550 



GLOSSARY. 



Ni'dus, h. Nest. 



Ni'sus FoRMATi'vus, n. The formative ten- 

 dency ; tlic unknown law which determines 

 the rudiment of an animal to take its proper 

 shape, "each alter its kind." " Plastic force. " 



N(»I)K, j Ti. A swelling ; hence, a Joint, as 



No'iirs, t bones usually enlarge at their ar- 

 ticulating extremities. Compare Intern'ode. 



No.men'clati'RE, n. The sum of tlie words or 

 terms peculiar to any department of knowl- 

 edge; as, ornithological nottienc/alure; m this 

 sense equivalent to terminology. Also, the 

 naming of objects according to some fi.\ed 

 jjrinciple ; as, the binomial nomrnclature.. It 

 is essential to the integrity of nomenclature 

 that it should rest upon classification, or tax- 

 onomy. 



NoN-. Not. A frequent prefix in scientific 

 literature, denoting negation, used much like 

 dis-^ un-f 2/1-, etc. 



Nos'tril, ». ('28i.) See Nari.'s. 



NoT.E'fM,?i. The entire upper part of a bird. (5.) 



No'tha, a. Spurious. By aln nolha has been 

 meant the scapular, axillar, and tertiary feath- 

 ers collectively, which are also called parap- 

 tenim. 



No'tochord, 11. Primitive condition of the 

 backbone. 



Nu'cHA, ?;. Nape ; upper part of cervix, next 

 to occiput. (49.) 



Nu'cHAL, n. Pei-taining to the nape. 



Nu'cLEATEii, a. Containing a special cell or 

 cells. 



NrcLF.o'LUS, n. Cell or point within a nucleus. 



Nu'rLEUS, n. Special cell within another. 



Nu'triext, a. Nourishing; nutritious. 



Ni'TRi'Tiox, n. Repair of waste that ensues by 

 decomposition in animal life, and promotion 

 of gi'owth, with supply of new assimilable 

 material. Alimentation is the act of supply ; 

 aliment or nutriment the supply ; nutrition 

 the result of its assimilation. 



O. 



Oared (foot), a. Having the hind toe, a.s well 

 as the others, full-webbed. See STEfiANOPO- 

 Dors. (140.) 



Obcor'd.a.te, <i. Inversely heart-shaped. 



Obliqi-e', a. Indirect; a.slant. Also, name 

 of certain abdominal muscles. 



Ob'i.onij, a. Longer than broad. 



Obo'vate, a. Inversely ovate. 



Obscure', a. Dark ; not evident ; little known ; 

 faintly marked. 



Ob'solete, a. Disused ; little u.se<l. Also, 

 synonymous with obsct/rc, as obsolete spots ; 

 also, .synonjTiious with imperfect or rudimen- 

 tiiry : the hind toe of the petrel is obsolete. 



Obtura'tcir, n. A muscle, Tiiembranc, and fora- 

 men of the pelvis are respectively so called. 



Obtuse', a. Blunt. Opposed to acute. 



OcciP'iTAL, a. or n. Pertaining to the hind- 

 head ; as, occipitoi bone, oeeipi/nl region. 



Oc'uifUT, u. The hind head. (3.3.) 



Ocei,'i.us, n. (Literally "little eye.") Dis;- 

 tinct rounded spot of color, like the "eyes" 

 of a peacock's tail. 



Ocii'KKV, Och'reous, a. Color of yellow ochre. 



Oc'reatk, a. Booted. See Boor and Caligula. 



Oc'ulo-mo'tor, n. A nerve of the eye-muscles. 



Oc'uLUs, ». Eye. (The adjective ocwfar Ijeing 

 a]iplied chiefly to proces,ses and results of 

 sight, much like %yi.siial, rather than to physi- 

 cal attributes, the word orbital is used for the 

 latter instead.) 



Odon'toid (proccvi), a. A part of the axis 

 (second cervi<:al vertebra) is so called. 



a!:.soPH'AGU.s, n. Gullet ; tube convej-ing food 

 from mouth to stomach. 



Olec'ranon, 71. Upper back part of the ulna, 

 not jirominent in birds. 



Olfac'tory, a. Pertaining to the sense of 

 smell. 



Olioomy'oid, a. Having few or imperfect 

 syringeal muscles among Pnsseres. 



Oligoto'kous, a. Protlucino; few young. 



Oliva'ceous, a. Of a niLxcd green and brown 

 color. 



O.MSiv'oRou.s, a. Eating anything ; feeding 

 indiscriminately. 



O'moplate, n. Shoulder-blade. {Omn-, in com- 

 po.sition, is a prefix referring to the shoul- 

 der.) 



0m'ph.\los, n. Same as umbilicus, naveL 



Oolog'ical, a. Pertaining to oolog)'. 



Ool'ogt, n. Science of birds' eggs. 



Oper'culum, n. Lid or cover ; flap. The 

 nasal scale, or roofing of the e.xtenial nostrils, 

 is the operculum narls. 



Ophthal'mic, a. Pertaining to the eye. Oph- 

 thalmic region is equivalent to orbital region. 



Op'tic, a. Peitaining to the eye, or to the 

 sight. The optic nen'e issues from the brain 

 and spreads into the retina. 



O'ral, a. Pertaining to the mouth. 



Orbic'ular, a. Circular. 



Or'bit, n. Eye-socket. Also, synonymous 

 with orbita. 



Or'bita, n. Circumorliital region taken imme- 

 diately around the eye-opening. (41.) 



Or'eit.\l, a. Pertaining to the orbit. 



ORBi'To-srHE'NoiD, n. Part of the sphenoid 

 bone, fonning a portion of the orViit. 



Or'der, \n. Incla.s.sification,agroup 



Oh'do, pi. ordines, \ between family and class. 



Or'di-NAL, a. Having the taxonomie rank or 

 value of an order. 



Or'gan, 71. Any individual part, or system of 

 parts, of the body having a specific physio- 

 logical function, considered with reference to 

 its action, processes, or results. Eye, organ 

 of sight ; wing, organ of flight ; .stomach, 

 liver, organ.'! of digestion ; muscles collec- 

 tively, organs of locomotion. 



Or'ganism, n. Any living body capable of 

 separate existence. 



Or'gasm, n. Immoderate excitement ; said 

 chiefly of sexual excitement, of which the 

 orgasm is the height. Erethism. 



Ornii'h'ic, a. Pertaining to birds. 



Orxithocop'rolite, n. Fossil bird-dung. 



Ornithol'ogv, 71. Science of birds. 



Okxithot'omy, 71. Anatomy of birds. 



Os, )(. ; gen. m-is : pi. ora. Mouth. Cauum 

 oris, cavity of the mouth. 



Os, 71.; gen. ossis : pi. ossa. Bone. Many or 

 most names of individual bones are adjectives, 

 u.sed substantively, os or brme being under- 



