are often taken in winter in the fnares laid for the ermines. About the Volga they are called femlanoi Saetfhik, or ground hares: the Tartars, from their voice, style them tschotschot or ittfitfkan, or the barking moufe: the Kalmucs call them rula. They choose for their habitations a dry fpot, amidst bushes covered with a firm fod, preferring the western fides of the hills. In thefe they burrow, leaving a very fmall hole for the entrance, and forming long galleries for their nefts. Thofe of the old ones are numerous and intricate: fo that their place would be scarcely known but for their excrements; and even these they drop, by inftinct, under some bush, left their dwelling fhould be discovered. Their voice alone betrays their abode; it is like the piping of a quail, but deeper, and fo loud as to be heard at the distance of half a German mile. It is repeated by juft intervals, 3, 4, and often 6 times. The voice is emitted at night and morning; never in winter or bad weather. It is common to both fexes; but the female is filent for fome time after parturition, which is about the beginning of May N. S. She brings forth fix at a time, blind and naked, which fhe fuckles often, and covers carefully with the materials of her neft. These harmless animals never go from their holes, They feed and make their excurfions by night: they are easily tamed, and scarcely bite when handled. The males in confinement attack one another, and express their anger by a grunting noise.

10. LEPUS SACCATUS, the Hooded Rabbit, is defcribed by Edwards, as having a double fkin over the back into which it can withdraw its head, and another under the throat, in which it can place its fore feet: it has fmall holes in the loofe fkin on the back, to admit light to the eyes. The colour of the body is cinereous; of the head and ears, brown.

II. LEPUS SERICEUS, or ANGORENSIS, the Angora rabbit, with hair long, waved, and of a; filky fineness, like that of the goat of Angora. This filky fur is highly valued in commerce.

12. LEPUS TIMIDUS, the common HARE, has a short tail; the points of the ears are black; the upper lip is divided up to the noftrils; the length of the body is generally about a foot and a half; and the hair is reddish, interfperfed with white. It is naturally a timid animal. It fleeps during the day, and feeds, copulates, &c. in the night. In a moon-light evening, a number of them are fometimes seen sporting together, leaping and purfuing each other: but the leaft motion, the falling of a leaf, alarms them; and then they all run off feparately, each taking a different route. They are extremely swift; their motion is a kind of gallop, or a fucceffion of quick leaps. When purfued, they always take to the higher grounds: as their fore feet are much shorter than the hind ones, they run with more ease up-hill than downhill. The hare is endowed with all those inftincts which are neceffary for its preservation. In winter he chooses a form expofed to the S. and in fummer to the N. He conceals himself among vegetables of his own colour. Mr Fouilloux fays, that he observed a hare, as foon as he heard the found of the horn, or the noife of the dogs, although a mile distant, rise from her feat, fwim

across a rivulet, then lie down among the bushes, and thus evade the fcent of the dogs. After being chafed for two hours, a hare will fometimes pufh another from its form, and lie down in it himself. When hard preffed, the hare will mingle with a flock of fheep, run up an old wall and conceal himself among the grafs on the top of it, or cross a river feveral times at fmall diftances. He never runs against the wind, or straight forward; but conftantly doubles, to make the dogs lofe their fcent. A hare, although ever so often pursued by the dogs, feldom leaves the place where the was brought forth, or even the form in which the ufually fits. It is common to find them in the fame place next day, after being long and keenly chafed the day before. The females are more gross than the males, and have less strength and agility; they are likewife more timid, and never allow the dogs to approach so near their form before rifing as the males. They likewife practise more arts, and double more frequently than the males. Hares are found almoft over every climate; and notwithstanding they are every where hunted, the fpecies never diminishes. They propagate in their first year; the females go with young about 30 days, and produce 4 or 5 at a time; as foon as they have brought forth, they again admit the embraces of the male; fo that they may be faid to be always pregnant. The eyes of the young are open at birth; the mother fuckles them about 20 days, after which they separate from her and procure their own food. The young live folitary, and make forms about 30 paces diftant from each other. On finding a young hare, therefore, one may almoft be certain of finding feveral others within a small diftance. The hare is not fo favage as his manners would indicate. He is gentle, and is fufceptible of a kind of education. He is pretty easily tamed, and will even how a kind of attachment to his benefactors; but it is not fo ftrong, as to engage him to become altogether domeftic; for although taken very young, and brought up in the house, he no fooner arrives at a certain age, than he takes the firft opportunity of recovering his liberty, and flying to the fields. He lives about 7 or 8 years; and feeds upon grafs and other vegetables. His flesh is excellent food. Hares are very fubject to fleas. Linnæus tells us, that the Dalecarlians make a fort of cloth, called felt, of the fur; which, by attracting these infects, preferves the wearer from their troublesome attacks. The hair makes a great article in the hat manufacture; and a great deal is annually imported from Ruffia and Siberia. The hare was reckoned a great delicacy among the Romans; but the Britons thought it impious even to taste it; yet they bred them, either for the chace, or for the purposes of fuperftition. Boadicea, immediately before her laft conflict with the Romans, let loose a hare the had concealed in her bofom, which, taking what was deemed a fortunate courfe, animated her foldiers by the omen of an eafy victory over a timid enemy. Mr Kerr mentions 2 varieties, viz. the cornutus, or horned hare; and the melinus, or yellow hare. The former he fufpects to be fabulous.

13. LEPUS TOLAI, the Baikal hare, has a longer tail than that of a rabbit; and the ears are longer T2 in

in the male in proportion than thofe of the varying hare (N° 14.); the fur is of the colour of the common hare; and the fize between that of the common and the varying hare. It inhabits the country beyond the lake Baikal, and extends through the great Gobee even to Thibet. The Tangus call it Rangwo, and confecrate it among the fpots of the moon. It agrees with the common rabbit in the colour of the fleth; but does not burrow, running inftantly (without taking a ring as the common hare does) for thelter, when purfiied, into holes or rocks. The fur is of no use

in commerce.

14. LEPUS VARIABILIS, the varying bare of Pallas, has foft hair, which in fummer is grey, with a flight mixture of black and tawny; the ears are fhorter, and the legs more flender, than thofe of the common hare; the tail is entirely white, even in fummer; and the feet are most closely and warmly furred. In winter, the whole hair changes to a fnowy whitenefs, except the tips and edges of the ears, which remain black, as well as the foles of the feet, on which, in Siberia, the fur is doubly thick, and of a yellow colour. It is lefs than the common fpecies.-Thefe animals inhabit the highest Scottish Alps, Norway, Lapland, Ruffia, Siberia, Kamtfchatka, the banks of the Wolga, and Hudfon's bay. In Scotland they keep on the tops of the highest hills, and never defcend into the vales; nor do they ever mix with the common hare, though these abound in the neighbourhood. They do not run faft; and are apt to take thelter in clefts of rocks. They are easily tamed, and are very frolicfome. They are fond of honey and caraway comfits. They change their colour in September; refume their grey coat in April; and in the extreme cold of Greenland are always white. Both thefe and the common hares abound in Siberia, on the Wolga, and in the Orenburg government. The one never changes colour: the other, native of the fame place, conftantly affumes the whitenefs of the fnow during winter, not only in the open air and in a state of liberty, but, as experiment has proved, even when kept tame, and preferved in houfes in the ftove-warmed apartments, in which it experiences the fame changes of colour as if it had dwelt on the fnowy plains.-They collect together, and are feen in troops of 5 or 600, migrating in fpring, and returning in autumn, in fearch of fubfiftence. In winter they quit the lofty hills, the S. boundaries of Siberia, and feek the plains and wooded parts, where vegetables abound; and in fpring feek again the mountainous quarters. The flesh of the variable hare, in its white ftate, is exceflively infipid. There have been feveral inftances of what may be called monfters in this fpecies, horned hares, having excref. cences growing out of their heads, like the horns of the roe-buck. Such are thofe figured in Gefner's hiftory of quadrupeds, p. 634; in the Museum Regium Hafnis n° 48. tab. iv; and in Klein's hiftory of quadrupeds, 32. tab. iii.; and again defcribed in Wormius's mufeum, p. 321, and in Grew's museum of the Royal Society. Thefe inftances have occurred in Saxony, in Denmark, and near Affracan.

15. LEPUS VISCACIA, the Peruvian Hare; the Vifcachos, or Vizcacha, mentioned by Acosta and Feuille, in their accounts of Peru, is reckoned by Mr Pennant nearly allied to the Cape hare. (See N° 4.) Feuille fays, they inhabit the colder parts of Peru. Their hair is very foft, and of a moufe colour; the tail is pretty long, and turns up; and the ears and whifkers are like thofe of the common rabbit. In the time of the Incas, the hair was fpun, and woven into cloth, which was fo fine as to be used only by the nobility. LERAY, a town of France, in the dep. of Cher, 8 miles N. of Sancerre, and 17 E. of Aubigny.

LERCHEA, in botany; a genus of the pentandria order, belonging to the monadelphia class of plants. The calyx is five-toothed; the corolla funnel-fhaped and quinquefid; there are 5 antheræ fitting on the tube of the germ; there is one ftyle; the capfule is trilocular and polyfpermous.

*LERE. n. J. (lære, Sax. leere, Dutch.] A leffon; lore; doctrine. Obfolete. This fenfe is ftill retained in Scotland.

Though he that well ycond his lere, Thus melled his talk with many a teare. Spenf. LERGE, a town of Sweden in W. Gothland. LERI, John DE, a Proteftant minister of Bur. gundy. He was studying at Geneva when it was reported there, that Villegagnon defired they would fend him fome pastors into Brazil. He made that voyage with two minifters, whom the church of Geneva fent thither in 1556; and wrote an account of it, which has been much commended by Thuanus and others.

(1.) LERIA, or LEIRA, a strong town of Portugal in Eftremadura, with a cattle and bishop's fee. It contains about 3500 inhabitants, and was formerly a royal refidence. Lon. 7. 50. W. Lat. 39. 40. N.

(2.) LERIA. See LERO, N° 2.

LERICE, a town of the Ligurian republic, 31 miles SW. of Sarfana.

LERIDA, an ancient, ftrong, and large town of Spain, in Catalonia, with a bishop's fee, an univerfity, and a strong castle. This place declared for king Charles, after the reduction of Barcelona in 1705: but was retaken by the duke of Orleans in 1707, after the battle of Almanza. It is feated on a hill near the Segra, in a fertile foil, 68 miles W. of Barcelona. Lon. o. 35. E. Lat. 41. 31. N.

LERIN, a town of Spain, in Navarre.

LERINA, or PLANASIA, in ancient geoLERINAS,graphy, one of the two small iflands over against Antipolis, called alfo LIRINUS; now St Honorat. See next article.

LERINS, two islands in the Mediterranean, lying on the coaft of the dep. of Var, and late prov. of Provence, in France. That neareft the coaft, called ST MARGARET, is guarded by invalids, ftate-prifoners being fent to it. It was taken by the English in 1746, but marshal Belleifle retook it in 1747. The other is called St Honerat; and is lefs than the former; but has a Benedictine abbey. It is hardly 6 miles S. of Antibes.

LERMA, a town of Spain, in Old Caftile, feated on the Arlanza; 23 miles S. of Burgos. Lon. 3. 5. W. Lat. 42. 2. N. LERMONTH,

LERMONTH. See LEARMONTH, and THоMAS, N° 10.

LERMOSZ, a village in Tyrol, where the emperor Lothaire II. died in a peafant's but; A. D. 1138. It is 12 miles SSE. of Reite.

LERNA, in ancient geography, a town, territory, or lake, of Argolis, fituated on the confines of Laconica. Some fuppofe it to be a town of Laconicà, on the borders of Argolis, Paufanias places it near Temenium, on the fea; with, out adding whether it is town, river, or lake. According to Strabo, it is a lake, fituated between the territories of Argos and Mycene. If there was a town of this name, it seems to have stood towards the fea, but the lake to have been more inland. Mela calls it a well known town on the Sinus Argolicus; and Statius, by Lerna, seems to mean fomething more than a lake. The lake, however, is that in which, Strabo fays, was the fabled HYDRA of Hercules, and therefore called Lerna Anguifera. (Statius.) The lake runs in a river or ftream to the fea, and perhaps arises from a river. (Virgil.) From this lake the proverb, Lerna Melorum, (i. e. a pack of mischiefs), took its rife; because, according to Strabo, religious purgations were performed in it; or, according to Hefychius, because the Argives threw all their filth into it. M. Lempriere calls it "a country of Argolis celebrated for a grove and a lake, where the Danaides threw the heads of their husbands."

LERNÆA, a festival celebrated at LERNA, in honour of Proferpina, Ceres, and Bacchus.

LERNÆAN HYDRA. See HYDRA, N° 2. LERNEA, in zoology; a genus of infects of the order of Vermes mollufca, the characters of which are thefe: The body fixes itself by its tentacula, is oblong, and rather tapering; there are two ovaries like tails, and the tentacula are fhaped like arms. See 3 fpecimens on Plate CC.

1. LERNEA ASELLINA has a lunated body and cordated thorax, and inhabits the gills of the cod. fish and ling of the northern ocean.

2. LERNEA CYPRINACEA has 4 tentacula, two of which are lanulated at the top. It is about half an inch long, and of the thickness of a small ftraw: the body is rounded, of a pale greyish white, gloffy on the furface, and fomewhat pellucid: it is thruft out of a kind of coat or fheath, as it were at the bafe, which is of a white colour and a thick skin: towards the other extremity of the body, there are three obtufe tubercles, one of which is much larger than the rest: the mouth is fituated in the anterior part, and near it there are two foft and fleshy proceffes; and near thefe there is alfo on each fide another foft procefs, which is Junated at the extremity. It is found on the fides of the bream, carp, and roach, in many of our ponds and rivers, in great abundance.

3. LERNEA SALMONEA, the falmon loufe, has an ovated body, cordated thorax, and two linear arms approaching nearly to each other.

LERNICA, in ancient geography, a city of Cyprus, asappears from its ruins; but now only a large village, feated on the S. coaft, where there is a good road, and a small fort for its defence.

LERNUTIUS, John, a Latin poet of the 16th century, born at Bruges. His works were pub.

lifhed by Elzevir, under this title, Jani Lernutii Bafia, Ocelli, et alia Poemata. He died in 1619. (1.) LERO, in ancient geography, one of the two fmall islands in the Mediterranean, opposite to Antipolis, and half a mile diftant from it on the S. Now called ST MARGARET, over against Antibes. See LERINS.

(2.) LERO, or an island of the Archipelago, LEROS, and one of the Sporades; anciently called LERIA; the birth-place of Patroclus. Lon. 26. 15. E. Lat. 37. o. N.

LE ROY LE VEUT, [Fr. i. e. the King wills it.] the royal affent to public bills. See BILL, § 1012; PARLIAMENT, and STATUTE.

LERRADILLA, a town of Spain, in the prov. of Leon; 12 miles SE. of Cividad Rodrigo. * LERRY, [from lere.] A rating; a lecture. Ruftick word.

LERS, 2 rivers of France; 1, running into the Garonne, near Toulouse: 2. into the Rhone, near Beaucaire.

(1.) LERWICK, a parish of Scotland, in the county of Zetland or Shetland; extending 6 miles from N. to S. by BRESSAY SOUND. The surface is hilly and rocky; the foil partly light fand, partly mofs; the climate healthful. The population, in 1791, was 1291; increase 66, fince 1755; number of cows 200; of sheep 1500; be fides many small horses. The chief manufacture is ftockings; the principal fishery, ling and tufk, of which great quantities are exported. About 6 tons of kelp are made annually. There are relics of two Pictifh caftles.

(2.) LERWICK, a town in the above parish, the capital of Zetland, fituated in the island called Mainland. It contained 903 fouls in 1791; and has many good houfes, and as fashionable people as any town in Scotland of its bulk, At the N. end there is a regular fort, which was built in the reign of Charles II. who during his first war with the Dutch, fent over a garrison of 300 men under colonel William Sinclair, a native of Zetland; with Mr Milne, architect, to build the fort, and 25 or 3a cannons to plant upon it for protection of the country. A houfe was built within the fort to lodge 100 men. The garrifon ftaid here three years; the charge of which, with the building the fort, is faid to have coft L.28,000 fterling. When the garrifon removed, they carried off the cannon; and in the Dutch war which followed foon after, a Dutch frigate came into Breffay Sound, and burnt the house in the fort, and several others of the best in the town. Lerwick is governed by a bailie, It chiefly fubfifts by the refort of foreigners; but has declined for feveral years paft. Several projects have been propofed which might be very beneficial to Lerwick and Zetland; as that of the British merchants who carry goods from Mufcovy and Sweden, for the plantations in America (which must be entered at fome British port), having them entered at Lerwick, which would fave them a great deal of time and charges. (See Giffard's Defcript. of Zetland, p. 7. The Greenland and Her. ring Fishery companies of Britain also proposed Lerwick as a most commodious port for lodging their ftores in, and repacking their herrings, melting their of, and thence exporting it to foreign

markets.

markets. The grand objection to these proposals is, that Lerwick is an open unfortified place; and in cafe of war, the merchants fhips and goods would be exposed to the enemy. But it has been replied that, would government beftow a small garrifon upon it of only 100 men, with 20 pieces of cannon, and be at the charge of repairing the old fort, and erecting a battery of two more, Lerwick would be fufficiently secure against any ordinary effort an enemy might make against it; and being thus fortified, all British fhips from the E. or W. Indies could come fafely there in time of war, and lie fecure until carried thence by convoy, or otherwise. Thus Lerwick might become more advantageous to the trade of Great Britain, than GIBRALTAR, or Port Mahon, for one-tenth part of the charge of either of thofe places. Lon. 1. 30. W. Lat: 60. 20. N.

LERY, a river of Wales, in Cardiganfh. which runs into the Irish Sea, 5 miles N. of Aberiftwyth. LESA, a river of Naples, which runs into the Neto, 5 miles W. of Cerenza.

LESBIANS, the ancient people of LESBOS. They were fo debauched and diffipated that Lefbian was often used to fignify debauchery and extravagance.

LESBONAX, a philosopher of Mytilene, who flourished in the first century. Two of his orations are inferted in Aldus's edition of Ancient Orators; and his treatise De Figuris Grammaticis was printed at Leyden in 1739.

LESBOS, a large ifland in the gean fea, on the coaft of Eolia, about 168 miles in circumference. It was originally called PELASGI, from the Pelafgi, by whom it was firft peopled; MACARIA, from Macareus, who fettled in it; and LESBOS, from Lefbus his fon-in-law and fuccefior. The chief towns of Lefbos were Methymna and Mitylene. It was originally governed by kings, but they were afterwards fubjected to the neighbouring powers. The wine which it produced, was greatly esteemed by the ancients, and ftill is in high repute among the moderns. Leibos has given birth to many illuftrious perfons, fuch as Arion, Terpander, Sappho, &c. See MITYLENE.

(1.) LESCAILLE, James, a celebrated Dutch poet and printer, was born at Geneva, in. 1610. He and his daughter (N° 2.) excelled all the Dutch poets. He merited the poet's crown, with which the emperor Leopold I. honoured him in 1603. He died about 1677, aged 67.

(2.) LESCAILLE, Katharine, daughter of the above, furnamed the Sappho of Holland, and the tenth Mufe, died in 1711. A collection of her poems has been printed, in which are the tragedies of Genferic, Wenceslaus, Herod and Mariamne, Hercules and Dejanira, Nicomedes, Ariadne, Caffandra, &c.

LESCANO, a town of Spain, in Guipufcoa. LESCAR, a town of France, in the dep. of the Lower Pyrenees, and late prov. of Gascony, feated on a hill. It contains about 6000 citizens, and lies 3 miles NW. of Pau, and 6 SE. of Orthez. Lon. o. 30. W. Lat. 43. 23. N..

LESER, a river of France, in the dep. of the Rhine and Mofelle, and late electorate of Treves, which runs into the Mofelle, oppofite Veldentz. LESGIUS, a people of Afia, whofe country is indifferently called by the Georgians LESGUISTAN and DAGHESTAN. It is bounded on the S. and E. by Perfia and the Cafpian, on the SW. and W. by Georgia, the Offi, and Kifti, and on the N. by the Kifti and Tartar tribes. It is divided into a variety of diftricts, generally independent, and governed by chiefs elected by the people. Guldenftaedt has remarked, in the Lefguis language, 8 different dialects, and has claffed their tribes in conformity to this observation. The ift dialect comprehends 15 tribes; viz. 1. Avar, in Georgian Chunfaugh. The chief of this diftrict, commonly called Avar Khan, is the most powerful prince of Lefguiftan, and refides at Kabuda, on the river Kaseruk. The village of Avur is, in the dialect of Andi, called Harbul. 2. Kaferuk, in the high mountains, extending along a branch of the Koifu, called Karak. This district is dependent on the Khan of the Kafi Kumychs. 3. Idatle, on the Koifu, joining on the Andi; subject to the Avar Khan. 4. Mukratle, fituated on the Karak, and fubject to the Avar Khan. 5. Onfekul, fubject to the same, and fituated on the Koifu. 6. Karakhle, upon the Karak, below Kaferuk, fubject to the fame. 7. Ghumbet, on the river Ghumbet, that joins the Koifu, subject to the chief of the Coumyks. 8. Arakan; and, 9. Burtuma, on the Koifu. 10. Antfugh, on the Samura, fubject to Georgia. 11. Tebel, on the fame river, independent. 12. Tamurgi, or Tumural, on the fame river. 13. Akhti; and, 14. Rutal, on the fame. 15. Dihar, in a valley that runs from the Alazan to the Samura. It was formerly fubject to Georgia, but is now independent. In this diftrict are feen remains of the old wall that begins at Derbent, and probably terminates at the Alazan. The inhabitants of Derbent be lieve that their town was built by Alexander, and that this wall formerly extended as far as the Black Sea. From many infcriptions in old Turkish, Perfian, Arabic, and Rufish characters, the wall, and the aqueducts with their various fubterraneous paffages, many of which are now filled up, muft be of high antiquity. This town suffered greatly during its fiege by Amurath I. who entirely deftroyed the lower quarter, then inhabited by Greeks. It was again taken by Schach Abbas. (Gaerber.) This town is the old Pyla Cafpe. The 2d dialect is spoken in the two following diftricts: 1. Dido, or Didonli, about the fource of the Samura. This liftrict is rich in mines: a ridge of uninhabited mountains divides it from Caket. 2. Unfo, on the fmall rivulets that join the Samura. . These two districts, containing together about 1000 families, were formerly fubject to Georgia, but are now independent. The 3d dialect is that of Kabutfh, which lies on the Samura rivulets, E. of Dido, and N. of Caket. The 4th dialect is that of Andi, fituated on a rivulet that runs into the Koifu. Some

LESCIVER, a town of Perfia, in 1.vk. DESCZYN, a town of Poland, in Volhynia.

the greater part to the khan of Axai. The whole confifts of about 800 families. The 5th dialect is common to 4 districts: viz. 1. Akufha, on the