farricry. See there, § xxxv.

Lamprey. See Petromyzon.

Lampridius (Aelius), a Latin historian, who lived under the emperors Diocletian and Constantine the Great. We have, of his writing, the lives of four emperors, Antoninus, Commodus, Diadumenus, and Heliogabalus. Some attribute the life of Alexander Severus to him; but the MS. in the palatine library ascribes it to Spartan.

Lampridius (Benedict), of Cremona, a celebrated Latin poet of the 6th century. He taught Greek and Latin at Rome and at Padua, until he was invited to Mantua by Frederic Gonzaga to undertake the tuition of his son. We have epigrams and lyric verses of this writer, both in Greek and Latin, which were printed separately, as well as among the Delicia of the Italian poets.

Lampsacus, or Lampsacum, (anc. geog.), a considerable city of Mysia; more anciently called Pityeas, (Homer), because abounding in pine trees, a circumstance confirmed by Pliny; situated at the north end or entrance of the Hellespont into the Propontis, with a commodious harbour, opposite to Callipolis in the Thracian Chersonesus. It was assigned by Artaxerxes to Themistocles, for furnishing his table with wine, in which the country abounded. It was saved from the ruin threatened by Alexander because in the interest of Persia, by the address of Anaximenes the historian, sent by his fellow-citizens to avert the king's displeasure; who hearing of it, solemnly declared he would do the very reverse of Anaximenes's request, who therefore begged the king utterly to destroy it, which he could not do because of his oath. Lamphacus the epithet, denoting inferior, the character of the people; still called Lampacus. E. Long. 28°. N. Lat. 40°. 12'.

Lampyris, the fire-fly, a genus of insects belonging to the coleoptera order; the characters of which are: The antennae are filiform; the elytra are flexible; the thorax is flat, of a semiorbicular form, surrounding and concealing the head. The segments of the abdomen terminate in papillae, which are turned up towards the elytra, and partly fold one over the other. The females in general are apterous.

There are 18 species; of which the most remarkable is the noctiluca. The male of this insect is less than the female: its head is shaped exactly in the same manner, and covered likewise by the plate of the thorax, only it appears rather longer than that of the female.