1807.] 
gelica sylvestris, Zigopodium podagraria, 
&e. which all thrive in marshy places, 
are perfectly harmless. Hence, it should 
seein, that neither the pale colour; dis- 
agreeabie odour, nor the nature of the 
soil on which plants grow and thrive, can 
aiford a certain test of their possessing 
polsonous qualities. 
The pretended repugnance of animals 
to Noxious plants, turnishes aul Sc lly uns 
certain. criterion of their qual lity. The 
botanical division of plants into ‘classes, 
erders, and families, is equally ineitic sient 
for ae To render this evident, 
it is only necessary to observe, that 
among the principal species of the meght- 
shade (Solenum) is found the potatoe 
(Solanum tuberosum) and many other 
wholesome vegetables, as well as the 
capsicum, which is said to possess the 
quality of destroying the Peper prin- 
ciple in narcotic plants. 
In consequence of this want of an ex- 
ternal and natural sign, by means of which 
poisonous plants may he certainly disco- 
vered, it would be extremely desirable 
to bed out some easy method of exa- 
mining them; such, for example, as by 
the use of an ’ Eudiometer, or any other 
mode best calculated to produce 1 in. them 
such changes as might, 
colour assumed by mushroons in boiling, 
indicate their deleterious qualities, though 
it must be confessed that even this crite- 
rion, by which we judge of poisonous 
mushrooms, is not yet sutliciently ascer- 
tained. 
“¢ An easy method is therefore required, 
by which any individual, unacquainted 
with betany, may speedily detect dele- 
terious plants at a small expence, and in 
a manner perfectly decisive.” 
The prize to be one hundred Dutch 
ducats, and the different Memoirs must 
be transmitted previous to the 1st of 
July, 1808. 
eee 
THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
OF LONDON. 
i. first part of the first vo- 
lume of the labours of this in- 
fant, but industrious society, has just 
been published. Its pursuits are di- 
rected towards the study of the science 
of Entomology, but. more especially of 
those species of insects found in Great 
Britain; the ascert aining of their names 
and distinctions, their native countries, 
their localities, their food, economy, and : 
peculiarities; pointing out the readiest 
and most desirable methods of destroying 
those which possess: noxious properties, 
Proceedings of Learned Socteties. 
‘titled “ 
like the black — 
267 
and making known as far as possible, 
those properties, which may either prove 
useful to science, or beneiicial to man 
kind. 
This part contains five papers, ahi 
are preceded by the by-laws of the so- 
ciety; the first is by the president, 
A. H. Haworth, esq. I’. LS. and F.H.S. 
whose assiduity i im Cultivating this branch 
of natura | history, is well displayed in 
his two wonles, the first entitled ** Pro- 
dromus Lepidopteror um Britannicorum,” 
published in 1802; and the second, 
“« Lepidoptera Britannica,” in the suc- 
ceeding year. This paper is called, 
“ A Review of the Rise and Pr ogress of 
the Science of Entomology in Gre zat Brie 
tain, chronologically digested.” From 
this it appears, that the first work pub- 
lished in England, relating to Untomo- 
logy, was a large folio volume, written 
and completed by Thomas Moutet, en- 
Insectorum sive minimorum: 
Auinalum.” Te was published at Lon- 
don, in 1634, and is embellished with 
numerous engravings on wood, accom 
panied by long, tedious, and sometimes 
superstitious descriptions of the subjects 
they represent. The figures are wretch= 
edly executed, yet the book is not desti- 
tute of merit. The frst publication, 
which gave any acccunt of British insects 
exclusively, was publised in 1667, by 
Christopher Merret, M.D. F.R.S. and 
contains, amongst other things, a brief 
catalogue of such as Dr. M,. knew to 
be indigenous, each aceompanied by a 
concise descriptive sentence, by way of 
name. We can do little more than 
mention the names of the succeeding 
writers on entomology, beginning with 
Dr. Martin Lister, of Yor k, Petiver, 
whose museun, after his death in 1718, 
was purchased 'by Sir. Hans Sloane, for ” 
4000]. and now forms part of the valuable: 
stores of the British Museum; Sir Hans 
Sloane; the great Ray, whose Historia 
Insectorum was published after his death, 
by Dr. Derham ; Eleazer Albin, who 
published in 1731, “ The Natural fis- 
tory of British Inseotsy’ -which contains 
principally, but not exclusively, such 
lepidopterous insects, as the author and 
his triends had reared from the state of 
caterpillars, exhibiting them feeding on 
their proper plants, and in all their 
changes; the whole are highly coloured, 
and “accompanied ‘by descriptions in 
English. This author also published, 
in 1736, a Natural History of Spiders 
in which he enumerates nearly two hun- 
dred species, and gives an English de- 
scription » 
