run on the ground with great facility, much after the manner of the true Platycerc, or Ground Parrakeets, to which he is of opinion they are closely allied in affinity. Trichoglossus (Lorikeets). Generic Character.- Bill somewhat elongated, rather compressed; lower mandible nearly straight, the margin entire, longer than it is high. Tongue furnished below with many marginal bristles at the apex. Wings moderate; first quill longest, second and third a little shorter, webs entire. Feet rather short; tarsi somewhat covered with the femoral feathers; acrotarsi a little feathered below the knee: toes rather strong, depressed; claws strong, falcate. Tail graduated; the tail-feathers rather narrower at the apex. (Vig.) Locality.-New Holland. Mr. Vigors (Linn. Trans., vol. xv.) remarks, that besides the external characters specified above, which separate this genus from the rest of the subfamily Palæorning, a decided ground of distinction is exhibited in the formation of the tongue; the under part of this member being furnished at the apex with numerous strong hairs or bristles, of a brush-like structure, and which seem to serve the bird for the purposes of suction. (Ante, p. 84.) He remarks that the tendency of a considerable portion of the birds of New Holland to feed by suction upon vegetable juices, for which a sufficient provision is made by nature in the luxuriant vegetation and the constant succession of flowers in that country, renders this singular deviation from the general form of the Parrot's tongue less surprising; and he further observes that it is to be remarked that although the Parrots are in general a long-lived race, and of all birds perhaps the most easily reared, and although the birds of the present group are most numerous in New Holland, few of them have been kept alive for any length of time in a state of confinement. He accounts for this from the probable ignorance of their natural mode of feeding. 6 Generic Character.-Bill elongated, weak. It is much subject to fits, which Wings pointed, two first quills longest. Tail moderate, rounded or graduated; the feathers broad, and hardly narrow at their tips. Example, Lorius Domicella. The natural and acquired habits of the species of this Lorius.-The true Lories are remarkable for the elongated genus require some notice. Mr. Caley informs us that and weak form of the bill, and also for a formation of the the Blue-mountain Parrot, War'rin of the natives (Tricho- tongue, similar to that in Trichoglossus. (Ante, p. 84.) glossus hæmatodus), is remarkable for its docility and at- They are inhabitants of the islands of the East, and are contachment to some people, whilst it is a perfect scold to sidered by Mr. Vigors to be the aberrant group of the others who may have teazed or offended it. Flocks of family. Their colours are of the most rich and mellow these birds,' says this accurate observer, may be seen in description, and the birds are highly prized, not only for the Eucalypti trees when in flower, in different parts of their beautiful plumage, but for their lively, active, and the country, but in the greatest number near their breed-affectionate disposition, and their great docility in the aring-places. It does not eat any kind of grain, even when in ticulation of words and even sentences. a domesticated state. generally prove fatal; and it is rare to find an individual kept alive above a couple of years. One that I kept, on being shown a figure of a coloured plant, used to put its tongue to the flowers, as if with the intent of sucking them; and I have seen it make the same attempt with a piece of cotton furniture. The flesh of this bird is very good eating.' Again, speaking of the Crimson-fronted Parrakeet, Coolich of the natives (Trichoglossus concinnus), Mr. Caley states that it may be observed in large flocks sucking the Eucalypti flowers. He adds that, like the Blue-mountain Parrot, it is subject to fits, which generally prove fatal, that it is seldom kept alive, and that its breath or some part about its head emits a very sweet odour. The natives told him that this species breeds in the hollow boughs of trees, scraping out the decayed mould, and making its nest of it. The eggs, he informs us, are green, without spots, and the number of young two. Of the Small Parrakeet, Jerryang of the natives (Trichoglossus pusillus), he observes that this, like the Coolich, is seen in very large flocks in the Eucalypti trees when in blossom. The natives,' says he, 'now and then bring in the young ones, but they seldom live long. I had three young ones for some time, which used to huddle together and give out a very pleasing note. They all died, strongly convulsed, and nearly at the same time; the limbs were as stiff the moment life was extinct as if the body had become cold. The natives tell me that it builds in the hollow limbs of trees, making no other nest than of the decayed wood. It has four young ones. The eggs are white, and without spot.' Mr. Caley also learned from the natives that the nest of this species, of the Ground Parrot (N. pulchellus), of the Dulang (Pl. Pennantii), and of the Coolich (Tri. concinnus), smell very strong and offensive of dung. Example, Trichoglossus hæmatodus (Vig., Trichoglossus Swainsonii, Jardine and Selby). Lorius Domicolia. Description.-Rich scarlet; upon the upper vart of the Description.-Green; head, middle of the body, and bands breast a yellow collar; crown of the head blackish purple PSI in front, passing into violet-purple oenind, upper surface of the wings green, violet-blue at the bend and margins, as are the under wing-coverts; thighs externally azure, greenish at the base; bill orange-yellow; length between 11 and 12 incoes. 91 Locality. The Moluccas and other Eastern Islands. The Plyctolophina, or Cockatoos, are natives of Australia and the Indian Islands, inhabiting the woods, and feeding upon seeds and soft and stony fruits, which last their powerLike others of ful bill enables them to break with ease. their congeners, they make their nests in decayed trees, and are easily tamed when taken at an early age. They become familiar and even attached, but their imitative powers seldom go beyond a very few words added to their own cry of Cockatoo.' Plyctolophus (True Cockatoos). Generic Character.-Bill strong, short, very broad, culmen much curved. Head with a folding crest. Base of the under mandible frequently concealed by feathers. Wings long; secondaries, tertiaries, and the tail-feathers sometimes mucronate. Example, Plyctolophus galeritus (Crested Cockatoo, White). Description.-White, crest, and internal webs of the lateral tail-feathers yellow; under wing-coverts sulphureous. Locality, New Holland. Habits, &c.-Mr. Caley's notes contain the following observations on the Crested Cockatoo :-This bird is called by the natives Car'away, and also Curriang. I have met with it in large flocks at the conflux of the Grose and Hawkesbury rivers, below Mulgo'ey on the former river, and in the long meadow near the Nepean river. They are shy, and not easily approached. The flesh of the young ones is accounted good eating. I have heard from the natives that it makes its nest in the rotten limbs of trees, of nothing more than the vegetable mould formed by the decayed parts of the bough; that it has no more than two young ones at a time, and that the eggs are white without spots. The natives first find where the nests are by the bird making Co'tora in an adjoining tree, which lies in conspiCo'tora is the bark stripped cuous heaps on the ground. off the smaller branches, and cut into small pieces. When the young ones are nearly fledged, the old birds cut a quan Plyctolophus galeritus. tity of small branches from the adjoining trees, but never Mr. Vigors divides the genus into the following sections: Cristâ plicatili, acuminata, antrorsum tortâ. ** Crista rotundatâ, retrorsum incumbente. Of this section he gives the Rosalbin Cockatoo, Plyctolophus Eos, Psittacus Eos (Kuhl) as the example. The Tricolour-crested Cockatoo, Plyctolophus Leadbeateri, Vig., Cacatua Leadbeateri, Wagl., also a native of In Mitchell's New Holland, is the most splendid species yet discovered. Nothing appears to be known of its habits. interesting Journal, where a coloured figure of the bird is given, it is called the Cockatoo of the Darling, and the enterprising author states that a flight of them flew over the heads of his party from the north-west when he was endeavouring to ascertain the final course of the Lachlan. The species is beautifully figured in Lear's 'Parrots,' and in the volume on Parrots by Sir W. Jardine and Mr. Selby. (Naturalist's Library, Ornithology, vol. vi.) In the same family of Plyctolophine Mr. Vigors places his genus Calyptorhynchus, the chief difference between which and Plyctolophus consists in the greater elevation and comparative shortness of the bill. The species appear to be confined to Australia. Of Calyptorhynchus Banksii, the Banksian Cockatoo, Mr. Caley says, "The native name of these birds is Geringora. I have met with them in various parts of the country. In the north rocks, a few miles to the northward of Paramatta, I have frequently seen them, It has but never many together. The natives tell me it breeds in winter in Mun'ning-trees, or Blood-trees of the colonists (a species of Eucalyptus), but makes no Co'tora. three young ones, but of the eggs I could obtain no information.' Of the Calyptorhynchus funereus, Funereal Cockatoo, Mr. Caley says, 'Its native name is Wy'la, so called from the similitude of that word to the sound which it makes. I have never seen them together in any numbers, not more perhaps than half-a-dozen at a time; but I have met with Sometimes they come them in many different places. within half a mile of the centre of Paramatta, where I have The natives told me it made its shot them in the trees. nest in Yar'ro-trees (a species of Eucalyptus), using only the vegetable mould. It makes no Co'tora, but cuts off the small branches of Apple-trees (a species of Angophora). It has two young ones.' Mr. Vigors and Dr. Horsfield have no doubt that the following observations in Mr. Caley's notes apply to Calyptorhynchus Cookii, Cook's Cockatoo. The natives,' says the last-mentioned traveller, tell me of another kind of Cockatoo (besides Wyla and Geringora, which they call Carat). It is very shy. It scrapes dirt out of the hollow boughs, and makes its nest as the others do. It lays two The nest is eggs, the colour of which I did not ascertain. found by watching the bird into the hole. It does not make Co'tora, nor cut off the branches of the trees; but it cuts off May'rybor'ro and Mun'mow (the fruit of two species of Persoonia), without however eating them, before they are ripe, to the great injury and vexation of the natives. Specimens of these three species of Calyptorhynchus and of Cal. Solandri will be found in the collection of Australian birds in the possession of the Linnean Society of London. Here may be noticed the Aratoo (Microglossus of Wagler), of which the Goliah Aratoo, Microglossus aterrimus, Wagl., Great Black Cockatoo of Edwards, is an example. Locality, Papua, Wagiou, New Guinea, and other Eastern Australian Islands. Psittacus (True Parrots). Mr. Vigors is of opinion that the group of the Psittacidae, to which the name of Psittacus should be applied, may perhaps be considered to be that which comprises the Psittacus Amazonicus of Brisson and some allied species. That at least, he observes, is the group best known under the old scientific term, and at the same time under the familiar N 2 Face plumed. Wings rather short; the first and second quills graduated, and shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest; all these have the inner web sinnated in the middle; tertials very long. Tail short, longer than the wings, broad, with the tips rounded. The species of these Green Parrots are numerous: among them the Festive Parrot (Psittacus festivus of authors) and the Amazon's Parrot (Psittacus Amazonicus of authors) are perhaps the best known; the latter particularly, which is often brought to Europe on account of its superior mimic propensities. The former, which exceeds the Amazon's Parrot in size, inhabits Guiana and the Brazils, the banks of the Marañon, or river Amazon, particularly, living in the forests upon seeds and kernels of fruits. It articulates, with great clearness and precision, words, and even sentences. The smaller Amazon's Parrot is common in Guiana and Brazil, and more especially near the banks of the river from which it takes its name. Fruits form its food, particularly those of the Rhizophora Mangle, or Mangrove-tree, and in its decayed trunks the bird deposits its eggs. It is considered very destructive to orange plantations. In captivity it may be taught to repeat many words and short sentences, which it learns with great facility. Sloane, in his account of the Common Parrot of Jamaica, says that it is lesser than those of the main, and has a reddish-coloured neck, being everywhere else of a green colour; that it has a short broad tail; speaks very articulately; and that it is eaten baked in pies, tasting like pigeons. 2. Psittacus. Generic Character. -Wings lengthened, nearly as long as the tail. Face naked. Tail even; the feathers rounded. The Old World. (Sw.) The Common Grey Parrot, Psittacus erythacus, is generally considered to be superior to all others in docility and mimicry its imitation of the human voice, when well taught, is complete, and its articulation most clear. Very high prices have been given for clever and well-taught birds. The parrot for which the Roman cardinal gave a hundred gold pieces had, it is said, learned to repeat with clearness, and without hesitation, the whole of the apostles' creed, a wonderful instance of memory and imitation. This species is very long-lived. Le Vaillant mentions one that he saw which had been domesticated ninety-three years: it was indeed then in a state of decrepitude, and both sight and memory were gone. Wagler's genera, Electus, Pionus, and Psittacodis, vary in some points from Psittacus; the former, Electus grandis (Moluccas and New Guinea), approaches the Lories. The Australian genus Nestor, of the same author, is pointed out as forming a connecting link between the Parrots and the Cockatoos, and is thus characterised: Bill elongated; upper mandible compressed, hooked; the tomia sinuated, but not distinctly toothed; the tip projecting, with its under surface sulcated and deeply excavated for the reception of the tip of the under mandible; under mandible narrow, compressed, slightly convex, or forming, when closed, an obtuse angle with the upper; wings rather long, ample; tail of moderate length, and even at the end; tips of the shafts bare, and slightly projecting beyond the feathered parts. Locality-Norfolk Island and the most eastern portions of South Wales. it Habits, &c.-'Like all the other members of this extensive family,' says Mr. Gould, in Kis splendid work on the Birds of Australia, speaking of this species, bears captivity remarkably well, readily becoming cheerful and contented; at least such is the case with an individual in the possession of Sir J. P. Millbank, Bart.; and, as might have been reasonably expected, the variation in the form of the mandibles, which renders these birds so conspicuous, is accompanied by a marked difference in the nature of their food, the powerful bills of the other members of the family enabling them to feed upon hard seeds and stony fruits, while, from the elongated form of this organ in the present birds, this power is denied to them, and we find that they give a decided preference to the leaves of succulent plants and the softer kinds of fruit. Sir J. P. Millbank informed me that the bird in his possession evinced a strong partiality to the leaves of the common lettuce and other soft vegetables, and that it was also very fond of the juice of fruits, of cream, and butter. Its voice was hoarse and inharmonious, frequently resembling the barking of a dog; and in Yates's "New Zealand" we are informed that the Nestor hypopolius, known there by the name of Kaka, is "capable of learning to imitate the human voice to a remarkable degree. . . . The cry of this bird, when ranging at large in the woods, is harsh and disagreeable in the extreme." Although I cannot assert it for a certainty, I have every reason to believe that both these birds frequently descend to the ground and grub up with their lengthened bills the bulbous and other roots which form a portion of their food, particularly as I have found earth still adhering to the mandibles of the specimens I have examined; besides which, I have been informed by Captain Sturt that a parrot inhabiting Australia, having a similar bill, but belonging to another group, is frequently in the habit of so doing." Example, Nestor Productus (Long-billed Parrot, Gould). Description.-General colour of the upper surface brown; beak elongated; head and back of the neck tinged with grey; the feathers of these parts, as well as of the back, margined with a deeper tint; rump, belly, and under tailcoverts, deep red; cheeks, throat, and chest yellow, the former tinged with red; shoulders, on their inner surface, yellow tinged with rufous olive; tail-feathers banded at the base with orange-yellow and brown, the inner webs of the quill-feathers at the base and beneath with dusky-red and brown; bill brown; feet blackish-brown. Total length fifteen inches. (Gould, Birds of Australia.) Nestor productus. The genera Psittacula and Agapornis appear to be the most diminutive of this extensive and interesting tribe. The latter, a ready example of which occurs in the LoneBirds, so extensively petted, and remarkable for their sexual attachment, was separated from Psittacula by Sir W. Jardine and Mr. Selby. The following cut will give some idea of the form of Psittacula (Poicephalus of Swainson). The student should carefully consult the monograph of Kuhl, and that of Wagler*; and of illustrated works should direct his attention more particularly to Le Vaillant's Perroquets, with figures after the celebrated Barraband; Lear's Parrots; Swainson's Zoological Illustrations, 1st and 2nd series; and Selby's Parrots, containing many beautiful figures after Lear, though on a small scale, and forming the 6th volume of the Ornithology of the Naturalists' Library. Those who keep birds belonging to this group would do well to study their natural habits, if thev wish to keep them Transactions of the Roval Academy of Munich.' in health. Some, as we have seen, live upon the nectar of flowers, others on soft fruits, and others again on hard fruits, for breaking which they are gifted with a powerful vice of a bill. We have known a case where the upper mandible of the bill of a parrot of this last description, which had been kept upon soft food, grew to such a length as to begin to penetrate its throat. To such a moderate proportion of hard food, such as almonds, and even harder food, should be presented. Some of the tribe have bred in captivity; and there is little doubt that if pairs were kept in good roomy cages, with a part of them so fitted up as to remind them of their favourite hollow trees, and furnished with dry rotten wood or vegetable earth, the instances would be comparatively frequent. PSITTIROSTRA, M. Temminck's name for a genus of granivorous birds, which he places between the Crossbills (Loria) and the Bullfinches (Pyrrhula). Generic Character.-Bill short, very much hooked, a little convex at its base, upper mandible curved at the point over the lower one, which is very wide (evasée), rounded and obtuse at the point. Nostrils basal, lateral, half closed by a membrane covered with feathers. Feet, tarsi longer than the middle toe; all the toes divided, lateral, and equal. Wings, first quill null*; second rather shorter than the third. (Temminck.) Example, Psittirostra Psittacea (Loxia Psitticea, Lath.; Psittirostra icterocephala, Temm.). M. Temminck remarks that the above is the only species known to him, and that it is found in New Holland; but he adds that he possesses a portrait of a second species, which is green, with a grey beard. Description of Psittirostra Psittacea.-Male.-Head and part of the neck yellow: body entirely green olive-brown, paler below; edge of the quills and tail-feathers yellowish; tail equal; legs pale brown. Female.-Plumage nearly the same as that of the male, but without yellow on the head, which is green and yellowishgrey upon the temples. M. Temminck observes that this genus has the bill formed nearly like that of the Parrots, and remarks that if its toes were disposed in pairs, and nothing were known of its habits, it might be classed with them. Mr. Swainson places the form in his subfamily Pyrrhuline, family Fringillida, between Spermophila and Cory thus. PSKOW was formerly a part of the government of St. Petersburg, and afterwards of that of Novogorod, but it was erected into a separate government by the empress Catharine II. It is situated between 56° and 58° N. lat., and between 27° 20′ and 32° 5' E. long. It is bounded on the north-west by lake Pskow, on the north by the government of St. Petersburg, on the north-east by Novogorod, on the east by Twer, on the south-east by Smolensk, on the southwest by Witepsk, and on the west by Livonia. The area, according to the survey of 1797, is 15,183 square miles, which M. Arunoff increases to 16,128 square miles, both which are undoubtedly below the truth; but Storch, who is followed by Hassel, Schubert, and lastly, in 1838, by Koppen, Sic in orig. makes it 21,950 square miles, which Schmidtlin thinks is perhaps too much. The population, according to Koppen, is 705,300; but Hassel, in 1820, would make it 783,000; and Hörschelmann, in 1833, states it at 900,000. It must be observed that he makes the area only 16,800 square miles. Face of the Country, Soil, Climate.-The surface is level, and in some places slightly undulating: there are no mountains, though the whole country is rather elevated. The soil is partly clayey, partly sandy, and in many parts covered with a tolerably thick layer of mould. The eminences and the banks of the rivers contain limestone and sandstone. Boulders of granite are not rare, and are most numerous where there is an extensive plain. The only large lake is Lake Pskow, which is, properly speaking, a bay of Lake Peipus, with which it is connected by a broad channel. The Polista, Podso, Khwat, and Woiskoe lakes are much smaller; there are also numerous meres and many marshes, principally in the south-east part of the government. There is no large river in the province. The Düna rises in it, but soon turns into Witepsk; the Loweth, which also rises in it, runs into Novogorod, is joined by the Polista and the Pola, and has below Velikie Luki several rocks and whirlpools, which are called cataracts Other rivers are the Welikaja, which runs to the north-east, and empties itself into Lake Pskow; the Szelon, which runs into Novogorod, and falls into Lake Ilmen; and the Toropez, which falls into the Düna. Most of these rivers, though not deep enough for large vessels, are however navigable by struses* and other barks, and therefore extremely useful to the government by giving it a communication with Petersburg, Narva, and Riga. As the whole province is beyond the 56th parallel, the climate is cold. Natural Productions.-Agriculture is the chief occupation of the inhabitants. The soil is in general tolerably fertile, but requires careful cultivation and manure; it produces however not only sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants, but an annual surplus of about a million of chetwerts for exportation. The grains chiefly cultivated are rye, barley, oats, and buckwheat; and of pulse, peas, beans, and lentils: very little wheat is grown. Culinary vegetables, such as cabbages, turnips, onions, garlic, and cucumbers, are cultivated. No fruit is to be seen, at least in the gardens of the peasants, who do not plant a cherry or an apple tree, but content themselves with the wild berries which grow in abundance in the woods and the marshes. On the estates of the nobility small orchards are here and there to be seen. Flax and hemp, both of excellent quality, are staple productions. The extensive forests furnish abundance of timber, chiefly pines, firs, birches, and alders: the oak, maple, and lime-tree are rare. The breeding of cattle is merely subservient to agriculture. The oxen are mostly of the Russian breed, and so are the horses, to which more attention is paid. Besides Russian sheep there are many of German breed. Swine are kept in great numbers, but only few goats and a little poultry. Birds and hares are scarce, and it is seldom that a stag or deer strays hither from the forests of Lithuania. But beasts of prey and fur-bearing animals abound, such as bears, wolves, lynxes, foxes, martens, squirrels, and badgers. Beavers and otters are nearly extinct. The lakes and rivers produce abundance of fish. The only mineral products are bog-iron, limestone, sand stone, and clay. There are salt-springs near the Szelon, but no use is made of them. Manufactures and Trade.-The inhabitants excel in dressing skins and manufacturing leather; but, unlike the Russians in general, they have not a turn for mechanics, and do not willingly apply to any kind of handicraft. The countrywomen hardly spin wool and flax sufficient to manufacture linen, stockings, &c. for their own use. Some struses and barks are built, and there are many sawmills; the distilleries of brandy are few in number. There are three or four glass-furnaces. Some improvement has undoubtedly been made of late years, yet still, with the exception of Russian leather, the exportation of the government is confined to its own natural productions-rye, oats, barley, squared timber, masts, spars, planks, hemp, flax, hempseed and linseed, wool, hides, and a few other articles, which are sent to Pernau, St. Petersburg, and Narva, whence the inhabitants import colonial produce and other necessary articles. A very flat river boat, for the conveyance of timber, straw, &c. On the Wolga they are very large, have masts erected on them and have oars and a The chetwert, according to Kelly (Cambist), is nearly 6 bushels (596) sail. Religion and Education.-The great majority of the innabitants are Russians of the orthodox Greek religion. In the north-east part of the government there are a few Finns, in the western circles some Livonians, and near the chief town a colony of Esthonians, who, except that they retain their own dialect, are quite blended with the Russians, and have even embraced the Greek religion. There are also many Germans in the towns. The Greek church is under an archbishop, who has 450 churches, nine of which are cathedrals, and eight monks' and three nuns' convents in his diocese. In 1776 there were only 299 churches. Education is at an extremely low ebb in this government. According to Schmidtlin, in 1835, there were only 41 schools, with 47 masters, and 1248 scholars, besides seven schools belonging to the clergy, with 24 masters and 870 scholars; in all 2110 scholars-one to 300 of the population; and there was only one printing-office, which belonged to the crown. This statement however was given in 1832; and though we have no later detailed official statement, it is certain that considerable improvement has since been made. (wpalios), warted, on account of most of the species being covered with little tubercles), a genus of Papilionacea, of the natural family of Leguminosa, characterised by the tube of the permanent calyx being sprinkled with callous points. Sepals five, united to the middle; stamens ten, usually diadelphous. Legume indehiscent, one-seeded, sometimes ending in a beak. Leaves of various forms. Flowers blue, white, or purple. The species, about sixty in number, and natives of different parts of the world, are either herbaceous plants or low shrubs, some of them ornamental, and all of easy culture. They may be propagated either by cuttings or seeds, which they produce abundantly. P. esculenta, the bread-root of North America, is cultivated along the banks of the Missouri and in other parts of that country. The roots, which abound in farinaceous matter, are, like the tubers of the potato, employed as food, especially during the winter months. In this climate it will grow in the open air, but requires the protection of a frame to produce abundant crops of roots. P. corylifolia is diffused over every part of India, especially in the vicinity of villages, The government is divided into eight circles, those of during the rainy and cold seasons. It is employed as a Pskow, Porkhow, Ostrow, Nowershew, Opotschka, Weli-stomachic and deobstruent. Other species are also used mekaja-Luki, Toropez, and Kholm. dicinally. P. glandulosa is called in Chili, coulen, culen, or cullen. Some of the native tribes make a very intoxicating kind of beer from a variety called yellow cullen. PSORIASIS is a disease of the skin distinguished by slightly raised red patches of various extent and form, and generally covered with whitish scales. Several varieties of the disease have received different names, according to the form and severity of the eruption in each, and many others, according to the part chiefly or alone affected. The former varieties are Psoriasis guttata, P. diffusa, P. gyrata, and P. inveterata; among the latter are P. ophthalmica, P. palmaria, &c. PSKOW, the capital of the government, is in 57° 40′ N. >at. and 28° 10′ E. long., on the left bank of the Welikaja, neary five miles from its mouth in Lake Pskow. This town has acted a conspicuous part in the history of Russia. It is said to have been founded in the tenth century by the grand-duchess Olga. It appears to have been at first surrounded with a rampart of earth, and in the thirteenth century with a stone wall. At present the interior of the city has some resemblance to that of Moscow. In the centre of the town is the Kremlin, on the steep left bank of the river, which was erected by the brave Prince Dowmont, who reigned from 1266 to 1299, whose remains are deposited in the antient cathedral, where his sword is preserved, with the inscription, 'Honorem meum nemini dabo.' | The middle town, extending in the form of a semicircle about the citadel, is also surrounded with a wall; a third very high and strong wall, five miles in extent, defends the great town, which envelopes the middle town. The fortifications, erected in 1701, by Peter the Great, have almost entirely disappeared. There is also a large suburb. Pskow must have been formerly a very populous city, if it is true that, in 1466, 48,000 inhabitants were carried off by the plague. It has sustained several memorable sieges, among others, in 1614, when it was attacked without success by Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden. Pskow has sadly declined from its antient power and greatness, but is still a large town; it has one cathedral, richly adorned with gilding and carved-work, fifty-nine other Greek churches, in not more than half of which divine service is performed, a Lutheran church, three monasteries, an ecclesiastical seminary, a gymnasium, a district and other schools, an orphan asylum, and a handsome building for the government offices. It is the see of the Greek archbishop, and the residence of the military governor. The present population is 12,000, who manufacture Russia leather, linen, sail-cloth, and glass. TOPOPETZ, the chief town of the circle of the same name, has, according to Hassel, Hörschelmann, and others, a population of 12,000, but Schmidtlin says that it does not exceed 7500. It is an antient town, extremely well situated for carrying on an extensive trade, communicating with Riga by means of the river Toropa, on which it is situated, and which joins the Düna. There are thirteen churches and two convents in the town. Most of the houses are of wood. The Germans call this government Pleskow or Pleskau, which is probably the right name, and the most antient that the town bore, for the historian Cedrenus calls it Pliscoba. (Hassel; Stein: Hörschelmann; Schmidtlin, La Russe et la Pologne; and Russian official journals.) PSO'PHIA. [AGAMI, in which article the scientific name of the bird is erroneously spelled Trophia.] Mr. Swainson places the form in his family Megapodinæ (Megapodidae), between the Dicholophus and Crax. [MEGAPODIIDE.] Psoriasis guttata is a mild form of the disease, consisting of small red patches two or three lines in diameter covered with very fine white scales. It occurs in various extent on all parts of the body, but most rarely on the face. At first small red spots appear, and soon after present white scales at their centres; then the spots gradually enlarge and the scales increase in number, till the redness begins to fade at the centre, and as the scales fall off, the skin slowly assumes its natural colour. The eruption is attended by a moderate itching, and by very slight symptoms of general disorder. P. diffusa is in every respect a more severe form of the disease. The spots are large and irregular, and often confluent, and covered with thick scaly incrustations. It appears most frequently on the limbs and around the joints, often covering the whole of a limb with one scaly or rawlooking patch, and sometimes occurring at once and with equal severity on several parts of the body. The skin beneath the scales is very tender and irritable; it often cracks and discharges a thin ichor, which concretes about the fissures, and is attended by considerable pain and irritation, and some constitutional disturbance. The eruption often breaks out successively in different parts of the body, so that it is common for the disease to be protracted for several months and even for years. P. inveterata is only (as its name implies) a yet less curable form of the same disease. The skin has its whole texture thickened and hard, its surface is covered by a furfuraceous deposit, aud in the neighbourhood of the joints it is often very deeply and painfully cracked. The preceding forms are commonly met with in those who are otherwise in pretty good health; but this rarely occurs, except in those whose constitutions are enfeebled by long disease or want. P. gyrata is a slight but very rare variety, distinguished by the patches occurring in stripes of a singularly tortucus or serpentine form. Of the local varieties of Psoriasis, the most interesting is that which occurs on the palms of the hands, and which, being most frequent in those who work with light powders and other irritating substances, is commonly called bakers', or bricklayers', or washerwomen's itch. Psoriasis, in all its forms, is difficult of cure. The general condition of the health being corrected by the means that in each case seem appropriate, the remedy which is most frequently successful in cases of long standing is arsenic, in the form of from three to five drops of the Fowler's solution, three times a day, for an adult. Active purging is also often useful, especially in recent cases and in young subPSORALEA (so called from the Greek psoraleos | jects. Another good remedy is tincture of cantharides, Mr. G. R. Gray arranges Psophia under his family Ardeida, in the subfamily Psophine, which consists of that genus and Cariama (Dicholophus, Ill.) only. PSORA. [ITCH.] |