10D 



ALBITE. 



ALCYOHIDjE. 



no 



however, that it has never been seen in any cold-blooded anim:l. In 

 all the mammalia and birds just enumerated, the nature and 

 characters of the deviation seem to be perfectly analogous to those 

 of the human Albino. The pure whiteness of their skin and other 

 integuments, and the redness of the iris and pupil, mark the same 

 deficiency of colouring matter. A white mouse, possessed by Blumen- 

 bach, exhibited the same inability to bear the light which haa been 

 n! .served almost universally in the human examples; the animal 

 kept its eyelids closed even in the twilight. 



The physical, intellectual, and the moral qualities, associated with 

 tl.i- singular conformation of the body, have not been stated with 

 distinctness and accuracy. It would seem that the Albino is both 

 physically and mentally somewhat weaker than other men. All 

 accounts agree in representing his physical strength as inferior to 

 that of persons of the ordinary conformation. Saussure, in his 

 'Voyage dans les Alpes,' expressly states, in relation to two boys 

 whom he examined with much attention at Chamouni, that, when 

 they were of a proper age, they were unable to tend the cattle like 

 the other children ; and that one of their uncles maintained them out 

 of charity, at a time of life when others were capable of gaining a sub- 

 sistence by their labour. Wafer, the old voyager, in his account of 

 the Indian Albinos in the Isthmus of Darien, while he represents 

 them as being as nimble in the moonlight as the other Indians, states 

 that they are not so strong and lusty. But in what degree their 

 intellectual powers are confined, or whether indeed there be any 

 decided inferiority, we have at present no means of forming an 

 accurate judgment. 



Some inconvenience certainly arises from the conformation of the 

 eye peculiar to the Albinos. A strong light cannot be borne, and 

 even the full glare of day appears to excite some degree of uneasiness. 

 llriK-c the eyelids are usually more drawn over the ball of the eye 

 than is common with other persons, and the eyes are generally weak, 

 tender, and watery ; while vision is more agreeable and more perfect 

 in twilight. But the inconvenience of an ordinary degree of light, 

 and the advantage of imperfect darkness, have been exaggerated. 



It would seem that there is a greater tendency to the formation of 

 this variety in some parta of the world than in others. It is more 

 common among the African and the Indian tribes than among the 

 European people. In the Isthmus of Darien, and in some of the 

 oriental islands, it is so frequent that some writers have conceived 

 that thoae persons form a distinct and peculiar tribe ; but for this 

 opinion there is no foundation. Mr. Bowdich, however, states that 

 the king of Aahantee, who seems to have considered persons of this 

 description as a great curiosity, and to have indulged his taste for 

 collecting them in a truly Oriental manner, had assembled about him 

 nearly a hundred white negroes. Blumenbach states that he has 

 himself seen sixteen Albinos in various parts of Germany ; and 

 examples have been not unfrequently found in Denmark, England, 

 Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, the Grecian Archipelago, and 

 Hungary. It ia common in both sexes, but it would appear to be 

 somewhat more frequent in males than in females. 



ALBITE, a mineral of the Felspar group, in which the potash of 

 felspar is exactly replaced by soda. It includes Pericline, Tetartine, 

 Carnatite, and Clear land He. It occurs massive and crystallised. 

 Primary form a doubly oblique prism. Cleavage parallel to the 

 primary planes. Colour commonly white, sometimes gray, greenish, 

 bluish, or red ; streak white. Fracture uneven. Hardness 6'0. Lustre 

 pearly on the cleavage planes, vitreous in other directions. Transparent, 

 translucent. Specific gravity 2'6 to 2'68. The massive varieties have 

 a laminar structure. Found in Norway, Sweden, Dauphiny, St.- 

 Gothard, Scotland, and accompanying felspar in most of its 

 imineroiu localities; from this it differs chiefly in containing soda 

 instead of potash. Analysis, by Stromeyer : silica, 70'68 ; alumina, 

 19-20; soda, 9'06; lime, W&, 



ALBJJCA (albut, white), a genus of plants belonging to the natural 

 order Liliacea. The species are mostly found at the Cape of Good 

 HO|K:. They are cultivated in this country, and require the treat- 

 ment of greenhouse bulbs. 



ALBU'MEN. In plants this term has been improperly applied to 

 the substance which in some seeds is interposed between the 

 tmbryo and their coat. It varies very much in density, and other 

 characters, and ia often the moat valuable part of a plant. In the 

 cocoa-nut it is the meat, the milk being a fluid uncondensed portion 

 of it ; in the coffee-seed it is the part that is roasted ; and in corn it 

 is that which is ground into flour. The oil of the castor-oil plant, 

 and of the poppy, the arotna of the nutmeg, and the greasy nutritious 

 substance that forms chocolate are all the produce of albumen. In 

 the ivory-nut it U the hard part from which it has acquired its 

 name. 



This substance in the beginning is of a pulpy nature, and is the matter 

 in which the young embryo first makes its appearance ; in this state 

 it is^iresent in all plants, but as the embryo, for the nutriment of 

 which it is destined, increases in size, the albumen is gradually 

 absorbed by it, either wholly, as in the turnip, the pea, the bean, and 

 the like ; or in part only, the residue being of a consistence varying 

 between softness, as in the poppy, and extreme hardness, as in the 

 date-palm. [SEED.] 



Botanists find its presence in abundance, or its total or almost total 



absence, a character of very great importance in distinguishing the 

 diiferent tribes of plants. 



ALBURNUM, in plants, is that part of the stem of trees which 

 timber-merchants call Siipwood. It is the newly-formed unchanged 

 wood lying immediately below the bark, and is always of a very light 

 colour. It is the principal channel through which the crude sap is 

 conveyed from the roots into the leaves, and is, therefore, an indis- 

 pensable part in all exogenous trees. [EXOGENS.] It consists of deli- 

 cate fibrous tissue ; in which respect it differs from Heartwood, or 

 Duramen, in which the tissue is combined with solid secretions, the 

 nature of which varies with species. It is probably on the latter 

 account that heartwood is so much more durable than sapwood ; for 

 simple fibrous tissue is in itself very perishable, and it only ceases to 

 be so in consequence of the presence of secretions of a leas destruc- 

 tible character. 



While many plants have the alburnum and heartwood distinctly 

 separated, there are others, technically called Whitewooded Trees, 

 which consist of nothing but alburnum. This arises from their not 

 forming any solid secretions which can give durability to the central 

 parts ; hence all such trees are quickly perishable, and are generally 

 unfit for any but temporary purposes. 



ALGA (Cuvier), the Auk, a genus of Web-Footed sea-birds, which 

 has a singularly-formed bill, being very broad when viewed laterally, 

 straight towards the base, but much curved towards the point. Both 

 the mandibles are half covered by projecting feathers, and furrowtd 

 near the point. The upper mandible is crooked, and the under forms 

 a projecting angle. The nostrils are towards the middle of the sides 

 of the upper mandible, being very narrow and almost closed by a 

 membrane covered with feathers. The legs are short, and placed far 

 back, so that the birds when standing have their backs nearly perpen- 

 dicular. There are only three toes fully webbed, the back toe being 

 wanting. The claws are somewhat pointed. The wings are short, and 

 the first quill is as long as the second, or perhaps a little longer. 



characteristics are : The bill long, straight, quadrangular, thick, and 

 pointed ; the tongue short, fleshy, flat, and slightly arrow-shaped at 

 the point ; the nostrils at the side of the base of the bill running 

 obliquely, and nearly closed by a naked membrane ; the legs with the 

 shank (tamu) short ; the feet with three toes forward, the outer joined 

 to the middle one as far as the second joint ; the inner one similarly 

 joined as far as the first joint. The hind toe is broad at the base. The 

 wings have the first and second quills nearly equal, but these are 

 shorter than the third, which is the longest in the wing. 



There is only one species of Kingfisher (Alcedo Ispida] indigenous 

 to Britain. It is the most beautiful of our native birds. More than 

 sixty species have been described by naturalists, chiefly natives of Asia 

 and Africa, aud all distinguished by the splendid colours of their 

 plumage. [KINGFISHERS.] 

 ALOES, the Elk. [DEER.] 

 ALCYNOE. [ACALEPH.E.] 



ALCYONELLA (diminutive of Alcyonimn), a genus of animals 

 belonging to the Fresh-Water Polyzoa, or Ascidian Zoophytes. The 

 species of this genus were originally regarded as plants. They are 

 composed of a fleshy sponge-like mass, which consists of vertical, 

 aggregated, membranaceous tubes, which open on the surface. In- 

 theae tubes the polypes are seated, which are ascidian ; the mouth is 

 encircled with a single series of filiform tentacula, which, like those 

 of the whole family, are depressed or incomplete on one side. The eggs 

 are contained in the tubes, and are coriaceous and smooth. 



The most common species is the A. Stagnorum of Lamouroux, which 

 is commonly found in stagnant waters, especially when they contain 

 iron in solution. The polype-mass of this species is a sponge-like 

 substance, somewhat elastic, of a blackish green colour, and is 

 more or less apparently porous. It is composed of tubes which rise 

 from the base to the surface, and are connected together by a firm 

 transparent gelatinous substance. The walls of the tubes are composed 

 of a thin pellucid colourless membrane, through which the ova in their 

 interior can be easily seen. The ova are very numerous, although the 

 animal itself is comparatively rare, abounding at one season, and 

 almost absent at another, in the same pond. 



This animal was originally described by Trembley in 1741, and 

 although he was perfectly aware of its nature at that early period, it 

 has been often described since both as a plant and a sponge. One of 

 the best modern accounts is that of Mr. T. P. Teale, in the first volume 

 of the ' Transactions of the Leeds Philosophical aud Literary Society/ 

 (Johnston, British Zoophytes.} 



ALCYONID^E, a family of the Asteroid Polypes, containing the- 

 genera Alcyonium and Surcodictyon. They are distinguished from the 

 Pennatulidce (Sea-Pens), and the Gorgomiatlte (Sea-Fans), by the polype- 

 mass being tough and fleshy, without any distinct axis, but strengthened 

 by the irregular distribution of calcareous spiculce. The polype-cells 

 are placed in the fleshy mass, and scattered over its surface. 



The best known of the species of this family is the Alcyonium 

 iliijitdtwm, which was described by Ellis under its popular name of 

 Dead Man's Hand, or Dead Man's Fingers. It has been described by 

 naturalists by other names, especially Lobularia ; but this is inadmissible, 



