LAXIOGERtra 



LAUDIZABALACBJZ. 



340 



loys 



lf in MOM sedentary occupation, relying upon 



UM TigOuo* of the butcherbird to warn him of the approach of a 

 hawk. ThM be never nib to do, by creaming loudly when he per- 

 oaivw hi etwmy at a dbtance, and by running under the turf when 

 th hawk draw* near. The falconer U thus prepared to pull the net 

 UM moment that the falcon hai pounced upon the pigeon. ' 



The neet U generally built on tree*, and U framed of grass-stalks, 

 roots, and atom, with a lining of down or wool The eggs, from four 

 to aix, or, according to Temminck, from fire to Mren, are bluish or 

 grayish-white, spotted on the larger end with light-brown and ash. 



Butcher-Bird (Laniut Eicnlitor). 



In captirily, Bechstein states that, if the bird be captured when it 

 ia old, mice, birds, or living insects may be thrown to it, taking care 

 to leave it quite alone, for as long as any one is present it will touch 

 nothing ; but as soon as it has once begun to feed freely, it will eat 

 fresh meat, and eren become accustomed to the universal paste. An 

 ounce of meat at least is eaten at a meal, and there should be a forked 

 branch or crossed sticks in its cage, across the angles of which it 

 throws the mouse or any other prey, and then darting on it behind 

 from the opposite aide of the cage, devours every* morsel. The same 

 author states that it may be easily taken if a nest of young birds cry- 

 ing from hunger be suspended to some lime-twigs, and that in autumn 

 and winter it will sometimes dart on birds in cages which are outside 

 the window. Benhstein further remarks, that, like the Nutcracker, 

 it can imitate the different notes, but not the songs of birds. Nothing 

 is more agreeable, according to him, than its own warbling, which 

 much rsesmblas the whistling of the Gray Parrot: its throat at the 

 time being expanded like that of the Green Frog. He adds, that it ia 

 a great pity that the bird only ainp during the pairing season, which 

 is from March to May, and even then often spoils the beautiful melody 

 of its song with some harsh discordant notes. 



LAXIOOERU8. [NCDIBRASCIIIATX] 



LANNER, [FALCOVID.K.] 



LA'NHIUM, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Mtliafttr, established by the late Dr. Jack, and formed of the Laiuium 

 of Humph., 1, p. 161, t 64, which U the Aoiuotof Marsden's ' Sumatra,' 

 pL T. p. 101, and t>e Langaal or Lanaeh of the natives of the Malay 

 Islands. This forms one of the highly-esteemed fruiU peculiar to the 

 Malayan Archipelago, or what was termed India Aquosa by old writers, 

 though unnoticed in many works where we might expect to find it 

 fully described. The genus is characterised by Calyx deeply 6- 

 parted ; corolla 6-p.tell.-d, petals roundish. The tube formed by the 

 union of UM stamens is subglobose, with ite mouth nearly entire, 

 having UM 10 anthers included within it. Ovary 5-celled, cells with 

 1-3 ovules; style abort, columnar ; stigma flat, 6-rayed ; berry cortical, 

 B-ccUed, S seeded, with one or two cells only perfecting their seed ; 

 seeds enveloped hi a semitraniiparent pulpy tunic or aril, exalbumi- 

 now; cotyledons unequal, peltate, the short radicle being inserted 

 into their centra. The Launch forms a moderate-sired tree with 

 tomeatoM branches. Leaves alternate, pinnate; leaflets 7 to 9, alter- 

 nate, abort-pedioeUed, elliptic-oblong, very smooth ; the young leaves 

 an pubescent on UM under surface ; stipules none ; racemes springing 

 from UM trunk and naked branches, at first subtract, afterwards 

 drooping by UM weight of the fruit. The fruit is of an agreeable 

 tea**, according to Maraden, though the skin contains a colouring 

 juio*, extremely Utter, and which is apt to taint the fruit if not 

 psoed with care. 



The Ayer-Ayer is another fruit so nearly resembling the Lanieh in 

 most particulars that Dr. Jack, hesitating to rank it as a species, 

 mentions it as a permanent and well-marked variety under the name 

 Mb A Zt a?nm. The fruit of the Ayer-Ayer is rounder, and the 



pulp more watery, and dissolves more completely in the mouth tli:m 

 the Lanseh. Both are highly esteemed by the Malays, and are equally 

 agreeable to the European palate. The juicy envelope of the seeds is 

 the part eaten, and the taste is cooling and pleasant (' I.inntaan 

 Transaction*,' xiv. p. 114.) 



LANTA'NA, a geuus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Verbenaettr, named from one of the old names of Fiittrnmn, which 

 some of the species somewhat resemble in habit They are often 

 stated to be confined to America, but a species is found in Arabia, and 

 two in India. They form small or moderate-sized shrubs, often with 

 rugose aromatic leaves, and a somewhat peculiar odour in the clustered 

 flowers, which are either pink, yellow, white, or changeable. Pisp 

 states that three species, which are confounded together in Brazil 

 under the name Camara, are there used for making medicated baths 

 for diseases of the skin. Martius states that the flowers of some species 

 are employed for making demulcent drinks in catarrhal affections. 

 L. macrophylla is employed in infusions as a stimulant, and L. pteudo- 

 Thea as a substitute for tea. 



LANTERN-FLY. [FDLOOIIA.] 



LAOMEDEA, a genus of Polypifera, established by Lamouroux to 

 include species ranked by previous writers as belonging to Sertularia. 

 [SERTCLARID.S.I 



LAPIS-LAZULI. [LAZDUTK.] 



LAPLYSIA. [TKCTIBRAKCHIATA.] 



LAPPA, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order Compotita, 

 the sub-order Tvbvli/lora, the tribe Senecianidea, and the sub-tribe 

 Carduinea. It has an equal and many-flowered homogamous head, a 

 globose involucre, with imbricated coriaceous scales. The receptacle 

 is rather fleshy, flat, and with stiff fringes ; the corollas are 5-cleft, 

 regular, and with a 10-nerved tube; the stamens have papillose fila- 

 ments, with anthers terminating in filiform appendages ; the fruit is 

 oblong, laterally compressed, smooth, and transversely wrinkled. 



L. minor has a tapering fleshy root, an erect stem, 3 feet or more 

 in height, solid, leafy, round, and with many wide-spreading branches ; 

 the leaves are stalked, broad, heart-shaped, and, being 3-ribbed at the 

 base, somewhat hoary and downy beneath ; the florets are axillary, 

 with their anthers and stigmas purple. When in flower the involucre 

 readily breaks from the stalk, and is known in the country by the 

 name of a Bur. It adheres to the coats of animals and the hair and 

 clothing of those who pass by, and it is almost impossible to become 

 free from it without breaking the scales asunder and scattering the 

 fruit The root is reckoned tonic, aperient, and diuretic. It has had 

 some reputation in the form of a decoction in rheumatism and diseases 

 of the skin. Sir Robert Walpole recommends it as a remedy in gout, 

 and some have used it as an excellent substitute for sarsaparilla. The 

 fruit is bitter and slightly acid, and has been prescribed as a diuretic. 

 It grows in waste places throughout Europe and the west of Asia. 



L. major and L. tomcntota are species which are found in Germany 

 and Switzerland, but are not used in the arts or in medicine. 



(Lindley, ^Zoro JHedica; Koch, Synopsis flora Oermanica.) 



LA'PSANA, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Compotiltr, the sub-order Liyul(ttora:, the tribe Achoracea; and the 

 sub-tribe Lamptana. There is but one British species of this genus 



L. communis, Nipple-Wort It has dentate or lobed stalked leaves, 

 the lower leaves lyrate; the involucres glabrous and angular; the 

 stem panicled. The stem is from one to three feet in height, branched 

 above, with yellow small-headed florets. It is found in waste uncul- 

 tivated land, and derives its common name from its reputation in 

 village medicine as a soothing application to inflamed nipples, and is 

 used in many of our provinces as an external application in wounds 

 and ulcerations. 



L. futida is a species of this geuus which grows in Switzerland and 

 the regions of the Alps. 



(Babington, Manual of British Botany; Koch, Synopn$ Plane 



LAPWING. |Cll\]IAMlI.M..t..] 



LARCH. [ABIES.] 



LARDIZA'BALA, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Meniiptrmouxa, and named by Ruiz and Pavon after Michael Lardizalo, 

 of Uribe, a Spanish naturalist It has dioecious and polygamous 

 flowers. The sepals and petals disposed in a ternary order in 2 or 3 

 series. The stamens 6, monodclphous ; berries 3- or 6-celled, the cells 

 many-seeded. The pulp of the fruit sweet and eatable. It bos leaves 

 2-3 ternate; the leaflets oblong, acute, unequal at the base, n little 

 toothed ; two largo unequally cordate bracts situated at the base of 

 the peduncle. This plant is a twining shrub, a native of Chili in 

 woods at Concopcion, also in Peru about Arnuco. It has an eatable 

 fruit, which is gathered and sold in the markets of Chili and Peru. 

 The pulp of the fruit is sweet and grateful to the taste. It is called in 

 Peru Aguil-boguil and Guilbogui; and in Chili by that of Coquilvwhi. 

 L. tritemata and L, trifoliata ore climbing plants, natives of Chili and 

 Peru, but their fruits are not eaten. (Don, Dichlamydcout Planti.) 



LARDIZABALACE^G, Larditabaladt, a small natural order of 

 Plants, containing 7 genera and 15 species. The species are twining 

 smooth shrubs with alternate compound leaves, without stipules. 

 Racemes solitary or clustered ; flowers coloured white, lilac, purple, or 

 deep yellow, sometimes fragrant The sepals of the male plant are 3 or 8 

 in 2 rows, deciduous; petals 6 in 2 rows, opposite the sepals, the inner 



