechanical and Fine 
Arts.”? This work, laid out on a very 
extenfive {cale, and certainly executed 
with great care and ability, was to have 
been offered to the public as an annual 
report of the progre!s and ftate of {ci- 
eoce: every new dilcovery was to have 
been announced and. defcribed; the pro- 
ceedings of learned focieties were to have 
been btiefly detailed; and a kind of Ca- 
talogue ratfonné afforded of all books pub- _ 
lifhed, either in England or elfewhere, on 
philofophical or fcientific fubjeéts. The 
work is divided into three parts, the firft 
of which contains three fections :—-1. An 
Account of , Difcoveries made in the Year 
1800 in Natural Philofophy; 2. in Natu- 
ral Miitory ;. 3. in Chemiftry. Each of 
thefe feétions is fubdivided into feveral 
chapters. ‘Ihe fecond part, under the ge- 
neral title of Literary, comprehends a 
concife Account of Books lately publith- 
ed in England, France, Germany, Spain, 
Tsaly, &c. arranged under the various 
heads of Agriculture, Antiquities, Law, 
the Arts, Biography, Chemiltry, Dic- 
tionaries,, Grammars, Dramas, Haittory, 
Novels, Poetry, Politics, &c. The third 
part contains mifcellaneous articles, and 
is divided into four fections, namely, 
r. Account of Improvements in’ Agricul- 
ture; .2. Arts; 3. Fine Arts ; 4. Obitu- 
ary.” “It is much to be hoped, that 
a work planned with fuch~ judymenr, 
and commenced with fuch ability, will 
be continued with the fame {pirit of in- 
duftry and refearch. 
‘© Prodromus Lepidopterorum Britani- 
corum; a concile Catalogue of Britith 
Lepidopterous Infeéts,’ with the Times 
and Places of Appearance in the winged 
State, by a Fellow of the Linnean Socte- 
ty.” We are extremely happy to learn, 
that this little tract is the forerunner of a 
complete Account of Britifh Moths, Bur- 
terflies, &c. under the title of ** Lepido- 
ptera Britannica.’> A Society has been 
formed, pofleffing what its members deno-— 
minate an Aurelian Cabinet, to waich each 
agrees to prefent from his private collec- 
tion every Lepidoptercus infest not al- 
ready ‘contained in it. By this method, 
we are informed, that upwards of eleven 
hundied {pecies, and above three hundied 
varieties, have been collected, many of 
which will probably, on future inveltiga- 
tion, be afcertained as diftin&t fpecies. 
The prefent Catalogue confifts of three 
columns + 
