AGAM.E. 



AGAUKTS. 



approaching almost to the form of a perfect sphere, iU broad flmt 

 head. iU skin covered with Mnall tul>erclo8 or warta interspersed among 

 the Male*, and the faculty which it possesses of distending iU body 

 with air, and to a cerUiu degree assuming different shades of ,.,;.., ,,-. 

 hare caused it to be w>metimea compared to a toad, and sometime* to a 

 chameleon ; but the truth ia, that it haa no actual relation or affinity to 

 either of then animal*, but is indebted solely to its natu rally disgusting 

 aspect fur the calumniea which the .early Spanish writer* have heaped 

 ii)-.n it The Tapayaxin inhabit* the mountainous and rocky parts 

 ith America, from the Isthmus of Darien to Patagonia. 



Other sub-genera and species belonging to this d i vision of the Agamas 

 are Traptliu (A. jBgyptievt), remarkahlo for iU change of colour, even 

 more sudden than that of the tme chameleon ; the A. calvta, of a 

 bright blue colour with transverse white marks on the sides, from 

 the Molucca Island) ; the Lopkyre* (A. gigaatm, Kuhl). with a crest 

 of long elevated spines on the neck ; and the Lyriocrphalut (A . tcutala), 

 which has a similar elevated crest along the back, and the tail keel- 

 shaped. This latter species, in many respects a most singular reptile, 

 inhabits Bengal, and lives upon fruits. 



Dimple detail* n >ntvniing the s))ecific differences of the Agamas, 

 we refer the reader to the works of Cuvier, Daudiu, and Merrem. 



A'OAM^fi, in Botany, is a name given by some authors to the large 

 division of the Vegetable Kingdom called Flowerless Plants, and may 

 be considered equivalent to the older term, Cryptogomic. [AoBOOENS. J 



A'GAMI (Tropkia crtpitani, Latham), an interesting bird, sometimes 

 also termed the Gold-Breasted Trumpeter, classed by Pallas among. 

 Cranes, by Briason among Pheasants, and making the first genus iu 



Ayalfi. 



Temminck's Alrctoritla. It is the size of a pheasant or large fowl, 

 -J inches in length, but appears larger from having a long neck, 

 and from standing high on its legs. It bears some slight resemblance 

 to the pheasant in the glossy iridescent green on the breast, and in a 

 pace round the eyes naked of feathers ; but has a very short tail, 

 consisting of twelve black feathers, over which the long, loose, silky 

 capillary rump-plumes hang droopingly. Its long greenish legs 

 assimilate it to wading birds (Grallatora), but it is said not to have 

 the habits of these, never visiting fens and the margins of water, and 

 living wholly in upland forests and arid mountains. It inhabits the 

 forest* of tropical Amerie a. and never vi-its the cleared grounds or the 

 settlements. According to M. Monoucour, it i* very gregarious, being 

 found in numerous flocks, which walk and run, bat rarely It. 

 when they do, seldom rise more than a few feet above the surface ol 

 the ground. Even when pursued they trust most to their speed in 

 running. 



nil naturalists have given accounts of the Againi in a domestic 

 state. Its docility and attachment to man are remarkable. "The 

 Agami," says Monoucour, "is not only tamed easily, but become* 

 attached to its benefactor with all the fondness and fidelity of the dog; 

 and of this disposition it shows the most unequivocal proofs. When 

 bred up in the houae, it loads its master with caresses, and follow* hi* 

 motions; and if it conceives a dislike to persons on account ' 

 forbidding figure, their offensive smell, or of injuries received, it wil 



mnue them sometimes to a considerable distance, luting their legs, 

 nut testifying every mark of displeasure. It obeys the vuicu of iU 

 master, and even answers to the call of all those to whom it WILTS no 

 ;rudge. It is fond of caresses, and offers "its head and neck to be 

 itroked ; and, if once accustomed to these familiarities, it becomes 

 troublesome, and will not be satisfied without continual fondling. U 

 makes ito appearance as often as its master sits down t. , taMe, and 

 jegins with driving out the dogs and cats, and taking possession 

 room ; for it is so obstinate ainl I ]!. tint it never yi. l.i 

 after a tough battle, can put a middle-sized dog to flight It ; 

 the bites of its antagonist, by ruing in the air, and retaliates v. ith 

 violent blows with its bill and nails, aimed chiefly at the eyes ; and 

 after it gains the superiority, it pursues the victory with the utmost 

 rancour, and, if not parted, will destroy the fugitive." 



The peculiar noise which these birds make, without opening the 

 'ill, is one of their most remarkable characteristics. This noise is no 

 doubt produced by a peculiar conformation of the organ of sound. 

 According to Pallas, the larynx, which is on the outside of the brnast, 

 is about as thick as a swan's quill and almost bony, becomes nmeh 

 more slender, loose, and cartilaginous when it enters within the breast, 

 where two semicyrindrical canals of a membranous texture, and 

 capable of being extended, proceed from it The air-bag on the 

 side descends to the pelvis, and within the breast it is divided into 

 three or four cells by transverse membranes. The air-bag on the left 

 side is narrower. tells us that the sound is sometimes 



preceded by a wild cry, interrupted by a call somewhat like ' scheivk. 

 scherck, 1 and then follows the characteristic noise somewhat resembling 

 the cooing of pigeons. It utters, in this way, five, six, or seven times, 

 with precipitation, a hollow noise nearly resembling the syllables 

 too, too, too, too, too,' resting upon the last a very Ions time, and 

 sinking the sound gradually till it terminates. During this, the breast 

 is seen to heave, as in birds while singing, though the bill remain 

 It is, no doubt, produced by the air pressed up from the lower air-bags 

 on the right and left above described, which, meeting with the trans- 

 verse membranes in its passage, causes them to vibrate and sound, and 

 this is communicated to the surrounding muscles, and by these to the 

 external air. 



The Agami, like the rest of the Alectorida, builds no nest, but 

 scratches a shallow place at the root of a tree where it deposits its 

 eggs, from 10 to 1C in number, and of a light green colour. They are 

 somewhat larger than a hen's egg, and of a rounder form. The do\\ n 

 remains a long time on the young, and grows into long silky plumes, 

 very close, like fur, and it is not till they ore one-fourth the size of the 

 adult birds that the true feathers appear. 



Dr. Latham tells ua, that "one of the AgamU, a young bird, found 

 its way into a farm-yard in Surrey, and associated with the poultry. 

 It was perfectly tame, and, on one occasion, accompanied the hounds 

 for three miles, and kept up with them. It was lust in the possession 

 of Lord Stanley, luit died on its way into Lancashire." 



AGARIC-MINERAL, on earthy variety of calcareous spar, resem- 

 bling chalk. It is also called Rock-Milk. [CALCABEOI * SI-AII. | 



AGARI'CIA (Lamouroux), the Mushroom Madrepore, a genus of 

 coral madrepores, so called from its resemblance in form to mush i 

 (Agarici). The animal inhabitants of Agarieia are unknown, with the 

 exception of a single species observed by M. Lesueur on the shore of 

 St -Thomas in the Antilles. Lamarck enumerates five species, and 

 Parkinson seven. 



AGA'RICUS is the generic name by which all the specie* of 

 Mushrooms properly so called are collectively known. It i-om- 

 prehends such plants of the fungus tribe, as have a cap (or jiileus) 

 of a fleshy nature, supported upon a distinct stalk, and a immliei of 

 parallel unequal vertical plates or gills arising out of the cap, and 

 inclosing the particles by which the species are reproduced ; pai 

 which the vulgar coll seeds, and botanists sporules. This genns, now 

 divided into a large number of sub-genera, consists of not fewer than 

 1000 species, inhabiting meadows, and heaths, and rocks, and masses 

 of decaying vegetable matter, in the whole of Kurope, and in many 

 other parts of the temperate regions of the e.ii'h. Amon^ them a 

 large proportion are poisonous, a few are wholesome, but liy far the 

 greater number ore altogether unknown in regard to their action upon 

 the human constitution. The species are often extremely .-imilar; then- 

 are no means of distinguishing botanically the tribes t ! <m ,n.- 



frorn such as are wholesome, but in every case practice is requisite to 

 determine that point independently of general structure. It is for 

 this reason that the use of wild mushrooms is so dangerous. Indi -rd 

 there is this most remarkable fact connected with their qualit 

 fact which seems to show that their properties depend u 

 and ni' 1 accidental circumstances, rather than upon any 



specific peculiarities those kinds which are wholesome in one count ry 

 are not so in another; thus, in Great Britain, the Common Mushroom, 

 HI campatrU (fg. 1), the Fairy-King Agaric, A. prata**it(Jlg. '.!>, 

 and the A. Georgii, are the only sorts that it is quite safe to eat ; while 

 the Fly Agaric, A. tuutcaritu (fig. 3), and A. rirotut (fy. ( 

 extremely poisonous. But in other countries of KIIPI|KJ it is 

 it. In Koine one of the few mushrooms cxcludi d from 

 the markets by the government inspectors is the .1. .,//<*',(>. In 

 France, in Italy, and especially in I >ul aliment i- a!lor,l,d 



by a great variety of species which, although very common iu this 



