ASC 



ASP 



botanical designation of the sporuliferous 

 tubes imbedded in the nucleus of the 

 shields of lichens. 



ASCFDIA (acTKor, a bottle). An order 

 of the tunicated Mollusca, named from 

 their resemblance in shape to a leathern 

 bottle. In these, the two orifices ap- 

 proach one another more or less closely, 

 and the body is either immediately fixed 

 to some solid mass, or attached to it by 

 a foot-stalk. See Salpce. 



ASCIDIOI'DA [ascidia, and eldo?, 

 likeness). An order of the Polypi- 

 pherous Radia^a, named from their affi- 

 nity to the ascidicB, a group in the lowest 

 class of Mollusca. They have also been 

 called hryozoa, from their fancied re- 

 semblance to mosses, and cilio-hrachiata, 

 from the presence of cilia on their arms. 



ASCI'DIUM {dcKibiov, dim. of ao-Kof, 

 a leathern bag). The botanical term for 

 the pitcher of Nepenthes and other 

 plants, consisting in a peculiar modifica- 

 tion of the leaf, by which the petiole is 

 dilated and hollowed out at its upper 

 end, and the lamina is articulated with 

 it and closes its orifice. 



A'SCII (a, not, (TKia, shadow). A term 

 applied to the inhabitants of the Torrid 

 Zone, because, the Sun being sometimes 

 exactly vertical to them at noon, they 

 have no shadow at all. At t^e other 

 times of the year, their noon-shadow 

 points both northward and southward, 

 according to the place of the sun, when 

 he is not vertical to them ; and hence 

 they are called Amphiscn, from d^Kph, 

 on both sides, and oKia, shadow, 



1. Heteroscii [jerepo^, another, (tkio., 

 shadow). A term applied to the inha- 

 bitants of the Temperate Zones, from 

 their having their shadows, at noon, 

 always on one side or other of them, either 

 north or south, according as they may be 

 situated, throughout the whole year. 



2. Periscii (Trepi, around, aatii, shadow). 

 A term applied to the inhabitants of the 

 Frigid Zones, because at certain seasons 

 of the year, during many revolutions of 

 the earth, the sun does not set at all to 

 them, nor so much as touch the horizon, 

 and hence their shadows move completely 

 round them once in 24 hours ; and, in pro- 

 portion as they are nearer the Poles, will 

 be the greater continuance of the sun 

 above the horizon, for one, two, or, it 

 may be, six months together. 



3. To these may be added the Bra- 

 chyscii {^paxw, short), or such as pro- 

 ject short shadows at noon ; the Ma- 

 croscii {fxa\p6^, long), who project long 



40 



shadows at noon ; and the Antiscii {uv-rl, 

 opposite), whose shadows are in opposite 

 directions, from their having the sun on 

 opposite sides. 



4. The ancients, likewise, distinguished 

 the inhabitants of the earth, with respect 

 to their longitude and latitude, into the 

 Periceci (Trepi and o'Uo^, habitation), who 

 dwelt in the same latitude, but in opposite 

 longitudes; ihe Antooci (uvri and otKoy), 

 who dwelt in the same longitude, but in 

 opposite latitudes ; and Synced {avv and 

 otKop), who lived in the neighbourhood 

 of each other. The Antipodes had both 

 latitudes and longitudes diametrically 

 opposite to each other. 



ASCLEPIADA'CEiE. The Asclepias 

 tribe of Dicotyledonous plants. Shrubs 

 or herbaceous plants, with leaves opposite, 

 alternate, or whorled ; corolla monope- 

 talous, hypogynous ; stamens inserted into 

 the base of the corolla ; ovaries two ; fruit 

 one or two follicles. 



ASE'PTIC (a, priv., tr^Tro), to putrefy). 

 A term applied to substances which are 

 free from the putrefactive process. 



ASPA'RAGIN. A crystalline sub- 

 stance, formed spontaneously in the juice 

 of asparagus which has been evaporated 

 to the consistence of syrup. It is gene- 

 rally procured from the root of the marsh- 

 mallow. 



ASP A'R AMIDE. A principle dis- 

 covered in the juice of the asparagus, 

 and in the root of the marsh-mallow and 

 liquorice. It is the agedoite of Robiquet, 

 and synonymous with asparagin. 



ASPA'RTIC ACID. An acid obtained 

 from asparagin, when boiled for some time 

 with hydrated oxide of lead or magnesia. 



A'SPECT. An obsolete astronomical 

 term, applied to the various positions of 

 the planets with respect to one another, 

 as seen from the earth. Five aspects 

 have been reckoned : at conjunction, 6 , 

 two planets have the same longitude ; 

 when sixty degrees apart, the aspect is 

 sextile, * ; when ninety, quartile, Q ; 

 when 120, trine, A; when 180 degrees 

 apart, they are in opposition, ^ . 



ASPERGI'LLIFORM {aspergillus, a 

 brush, forma, likeness). Brush-like ; di- 

 vided into minute ramifications, as the 

 stigmas of grasses, certain hairs of the 

 cuticle of plants, &c. 



ASPHA'LTENE. A solid black sub- 

 stance, obtained by submitting the bitu- 

 men of Bechelborum, purified by ether, 

 to a high and prolonged temperature. 



ASPHA'LTUM {a<T<pa\rov, asphalt, 

 bitumen). A black or brown, brittle sub- 



