1 40 Botanical Society of Edinburgh* and beautiful forms and structure deserve." The importance, how-ever, of illustrating this tribe will be evident when it is stated that almost every species of quadruped and bird has its peculiar parasite, and many of them are infested by two, three, or even five distinct species — that these offer so great a diversity of colour, form, and habits, that none but an entomologist would recognise the family to which they belong from any analogy they bear to the more fami-liar examples. Notwithstanding the number of individuals conti-nually offering themselves to the observer of nature, it is no less strange than true there is no one book to which he can refer for the purpose of naming them. It must not, however, be inferred from this that the subject has been wholly neglected by men of science, for so early as 1688 forty species were figured and described by Redi, since which we find the illustrious names of Linnaeus, Geoffroy, De Geer, Scopoli, Schranke, Fabricius, Albin, Latreille, Hermann, Olfers, Lyonet, Panzer, Leach, Nitzsch, and Children, assisting to elucidate this group. But as the labours of many of these natural-ists are difficult to come at, and several when procured give little more than a catalogue of names, without figures or reference to de-scription, few can avail themselves of the benefit they offer. The work will form a concise concentration of the information already possessed, with original figures, drawn and coloured after nature, and will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the entomological litera-ture of this country. Mr. Denny will feel greatly obliged by the transmission of exam-ples of the different species of Pediculidce and Nirmidte from the fol-lowing quadrupeds and birds : — Fox. Otter. Polecat. Weasel. Squirrel. Hedgehog. Mouse. Hat. Shrews. Mole. Dormouse. Guinea Pig. Hare. Seal. Wild Cat. Bats. Pine Martin. Goat. Kite. Goshawk. Kestril. Eagle. Owl. Little Owl. Roller. Nutcracker. Creeper. Wren. Long-tailed Titmouse. Goldfinch. Pine Grossbeak. Redstart. Redbreast. Ringouzel. Dipper. Pratincole. Bittern. Crane. Night Heron. Ibis. Bustard. Little Bustard. Northern Diver. Black Stork. Quail. Hawfinch. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. April 12th, 1838.— Robert Maughan, Esq., Member of the Wer-nerian Society, in the Chair. Mr. Forbes read a paper on the specific claims of Primula acaulis,
BioStor
