550 



GLOSSARY. 



Ni'dus, n. Nest. 



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

 dency ; the unknown law which determines 

 the rudiment of an animal to take its proper 

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



Node, ) n. A swelling ; hence, a joint, as 



No'dus, \ bones usually enlarge at their ar- 

 ticulating extremities. Compare Internode. 



Nomen'clature, n. The sum of the words or 

 terms peculiar to any department of knowl- 

 edge; as, ornitliological nomenclature; in this 

 sense equivalent to terminology. Also, the 

 naming of objects according to some fixed 

 principle ; as, tlie binomial nomenclature. It 

 is essential to the integrity of nomenclature 

 that it should rest upon classification, or tax- 

 onomy. 



NoN-. Not. A fre([uent prefix in scientific 

 literature, denoting negation, used much like 

 clis-, U1I-, in-, etc. 



Nos'tril, n. (28.1.) See Naris. 



NoTiE'UM, n. The entire upper part of a bird. (5.) 



No'tha, a. Spurious. By cda notha has been 

 meant the scapular, axillar, and tertiary feath- 

 ers collectively, which are also called ^ara^- 

 terum. 



No'tochord, n. Primitive condition of the 

 backbone. 



Nu'CHA, n. Nape ; iipper part of cervix, next 

 to occiput. (49.) 



Nu'CHAL, a. Pertaining to the nape. 



Nu'cleated, a. Containing a special cell or 

 cells. 



Nucleo'lus, n. Cell or point within a nucleus. 



Nu'cleu.s, ?i. Special cell within another. 



Nu'trient, a. Nourishing ; nutritious. 



Nutri'tion, n. Pepair of waste that ensues by 

 decomposition in animal life, and promotion 

 of growth, 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, as well 

 as the others, full-webbed. See Steoanopo- 

 DOUS. (140.) 



Obcor'date, a. Inversely heart-shaped. 



Oblique', a. Indirect ; aslant. Also, name 

 of certain abdominal muscles. 



Ob'long, a. Longer than broad. 



Obo'vate, a. Inversely ovate. 



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

 faintly marked. 



Ob'solete, a. Disused ; little used. Also, 

 synonymous with obscure, as obsolete spots ; 

 also, synonymous with imperfect or rudimen- 

 tary : the hind toe of the petrel is obsolete. 



Obtura'tor, n. A muscle, membrane, and foi'a- 

 men of the pelvis are respectively so called. 



Obtuse', a. Blunt. Opposed to acute. 



Occip'ital, a. or ■;(. Pertaining to the hind- 

 head ; as, occipital bone, occipital region. 



Oc'ciPUT, n. The hind head. (33.) 



Ocel'lus, n. (Literally "little eye.") Dis- 

 tinct rounded spot of color, like the "eyes" 

 of a peacock's tail. 



Och'rey, Och'reou.s, a. Color of yellow ochre. 



Oc'reate, a. Booted. See Boot and Caligula. 



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



Oc'uLU.s, n. Eye. (The adjective ocular being 

 applied chiefiy to pi'ocesses and results of 

 sight, much like visual, rather than to physi- 

 cal attributes, the word orbital is used for the 

 latter instead. ) 



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

 (second cervical vertebra) is so called. 



Qisopii'AGUS, 71. Gullet ; tube conveying food 

 fi'oni mouth to stomach. 



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

 not j)rominent in birds. 



Olfac'tory, a. Pertaining to the sense of 

 smell. 



Oligomy'oid, a. Having few or imperfect 

 syringeal muscles among Passcres. 



Oligoto'kous, a. Producing few young. 



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

 color. 



Omniv'orous, a. Eating anything ; feeding 

 indiscriminately. 



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

 position, is a piefi.x referring to the shoul- 

 der.) 



Om'phalos, n. Same as umbilicus, navel. 



Oolog'ical, a. Pertaining to oology. 



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



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

 na.sal scale, or roofing of the external nostrils, 

 is tlie opierculum naris. 



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

 thalmic region is equivalent to orbital region. 



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

 sight. The optic nerve issues from the brain 

 and spreads into the retina. 



O'ral, a. Pertaining to the mouth. 



Orbig'ular, a. Circular. 



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

 with orhita. 



Or'bita, n. Circumorbital region taken imme- 

 diately around the eye-opening. (41.) 



Or'bital, a. Pertaining to the orbit. 



Orbi'to-sphe'noid, n. Part of the sphenoid 

 bone, forming a portion of the orbit. 



Or'der, )n. In classification, a group 



Or'do, pi. ordines, ) between family and class. 



Or'di.val, a 



value of an order 



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

 parts, of the body having a sjiecific physio- 

 logical fujiction, considered with reference to 

 its action, processes, or results. Eye, organ 

 of sight ; wing, organ of flight ; stomach, 

 liver, organs of digestion ; muscles collec- 

 tively, organs of locomotion. 



Or'ganism, n. Any living body capable of 

 separate existence. 



Or'g.\.sm, n. Immoderate excitement ; said 

 chiefly of sexual excitement, of which the 

 orgasm is the height. Erethism. 



Ornitii'ic, a. Pertaining to birds. 



Ornithocop'rolite, n. Fossil bird-dung. 



Ornithol'ogy, n. Science of birds. 



Ornithot'omy, n. Anatomy of birds. 



Os, n. ; gen. oris ; pi. ora. Mouth. Cavum 

 oris, cavity of the mouth. 



Os, n.; gen. ossis ; pi. ossa. Bone. Many or 

 most names of individual bones are adjectives, 

 used substantively, os or bone being under- 



Having the taxonomic rank or 



