ACOXTI\- 



ACKOTHOl 



ad Has been known for the dangeroiu properties of many of it* species. 

 They aru all hardy herbaceous plants, many of them of great beauty ; 

 anil are so easily cultivated, that one of them, A. \ai*Uiu, i- found iu 

 every cottager' garden. The Engliah call them Wolfs Bane. From 

 all other ranunculaceous plant* Ammititm is at onoe known by it- 

 baring the very large uppermost segment of iu calyx overhanging the 

 petaU and other parU iu the form of a helmet. 



The common specie*, A. \aprUat, is one 

 of thoee in which the greato* degree of 

 virulence ha* been found to reside. It IK a 

 native of alpine pastures in Switzerland ami 

 other mountainous part* of Europe. Its 

 leave* are very dark green, deeply out into 

 from five to seven long segments. The 

 torn ia about three feet high. The flowers 

 are in long, stiff spikes, and of a deep blue 

 colour; they ai>|>ear from May to July. 

 All the parts of this- plant are extremely 

 acrid, especially the roots, which are 

 I and mixed with food to form a 

 t wolves and other savage animals. 

 Poisonous properties are probably foun<l 

 in all the species of the genus. .' 

 mo rum, A. lyroetonttm, and A. unthora are 

 certainly equally damvi-oux. None of 

 them however, not .1. .V'////x itself. run 

 be compared for fatal energy with the 

 dreadful Bikh of Ncjiaul, thevlnoii'nni 

 which seems to possess the con- 

 atod power of all the European 



ACCXNTIAS (from tatar, a javelin), the name of a genus of serpents 

 established by Cuvier, for the purpose of distinguishing certain species 

 hitherto placed with the genus .1 nyi>is. or common snake. This genus 

 is characterised by the absence of all the bones which represent the 

 extremities in the genus A ;/'"', while it retains the structure of the 



lirail common to thes? 

 i Is and to the 

 li/.mls, and bos the 

 body similarly covered 

 with small scales only, 

 without the horny 

 plates which guard its 

 under surface in the 

 common serpents, and 

 protect them from in- 

 jury in the various 

 rapid motions which 

 they perform. The 

 species of A contia 

 seem thus to afford a 

 link between the com- 

 mon snakes and tnie 

 serpents. 



As might naturally 

 be expected from this 

 "filiation, the pi-o- 

 uts of 

 I 



iy different from 

 of common ser- 

 |M'nt. They do not 

 along the surface 

 like thc^r animals, but 

 boldly carry tlieirln-ads 

 lireasts erect ; anil 

 pursued de- 

 fend themselves cou- 

 ragcouslv, and dart 

 tin- vrlority of an 

 arrow against their 

 hint. Though 



, .1 in thrir na-ivc 

 countries, because confounded wi-i 



aiiimaU an- pm-frctly harmless. and neither jioiwess the men* nor 

 have the desire of being injurious. '1 fang*, 



mid their check -teeth are so small as, 



ihlc. Th'-ir habit- II ..... ntli and tliey ar- MI timid that 

 they generally fly at the leant noise, or, U]K,H the slightest 

 ance of danger, conceal themselves under some shmli or ' 

 gram, u -vcn l.urv tli. : i.iind wh.-n no other refuge 



is at hand. 



They are, generally speaking, of a small size ; and, as tlicir month* 

 are not susceptible of tie- eii"imous d ' ssrd by the true 



serpent*, they are incap ..'lowing any animal approacl 



their own dimensions, and feed upon worms and insects. 1> 

 specie* of Aetm'ia* are f..un.: part of tl ..... Id world. 



The arid plains of Syria and Palest a species which has been 



AfOHtuu Urlragrii 



moo Egyptian Aoontia* many fables are raconlixl l.\ 

 -illy ansmg from coiifouuding this n-ally harm- 



mentioned by the prophci Isaiah (xxxiv., 15), under the Hebraw 



it :.' , .' !, A , ,, I!. I ! I : \ ..:.-i-..i' !.. .-}. ,.! nH 1 II, ,, .1, .| C1 . 



. . nrion of the Sa-i 



(' lli<r>ic<>icon,' |N ni. cap. xi.) has shown to refer mmc 



projwrly to the Acontia*, or Angit jn- 



Greeks and Romans. Other Hpeciivt inhabit Asia Uinor. lvM''< '""' 

 Persia; India and China have also their Acontuu ; and 



Of the 

 ancient a 

 lex specie* with the more deadly and venomous serpent* of the same 



\ ( ' I : . K, a small natural order 



of Kiid-iL-riis. w ith the following . -. m i.il character : The flowers are 

 hermaphrodite, surrounded with scales. The spathe is leaf-like, l.ut 

 not i"l!,.| up. The stamens are com|<l> i>. pl:iced opposite the scales, 

 and have tw -tiers which are tin-mil inwards. The ovaries 



are distinct. The fruit is baccate, juicy at first, but finally juicela**. 

 The seeds have the embryo seated in the axis of a copious allmmni. 

 The rootstock isjoint.il ; the leaves sword-shaped, and cm. 

 other in the bud. Such is the character given this order, which was 

 first separated !> Agimlh, and the separation wa* after- 



wards adopted by - k. ami l.indlcy. The genera awigJ 



Ititlrn. an.) 

 are now assigned by the same autl 



tl rder l.iliarca. Tlii' small group of plant* in it- geographical 



,iii>n is confined to the e.i^t. ni h. mi-pin 11 . them 



have the acrid pro; .nn- of the .1 ,! n. '1 



is a British plant, and has slightly arouiatic propcitirs. i l.indlcy, 

 VetfeJtiliti h'iittftloiii.} 



A('nl;\. ih. r.imlish name of the fiuit of the oak. |i,' 

 A't'OHI'S. the liot.inical name of the plant that produces tin 

 called in the shops Caiamut aromatiou. It is the tyi*- of the n 



oiilcr .1 ' "i i/'vrr. It is found 

 abundantly in the frcsl: 

 . " of many pa) 

 KllL'laMil. It h:i.s a ]n-rcnnial. 



ag, horiy.ont.al M- 

 thick as the tinker, the w ho!i 

 of the under side of which 

 sends down roots into tin- mud 

 or earth, in which the plant 

 uniformly grows. KMHII this 

 spring many dee] 



sword-shaped leaves, al t 



three feet long. In tin 

 of all is a leaf-like stem. IV >m 

 below the point of which 

 protrudes a cylindrical or 

 rather conical spadix of 

 * Inch are so 

 closely packed togetlu 

 the stalk is not to be Been. 

 The leaves when bruined are 

 fragrant ; for which reason 

 they were formerly employed 



to strew the floors of n is, 



or of churches, under tin 

 name of rushes. Tlii- 



still maintained in 

 some places, where the plant 

 is common, as at Xorwii h.the 

 cathedral of which . 

 strewed with sweet rushes 

 ii] m certain high t 

 Tlir MMV..TS are so seldom 

 ' -d. that it is a common 

 belief that they never arc 



Column* an, i 



is slightly aromatic, and ix 

 M. illy used an a stimu- 

 lant ; but is of very little 

 importance. The part i m- 



i is improjHTlv called, i 



Ai'OTYI.K IxiXKS. or A< 'oTY I.KI iNK.K. the n.-'mn 

 class in Jussieu's ' x It i- dcri\rd from the 



rin-Hiiistancr of all the plant s ii Inch it eompn i >vith 



out the aid of the seed lobes called cotyledon.-. Such pl:n 

 ill all eases of (lowers, and arc in : 



' m I't . They are also calli il ' 

 A< '"I I ll> , i ,., ,1! 



ITA i from (utpirot, indistimti. a division of the da. It.iilinin, 



adopted by Owen, and applied to the .\-~ill- /ili'l . the /'"/,, 



/imli-ifa, and ceHaiu forms of / 



in none of which arc the indicat ii .n- of a i|iT\ou- -\sti in drri,l,d. and 

 aiwe-t forms of the l-i "llials. 



nCIKi Kill's (from iutpa^nflitv, a wan 



by tin- trui llel I 



' 



