ELA 



ELE 



ash-coloured crust, closely united with a 

 hard whitish wood ; pinnate leaves break 

 out from the top of the trunk only, in a 

 decussated order, the old ones dropping 

 off as the young ones break forth. The 

 flowers are concealed in stiff, green, co- 

 riaceous spathes ; they are small, seve- 

 ral on the same peduncle ; petals whitish 

 green ; they have no smell, but a rough 

 taste. The fruit is like a wild plum, 

 with a hard woody point at top, cover- 

 ed with the calyx at bottom. The nut 

 or stone is oblong, marked longitudinally 

 with a deep furrow, containing a bitter 

 kernel. The poorer sort of people chew 

 the nut in the same manner as the areca 

 nut, with the leaf of the betal and quick- 

 lime. The elephants are very fond of the 

 fruit branches, which are sweet. It is a 

 native of the East Indies. 



ELATER, in natural history, a genus 

 of insects of the order Coleoptera : an- 

 tennae filiform, lodged in a groove under 

 the head and thorax : underside of the 

 thorax terminating in an elastic spine, 

 placed in a cavity of the abdomen ; by 

 which means the body, when placed on 

 the back, springs up and recovers its na- 

 tural posture. This genus, which is ex- 

 tremely numerous, is divided into two 

 sections, viz. A. feelers hatchet-shaped ; 

 and B. feelers clavate, the club round. 

 Of the latter only three.species are men- 

 tioned, but of the former two hundred 

 ai least have been enumerated. In point 

 of size the European species are not 

 comparable to those which are natives 

 of the tropical regions. Among the most 

 remarkable may be mentioned E. flabelli- 

 cornis, which is more than two inches 

 long, and is a native of India, and of many 

 parts of Africa. E. noctilucus, found in 

 South America, and called there cocu- 

 jas, is not so large as the last, but the 

 spots on the thorax, like those on the ab- 

 domen of the glow-worm, are highly lumi- 

 nous, diffusing through the night a bril- 

 liant splendour, by which the smallest 

 print may be read, and eight or ten of 

 them in a phial will afford a light equal 

 to that of a common candle. Many spe- 

 cies of the elater are natives of our own 

 country ; but they are seldom distinguish- 

 ed by any brilliancy of colour, and are far 

 inferior in size to the exotic ones. E. 

 tesselatus, so called from the manner in 

 whicli it is marked, is not uncommon in 

 the fields during the middle of summer. 

 The larvae of these insects are of a 

 slender form, and devour the roots of 

 the grasses. That insect, so destructive 

 to newly sown .French beans, the wire- 



worm, is thought to be the larvae of the 

 E. obscurus. 



ELATERIUM, in botany, a genus of 

 the Monoecia Monandria class and or- 

 der. Natural order of Cucurbitaceae. 

 Essential character : male, calyx none ; 

 corolla salver-shaped. Female, calyx 

 none ; corolla salver-shaped ; capsule in- 

 ferior, one celled, two-valved. There are 

 two species. 



ELATINE, in botany, a genus of the 

 Octandria Tetragjnia class and order. 

 Natural order of Inundatae. Caryophyl- 

 lae, Jussieu. Essential character: calyx 

 four-leaved ; petals four ; capsule four- 

 celled, four-valved, flatted. There are 

 two species. These are annual aquatic 

 herbs, very low and spreading ; the flow- 

 ers axillary and small. 



ELDERS, among the Jews, were per- 

 sons of great age, experience, and wis- 

 dom ; the denomination is known in the 

 Presbyterian discipline. They are offi- 

 cers, who, with the ministers and dea- 

 cons, compose the sessions of the kirk. 

 The elder's business is to assist the minis- 

 ter in visiting the congregation upon 

 occasion, to watch over the morals of 

 the people of his district, and to give 

 them private reproof in case of any dis- 

 order ; but if the scandal be gross, or the 

 person obstinate, he lays the thing before 

 the session. The elders are chosen from 

 among the most substantial, knowing, 

 and regular people, by the session or 

 consistory of the kirk. There is a ruling 

 elder in every session : he should be 

 a man of spotless character, and of 

 principal consideration and interest in 

 his parish : he is chosen out of the kirk 

 session ; the congregation is to approve 

 of the choice : the minister ordains him 

 before the congregation : he may be 

 chosen to assist in any church judicatory, 

 and in all manner of government and 

 discipline has an equal vote with the 

 minister. 



ELECTION, in law, is where a person 

 has a choice of one or mon.- tilings which 

 happen upon several occasions ; as where 

 he has by law two remedies, and must 

 take only one : thus, a creditor, in cases 

 of bankruptcy, may either prove his 

 debt under the commission, or proceed 

 at law ; but in this case he is compelled 

 to make his election : where also a per- 

 son having obtained a judgment is enti- 

 tled to execution, he may either take 

 his remedy against the goods or the per- 

 son of his debtor ; but if he proved against 

 thf person in the first instance, he can- 

 not afterwards have recourse to the goods; 



