Paolo Sylvio**, a celebrated natural historian, born at Palermo in Sicily in 1633. After he had gone through the usual course of study, he applied himself chiefly to natural history, in which he made great progress. He was afterwards ordained priest, and entered into the Cisterian order; but this new way of life did not in the least divert him from his favourite study; for he pursued it with greater vigour than ever, and travelled not only over Sicily, but likewise visited the isle of Malta, Italy, the Low Countries, England, France, Germany, Poland, and several other nations; and, in 1696, was admitted a member of the academy of the virtuosi in Germany. Upon his return to Sicily, he retired to a convent of his own order near Palermo, where he died in 1704, being then seventy-one years of age. He left many curious works, amongst which may be mentioned, 1. *Recherches et Observations Naturelles touchant le Corail, la Pierre Etoilée, et l'Embrasement du Mont Etna*, Paris, 1671 and 1674; 2. *Museo di Fisica e di Esperienze*, Venice, 1697; 3. *Osservazioni Naturali*, Bologna, 1684; 4. *Della Pietra Belzun minerali Siciliana*, Monteleone, 1669; 5. *Appendix ad Museum de Plantis Siculis*, without date or place.