perfon has fupported his favourite

A

the fame Work.

Ccording to the obfervations of Dr.Vicat, an ingenious Swifs phyfician long refident in Poland, and who has published a fatisfactory treatife upon this fubject; the Plica Polonica is fuppofed to proceed from an acrid viscous humour penetrating into the hair, which is tubulart: it then exudes. either from its fides or extremities, and clots the whole together, either in feparate folds, or in one undistinguifhed mafs. Its symptoms, more or lefs violent, according to the conftitution of the patient, or malignity of the disease, are itchings, Swellings, eruptions, ulcers, intermitting fevers, pains in the head, languor, lowness of fpirits, rheumatifm, gout, and fometimes even convulfions, palfy, and madnefs. These fymptoms gradually decrease as the hair becomes affected. If the patient is fhaved in the head, he relapses into all the dreadful complaints which preceded the eruption of the Plica; and he continues to labour under them, until a fresh growth of hair absorbs the acrid humour. This diforder is thought hereditary; and is proved to be contagious when in a virulent state.

Many phyfical caufes have been fuppofed to concur in rendering the Plica more frequent in thefe regions than in other parts: it would be an endless work to enumerate the various conjectures with which each

Memoire fur la Plique Polonoife.

thofe affigned by Dr. Vicat. The first caufe is the nature of the Polish

air, which is rendered infalubrious by numerous woods and moraffes; and occafionally derives an uncommon keennefs even in the midft of fummer from the pofition of the Carpathian mountains; for the fouthern and fouth-easterly winds, which ufually convey warmth in other regions, are in this chilled in their paffage over their snowy fummits. The fecond is unwholesome water; for although Poland is not deficient in good fprings, yet the common people ufually drink that which is neareft at hand, taken indifcriminately from rivers, lakes, and even ftagnant pools. The third caufe is the grofs inattention of the natives to cleanlinefs; for experience fhews, that thofe who are not negligent in their perfons and habitations, are less liable to be afflicted with the plica, than others who are deficient in that particular. Thus perfons of higher rank are lefs fubject to this diforder than those of inferior ftations: the inhabitants of large towns than those of small villages; the free peafants than thofe in an abfolute ftate of vaffalage; the natives of Poland Proper than those of Lithuania. Whatever we may determine as to the poffibility that all, or any of these caufes, by themselves, or in conjunction with others, originally produced the diforder; we may venture to affert, that they all, and particularly the laft, affift its

propagation, inflame its fymptoms, and protract its cure.

In a word, the Plica Polonica appears to be a contagious diftemper; which, like the leprofy, ftill prevails among a people ignorant in medicine, and inattentive to check its progrefs; but is rarely known in thofe countries, where proper precautions are taken to prevent its fpreading."

Defcription of and Obfervations upon, the Cock-Chaffer, both in its Grub and Beale State: From Letters and Papers on Agriculture, c. addreffed to the Bath Society; by the Secretary of the Society.

S there are few infects more

In their beetle-ftate they have two pair of wings; the one filmy, and the other fcaly. The interior pair are folded up in a curious manner, and remain hid, unless when expanded for flight. The elytra, or cafe-wings, are of a reddish brown colour, and fprinkled over with a fine white powder, like the auricula. The legs and tail (which is pointed) are whitish. The body is brown, except at each joint on the fides of the belly, which is indented with white. The circles round the eyes are yellowish; the antena short, and terminated by fine lamellated spreading tufts, which the creature expands more or less as it is brisk and lively or otherwise.

The first account I find of thefe deftructive infects, is given by Mouffett,

that generally known by the name of the Cock-Chaffer, I beg leave to make a few obfervations thereon.

In different parts of this kingdom thefe infects are called by different names, fuch as, the Chaffer, the Cock-Chaffer, the Jeffry-Cock, the May-bug, and (in Norfolk) the Dor.

In what clafs Linnæus ranks them, I do not remember; but they feem to be the Scarabæus arboreus vulgaris major, of Ray.

When full grown in their grubftate, they are near an inch and a half long, and as big as a child's little finger. Their heads are red, their bodies foft, white, and shining, with a few hairs on the back. They have three hairy legs on each fide, all placed near the head, in which are two forceps or jaws, like the hornet; with these they cut afunder the roots of grafs, corn, &c. and frequently destroy whole fields in a fhort time. In this eruca or grubftate, they continue three and fome times four years.

fuch a multitude of them fell into the Severn, that they clogged, and even ftopped,the wheels of the water-mills.

There is alfo an account in the Tranfactions of the Dublin Society, that the country people fuffered fo much in one county, by the devastation these infects made, that they fet fire to a wood feveral miles in length, to prevent their further progrefs.

In the day-time they feldom fly about, but conceal themselves beneath the leaves of oak, fycamore, maple, hazel, lime, and fome other trees, which they foon eat to a skeleton; but about fun-set they are all on the wing, and fly about the trees and hedges as thick as a swarm of bees.

While in their grub-state, they entirely deftroy all the grafs, corn, or turneps, where they harbour.

I have feen fine meadows, which in May and June have been all withered, and as brown as thatch.

Thefe

Thefe grubs generally lie near two inches below the furface, and eat the roots of the grafs fo regularly, that I have rolled up many yards of the withered turf as easy as though it had been cut for a garden. When they attack turneps, they eat only the middle of the fmall root; but by that means, kill all they bite without remedy.

Neither the fevereft frofts in our climate, nor even keeping them in water, will kill them. I have kept fome in water near a week; they appeared motionless; but on expofing them to the fun and air a few hours, they recovered, and were as lively as ever: Hence, it is evident, they can live without air. On examining them with a microscope, I could never discover any organs for refpiration, or perceive any pulfation.

Hogs will root up the land for them, and at firft eat them greedily; but feldom meddle with them a fecond time. To rooks and crows they feem to be a high regale. When numerous, they are not deftroyed without great difficulty; the beft method is, to plow up the land in thin furrows, and employ children to pick them up in baskets; and then ftrew falt and quick-lime, and harrow in.

About thirty years fince, I remember many farmers' crops in Norfolk were almoft ruined by them in their grub-state; and in the next season when they took wing, the trees and hedge-rows in many parifhes were ftript bare of their leaves as in winter. At first the people used to brush them down with poles, and then fweep them up and burn them. One farmer made oath, that he gathered eighty bufhels; but their number feemed not much leffened, except juft in his own fields.

Their mode of coupling is fingular; and the time of their continuance in that act, fometimes two or three days. I have feen one of them fly in that ftate, with the other hanging pendant from its tail; and am in fome doubt whether (like fnails) they are not bermaphrodites, as there feems to be mutual infertion.

They depofit their eggs in the earth. The firft year the grubs are very fmall, and do little mischief; the fecond year they are increased to the fize of a goofe-quill, and are very injurious to the herbage; the third year they attain full fize, and fly. I am, &c.

E. RACK.

Bath, March 26, 1780.

Zool. Vol. I. p. 12.

Ibex, or wild goat

** Rein

** Wolf

16.

Capra ibex

97.

in this lift with a double asterisk.