-ATKI.LA. 



The Pique-Bumfs are generally wen in company, but they never 

 fly in large flock*. I.e VailUut rarely aaw more than aix or eight in 

 the lame herd of buffaloes or antelopes; and M. Ruppell never 

 obeenred them except in bandi consisting but of few individuals 

 about the camels of hu caravan. They are very wild and difficult of 

 approach, so that there in no chance of obtaining either the one or 

 the other species, except by hiding behind an ox or a camel and 

 driving it gently in the manner of a stalking hone towards those 

 beast* on whose backs the birds are perched. When sufficiently near 

 the fowler shows himself, and brings them down while on the wing. 

 Besides the larva of the gadfly, these birds eat the ticks when they 

 are full of blood, and all sorts of insects generally. 



B. trytkrorltyncka was received by Temminck some years since 

 from the Cape of Good Hope, whither it had been brought with a 

 number of other birds from Madagascar. Temminck says it is dis- 

 tinguished from its congener by a smaller and less powerful bill, by 

 the red colour of that organ (whence it is called in French Pique- 

 Boouf, Bec-Corail Beef-Eater, Coral-Bill) by the more sombre tints 

 of its upper plumage, and, finally, by its smaller proportions. The 

 upper parts, head, and throat in the adult are ash-brown, glazed as it 

 were with bluish ; the lower parts are yellowish-rust or dark Isabella- 

 colour. The total length is 7 inches, about one-third less than 

 B. Africans, whose bill is yellow, and whose geographical distribu- 

 tion seems to lie in the southern districts and on the western coasts 

 parts of the country to which Temminck expresses his belief that 

 B. trythrorkynrka does not penetrate. Temminck, from whose work 

 our figure and description are taken, says that no particulars as to 

 the structure of the nest, its position, or the period of incubation, are 

 yet known. 



BUPLEURUM (from Povs, ox, and vKtvpov, side), a genus of plants 

 belonging to the natural order UmbeUifera, the sub-order Orthotpermett, 

 the tribe Amminetr. It has an obsolete calyx ; entire roundish petals, 

 with a closely involute broad retu.se point ; the fruit subdidymous ; 

 carpels with equal winged or filiform and sharp or obsolete ridges ; 

 interstices with or without vittte ; stylopodium depressed. The 

 species are quite smooth, herbs or shrubs. The leaves are rarely cut, 

 in most instances being quite entire. This arises from their possessing 

 no lamina ; they are composed entirely of the petioles, and are in fact 

 phyllodia. The flowers are yellow. 



There are about fifty species of Bupleurum. They are natives of 

 temperate climates in most parts of the worm, and are known by 

 the common name of Hare's-Ear. When eaten by cattle they are 

 supposed to injure them and cause distension of the abdomen ; hence 

 the generic name. B. rotundifoliuin is the Thorow-Wax of the herba- 

 lists. It has a branched stem, with oval perfoliate leaves, and the 

 fruit with striate interstices. It was supposed to possess especial 

 virtues as a vulnerary, but there is no question now that wounds are 

 better without any such applications. There are three other British 

 species, B. ttnuittimum, B. arittatum, and B.falcatum. The species are 

 sometimes cultivated in gardens. The annual species only require to 

 be sown in the open ground early in the spring. The perennial may 

 be increased by dividing their roots ; the shrubby by cuttings. 



(Don. Sard. Diet. ; Babington, .Van. of Brit. Jlot.) 



WI'KK'STID.E, a family of Coleopterous Insects of the section 

 Pentamera and subjection Sternoxi (Latreille). The section Stcmoxi 

 is composed of two great groups or families, Buprcttidir and Elattrida : 

 the species of the former group are distinguished from the latter 

 principally in having the tarsi dilated (the penultimate joints of which 

 are bilobed) and furnished beneath with velvet-like pellets; the thornx 

 nearly straight behind, and the mandibles entire, that is, without any 

 notches internally near the apex ; and likewise in having the terminal 

 joints of the palpi cylindrical, or nearly so. 



The form of the body in the Bupratidtr is somewhat ovate, the 

 apex of the elytra being more or less pointed, and the base of the 

 thorax of nearly equal width with that of the elytra ; the head is 

 placed almost vertically, and is deeply inserted into the thorax, so 

 that the eyes nearly come in contact with that part 



In splendour of colouring this family of insects surpasses all others 

 among the Beetle Tribe, the Celoniadte perhaps excepted. Green 

 appears to be the most frequent colour, but shades of blue, red, 

 golden or copper-like hue are not uncommon, and these colours are in 

 most cases brilliant, or as it were burnished. 



The Bttprtfiida are found on the trunks and leaves of trees, and 

 likewise on flowers (on the latter more particularly the smaller 

 species), and when touched, or frequently even when approached, 

 they apply their legs and antenna clone to the body, and allow them- 

 selves to fall to the ground, a means of escape frequently practised by 

 insects ; they crawl slowly, but in hot xunny weather are frequently 

 on the wine;, and fly rapidly. 



About 600 species have been discovered belonging to this tribe, 

 which are for the most part from the tropics. In thin country about 

 20 species have been found at large, of these however several have 

 most probably been imported with timber in which their larva; feed. 



The genus /lupmiu, which is now only restricted to a few of the 



species of this family, is distinguished principally by the following 

 characters : Antenna; serrated from the third or fourth joint to the 

 apex; labrum attenuated and slightly einorginated anteriorly; scu- 

 tellum distinct ; body nearly ovate. 



The elytra of this genus hare bean found fossil at Stonesfiold. 



BUI'KKSTIS. | Hi PRBSTIOJL] 



BURAT1TE, a mineral consisting of a Carbonate of Copp.r, /in.-, 

 and Lime, with water. It occurs in bluish radiating needles. It 

 has a specific gravity of :t _'. It i fuuud at Chessy in France, in the 

 Altai Mountains, and Tuscany. 



BURDOCK, the common name for the species of Arc'ium, a genus 

 of plants belonging to the natural order Componta. This genus 

 is distinguished by its globose involucre, the bracU terminating in 

 hooked points, and imbricated, the flat receptacle with rigid subulate 

 scales ; the fruit compressed, oblong ; the pappus short, pilose, and 

 distinct. Two species of this genus are common in Great Britain. 

 A. majia, the Greater Burdock, is characterised by its large subeorym- 

 bose heads and its cordate ovate leaves, the lowermost of which attain 

 a very large size. A. mintu, the Lesser Burdock, has small heads, 

 which are racemose. The leaves are smaller than in tin- last species. 

 They were both described MArclium Lappn by Sir .1. K. .Smith. 



BURGEON, or BOURGEON, an obsolete English and modern 

 French name of a Leaf-Bud. [BfD.l 



KIKMAXNIA'CK.E, Burmanniath, the Bunuannia Tribe, a 

 natural order of plants belonging to Lindley's group of Epigynous 

 Endogens. It was first constituted by Sprengel as a separate order, 

 and is sometimes made a section of AmaryUidacca. The species of 

 plants belonging to this order are herbaceous, with tufted radicle, 

 acute leaves, or none at all, with terminal flowers, which are sessile 

 upon a 2- or 3-branched rachis, or solitary. The' flowers are her- 

 maphrodite ; the perianth tubular, superior, coloured, membranous, 

 with 6 teeth, the 8 inner ones minute, the outer larger, with a wing or 

 keel at the back ; the stamens 3, inserted in the tube opposite the 

 petals, with sessile 2-celled anthers opening transversely with a 

 fleshy connective, and sometimes 3 sterile stamens alternate with 

 them ; the ovary inferior or 3-celled, many-seeded, with the dissepi- 

 ments alternate with the wings of the perianth ; the style single ; the 

 stigma 3-lobed, petaloid ; the capsules covered by the withered 

 perianth, or 3-celled, bursting irregularly ; the seeds being numerous, 

 minute, striated with on aril, fleshy albumen, and minute embryo. 



The genus Burmantiia, on which this order has been founded, is 

 variously assigned by different botanists. Jussieu placed it in Bromt- 

 liacetr, Brown in Juncacea, Von Martius in llydrocharacea, Blume 

 places it between Juncacea and Iridaceas, Lindley between Apottaeiacetr 

 and OrcMdacccr, and there can be little doubt of the propriety of con- 

 stituting it a distinct order. The species are natives of Asia, Africa, 

 and America. The genera referred to this order are Burmaniiiu, 

 Gonyantha, Gymnotiphon, Aptcria, JHclynttrga, Cymbocarpa, and 

 Stenoptera. There are about 30 species. They have not very conspi- 

 cuous properties ; the Apleria ittarta is said by Nuttall to possess 

 tonic and astringent properties. Burmanaia ccerulea is also said to 

 have a flavour very similar to that of green tea. 



(Lindley, Natural Syitem ; Burnett, Outline! of Botany.) 



BURNET. [SANGUISORBA ; POTEIUCJL] 



BUR-REED. rSpAROAMiUM.] 



BURSA'RIA, the name of a genus of Polygaatric animals, with a 

 membranous body, short, and a little bent upon itself, so as to bo 

 concave below and convex above. 



Lamarck places Burtaria among hi fnfiaoria, observing that their 

 body is delicate and membranous, and remarkable by its concave fonn 

 on one side, which sometimes puts on the appearance of a boat, some- 

 times of a purse. Their movements are not lively, and it is said that 

 they are irregular, so that when they describe a spiral line from right 

 to left and raise themselves in the water they move with tolerable 

 swiftness; but when they return or descend they only proceed 

 slowly, a difference of velocity attributable to their form. They are 

 abundant in fresh and stagnant waters, and sea-water. There are 

 many species; the most common is Burtarin irHnnii,lla. It is so 

 large as to be visible to the naked eye, and is found in ditch-water. 



According to Ehrenberg, the Buriaria, as well as the Loxodtt, the 

 Trackelia, &c., have an intestinal tube furnished with cxcal 

 appendages which open anteriorly at the inferior surfaec of the 

 and posteriorly at its extremity. The mouth is without cilia or 

 hooks, and there is no ciliary circle on the front. The Bunaria; 

 differ besides from the other two genera by the form of the upper 

 lip. which i* <-..mpred, subcarinated, or swollen, and not contracted. 

 The body of the Burtaritr is for the most part covered with cilia. 



Some of the species are found parasitical in other animals. B. ento- 

 :non and B. intatinalit, and others, are found in the rectum of the 

 IV.,.-. 



Ill IJSATELLA, a genus of Marine Mollutca without any traces of 

 a shell, placed by DC Klninville under his second family .1 

 his third order, .Wonoplrurobratirkiata, of his /' > hora 



monoica. The following is De Blainville's definition of the genus, 

 which, in his arrangement, comes between /W.iA.//o and Notarrhii*. 

 Rang thinks it ought to belong to the genus Aplytia : 



Body snbglobular; below, an oval space circumscribed by thick 

 lips, indicating the foot; above, a yinmetricnl oval opening with 

 thick lips, formed by thecomplete junction of tin- natatory appeodagM 

 of the mantle, and communicating with a cavity in winch arc t.nind 

 one very large free gill and the \. nt. The teutacula are four, <li 

 and ramified, besides two buccal appendages. 



