437 



BELLIS. 



BELVISIACE^E. 



433 



referred to the C'ejilinl'jpmld, and considered analogous to Anjonauta, 

 D'Orbigny baa however given reasons for ranking it with the Iletero- 

 podtna Molluica, and compares it with Carinaria. 



JJelleropJimi hiulcut. 



BELLIS (from bellus, pretty), a genus of plants belonging to the 

 natural order Composite, and to De Candolle's suborder Corymlifinr, 

 tribe Aitoroidere, subtribe Asterinete, division Asterecf, and subdivision 

 Bellidea. It has a receptacle without scales, flowers of the ray 

 ligulate, pistilliferous in one row, those of the disk hermaphrodite 

 tubular, the involucre composed of two rows of equal obtuse scales, 

 the receptacle conical, the fruit compressed without pappus. De 

 Candolle enumerates five species belonging to this genus. One of 

 them, the B. perennu, is the Common Daisy, and is a native of Great 

 Britain and throughout Europe. It has obovate-spathulate single- 

 ribbed crenate-dentate leaves. It is an exceedingly common plant on 

 banks and in pastures in Europe. It blossoms nearly all the year 

 round, and is constantly found with opened flowers from March to 

 October. It is subject in its wild state to varieties ; sometimes all the 

 floretfl are found ligulate, more rarely they are all tubular. There are 

 several varieties of the Common Daisy cultivated in gardens. There 

 is a double variety called Large-Double, another Double-Quilled, and a 

 proliferous variety known by the name of Hen-and-Chickens. These 

 varieties assume various colours from deep red to pink and white. 

 They are easily cultivated, and form pretty plants for edges and 

 borders, and continue in blossom a long time. 



B. tyheitris and B, annua are natives of Europe, but are not 

 cultivated. 



The genus Bellium closely resembles Bdlii ; it differs however in 

 possessing a pappus surrounding its fruits. The species are found in 

 the south of Europe, and appear like email species of Bella. 



(Babington, Manual ; London, Cyclopaedia of Plantt.) 



BELLIUM. [BELLIS.] 



ISKI. LOWS-FISH. [CEXTHISCCS.] 



BELO'NE, a genus of Fishes belonging to the family EocidtE of the 

 A It'l'i/it inal Afalacojtti'ri/ffii. It has a head and body greatly elongated, 

 the latter covered with minute scales ; both jaws very much produced, 

 straight, narrow, and pointed, and armed with numerous small teeth ; 

 the dorsal fin placed over the anal fin. The species are remarkable 

 for the green colour of their bones. 



One species, the Belone vulyarii, is common on the British coast. 

 It is known by various names, but more especially that of (Jar-Fish. 

 It was placed by Linmcus in the genus EOJC, and being an inhabitant 

 of the sea, it got the name of Sea-Pike. From the fact of its leaving 

 the deep water in spring to deposit its ova near the shore in the 

 months of April and May, and thus preceding the mackerel in their 

 annual visit to shallow water for the same purpose, it has received 

 the name of Mackerel-Guide. Its other English names according to 

 Yawell are Greenbone, Horn-Fixh, Long-Nose, Gorebill, and Sea-Needle. 

 The usual length of this fish is about 24 inches. It has elongated 

 jaws, beset with numerous minute teeth. The eye is large. The body 

 is uniform in depth to the anal fin, thence tapering to the tail. The 

 dorsal and anal fins begin and end nearly on the same plane. The 

 ventral fins are small. The tail is forked ; the external long rays are 

 nearly as long again as those of the centre. The upper part of the 

 In MI! and back is of a dark greenish blue ; the sides and belly are 

 silvery white ; the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins white. This fish is 

 taken off the coast of Berwick during the Mackerel season, and Dr. 

 Johnston says it is not unfrequently called a Sword-Fish. It is 

 taken also on the Devonshire and Cornish coasts. The fish are 

 bn iii:<ht into the London markets in the spring, and eaten in 

 i.Tiil.Io quantities. The flesh has the flavour of mackerel, but 

 it is drier. Great numbers are said to be caught off the coast of 

 Holland, but they are only used there as bait. Mr. Couch says of 

 tin- < Jar-Fish, that it "swims near the surface at all distances from 



tin: hook it mounts to the surface, often before the fisherman has felt 

 the bite ; and then with its slender body half out of the water, it 

 struggles with the most violent contortions to wrench the hook from 

 its jaws. It emits a strong smell when newly taken." In the Ionian 

 U, according to Mr. Tnnna, it is caught by attaching several 

 lines with floats to a raft. In this way a large number are taken in a 

 very short time. Specimens of this fish have been exhibited in tlie 

 Aquavivurium of the Zoological Society, in the Gardens, Regent's 

 I 

 There are several other species, some of which are said to attain a 



length of 8 feet, and to bite very severely. Their flesh generally is 

 wholesome. (Yarrell, British Fishes ; Cuvier, Rer/ne Animal.) 



BELONO'STOMUS.agenus of Fossil Fishes established by Agassiz. 

 The British species occur in the Lias, Oolite, and Chalk ; the foreign 

 in the Oolite of Pappenheim. 



BELO'PTERA, a genus of Fossil MoHusca, established by Deshayea 

 and described by De Blainville as an animal entirely unknown, 

 containing in the back part of its muscular envelope a symme- 

 trical calcareous or bony shell formed of a thick solid summit 

 very much loaded behind, and a front tube more or less complete, 

 the cavity of which is conical and annular, the shell or bone 

 having wing-shaped appendages without any anterior shield-like 

 prolongation. 



De Blainville divides the genus into two sections. The first 

 consists of species whose wing-shaped appendages are united below 

 the summit, and whose cavity is somewhat in the shape of a scuttle 

 (hotte). Of this section Beloplera sepioidca, is given as an example. 



Side view. 



End view. 

 Seloptera sepioidea. 



Internal cavity. 



The second includes npecies whose wing-shaped appcndaees are 

 distinct, and whose cavity is completely couiual with traces of 

 chambers and of a siphon. Of this 

 division Beloptcra Memnoidca is 

 given as an illustration. 



De Blainville observes that this 

 genus ought to be placed at the end 

 of the Sepiada', or Cuttles ; and that j 

 the first of the species is evidently | 

 very much allied to the bones of 

 those animals, while the second 

 approaches the Belemnites. 



After all, the probability is, 

 that these bodies are only por- Srloplera 



tiona of the bones of some of 

 the Cuttle-Fishes ; and this appears to have been the opinion of 

 Cuvier. 



If a perfect bone of the common species of our coasts be closely 

 examined, a structure very analogous to the conical circularly-grooved 

 cavity of Belaptera, although in a more expanded form, will lie 

 observed. These fossils have been found in the London Clay, and 

 other beds above the Chalk. 



Voltz, in his Memoir on Belemnites, makes Bdoptera, si-jiwiilfa a 

 distinct genus under the name of Belosu-iiiu. 



BELO'PTERA (De 151ainville), the shelly portion of a Fossil Ccpha- 

 lopod, intermediate between Belemnites and Sepia. It occurs in the 

 French Tertiary Strata, and includes B. C-itvieri, B. compreeea, and 

 B. Beltmnitoidta (De Blainv.). Mr. Morris adds B. anumahi, and 

 B. lonyirottrum, from the English Tertiaries. 



BELOSE'PIA (Voltz). In this genus M. Voltz ranks two of the 

 species (B. C'uvitri and B. comprttia) which form part of the Beluji/i m 

 of De Blainville. 



BELVISIA'CE JE, Napoleon- Wort*, a small natural order of plants, 

 comprehending only two genera. One of these was discovered in 

 the kingdom of Oware, by Palisot de Beauvois, who called it Xapoleona 

 in honour of Napoleon I. It was subsequently named lidviina after 

 its discoverer. It has been figured under the name of Napoleona 

 imperial in the ' Flora of Oware and Benin,' where we find the only 

 account of it. It was discovered in the neighbourhood of the town 

 of Oware, growing to the height of seven or eight feet, and loaded with 

 large broad bright-blue flowers, sitting close upon the branches. They 

 are remarkable for having a superior calyx of five pieces, together 

 with a double monopetalous corolla, of which the outer forms a flat 

 crenellated disk, and the interior is divided into a great number of 

 regular narrow segments. The stamens are only five, or rather 

 perhaps ten, united by pairs into five parcels, resembling so m.iny 

 petals. The stigma is peltate with five angles, and covers over the 

 anthers. The fruit is said to be a berry, with a single cell, containing 

 a parcel of seeds lying in pulp. From such an account it will be 

 evident to the botanical reader that this must be one of the greatest 

 curiosities in the vegetable kingdom. 



Palisot de Beauvois, its discoverer, considered it the type of a new 

 natural order allied to the Gourds ; Brown, we believe, suspects its 

 relation to the Passion-Flowers ; Lindlcy originally stationed it near 

 "' ; in his ' Nixus,' he placed it near the Campanulas, but in his 

 'Vegetable Kingdom' places it between Myrtacta: and lt/iizophoraceai. 

 The other genus belonging to this order is Asteranthoa, which is said 



