LITHOSPERHTJ1L 



LITIOPA. 



of the early English tertiarie* is afforded by the remain. 

 of this bird BOOM of UMM are DOW in Ui Hunurian collection, and 

 consist of sternum and sacrum, two of the most characteristic prU 

 of the skeleton of bird. In hi. ' British and Fossil Mammals and 

 Bird*,' Professor Own my* : 



" The Hunterian fossil includes with the mutilated sternum, the 

 sternal end* of the two coraooid bone*, a donal vertebra, the lower 

 rod of UM Uft femur, and the proximal end of the corresponding 

 tibia, portion* of two other long bones, and a few fragment* of the 

 Jaadir rib* ; all of which are cemented together by the gray indurated 

 clay usually attached to Sheppy fossils. The entire keel and the 

 posterior and right margin* of the (termini are broken away ; but the 

 obriom remain* of the origin of the keel and the length of the sternum 

 forbid a reference of the fossil to the Struthious, or itricUy terre*trial 



" The lateral extent and convexity of the body of the (ternum, the 

 procure and ooone of the aeoondary and intermuscular ridge*, and 

 the commencement of the keel close to the anterior border of the 

 ternum, remore the fossil from the Bracbypteroua family of Web- 

 Footed Bird*, and lead u* to a comparison of the fossil with the 

 corresponding part* of the skeleton in the ordinary birds of flight 



" Sufficient of the sternum remain* for the rejection of the Oallinatra, 

 and those OraUatorial and Passerine bird* which hare that bone deeply 

 incised ; and the field of comparison is thus restricted to such species 

 as hare the sternum either entire or with shallow posterior emargina- 

 ttona. Between the fossil and the corresponding part* of the skeleton 

 of such birds, a close comparison has been instituted in regard to 

 many minor detail* and modification* ; as, for example, the secondary 

 muscular impressions and ridges on the broad outer convex surface of 

 the sternum, it* costal margin and anterior angle, the form and extent 

 of the coraooid groove, the conformation of the sternal end of the 

 coraooid boos, together with the form and relative size of the preserved 

 articular extremities of the femur and tibia, 



" But, without repeating all the details of these comparisons, it may 

 be sufficient to state, that after pursuing them from the Sea-Gull and 

 other aquatic species, upward* through the Orallatorial and Passerine 

 orders, omitting few of the species and none of the genera of these 

 orders to which belong Itritiah birds approaching or resembling the 

 fossil in sue, the greatest number of correspondences with the fossil 

 were at length detected in the skeletons of the Accipitrine species. 

 The resemblance was not however sufficiently close to admit of the 

 fossil being referred to any of the existing native genera of Raptorial 

 . 



" The breadth of the proximal end of the ooracoid removed the 

 fossil from the Owls (Stngida), and the shaft of the same bone wan 

 too slender for the FaUmtdtr ; the femur and tibia were likewise 

 relatively weaker than in most of our Hawks or Buzzards. But in 

 the small Turkey-Vulture (CaU>rtet Aura), besides the same general 

 form of the bones, so far a* they exist in the fossil, there is the same 

 degree of development, sod the same direction of the intermuscular 

 ridge on the under surface of the sternum, which divided the origins 

 of the first and second pectoral muscles. The outer angle of the 

 proximal end of the ooracoid is produced in the same degree and 

 form, and a similar intermuscular ridge in present on the anterior and 

 toward* the outer part of the ooraooid. 



" The preserved extremities of the femur and tibia have the same 

 conformation and nearly the same relative site in the fossil u in the 

 existing Oaikaria. ID this genus nevertheless there is a deeper 

 dsprsssinn on the outer surface of the sternum external to the ooracoid 

 groove than in the fossil ; but this difference is less marked in some 

 of the large VtUlunda. The vertebra, the shaft of the coraooid, and 

 UM preserved portion, of the sternal ribs are relatively more slender. 

 The fossil moreover indicates a smaller species of bird than is known 

 amongst the existing Vmllttnda. 



" flM anterior or inner wall of the ooracoid groove U broader, the 

 anterior angular prooeee narrower, and the body of the sternum more 

 the Heron or Bittern ; and the proximal end of the 



ooracoid has a different form in the fowil. In the Sea-Gull the keel 

 rises from a more curved surface of the sternum than in the fossil ; 

 UM inner wall of the coraooid groove is broader ; and the outer angle 

 of UM sternal end of the ooraooid has a diflerent form and position. 



" I regret that I have not yet bad the opportunity of comparing 

 with this interesting specimen UM skeleton of the small European 

 Neophron ( \'mJimr /Vnwpfenu). but in the meanwhile I deem it beet 

 to retain the sul gennki distinctive appellation originally proposed 



aMe Hnnlsrkn fns*fl" 



Professor Owen propoees to call UM specie* Ltlkontii ntlttriinu, the 

 Vulture-like Uthornia. 



L1THOSPKKMUM (from A/fcf, a stone, and eW^ie, a seed, in 

 reference to the bard semis or nuts), a genus of Plant, belonging to 

 the natural order fforaginecen. It has a deeply -cut calyx in five seg- 

 ments, a funnel-shaped corolla, with a nakrd or minutely 6-ecaled 

 throat The filament* are very short ; the stamens included in the 

 tube. The nut* are smooth or tubercular, stony, and attached by 

 their truncate flat bass to the bottom of the calyx. 



L. o/ftnao/r (Qromwtll), bss an erect much-branched stem, lanceolate 

 acute veined leaves, with tubercles and adpreesed brittle* above, hairy 



beneath ; the throat of the corolla has minute scales within, and is 

 of a pale yellow or greenish colour. The nuts are white, shining, and 

 very bird, two or three ripening in each calyx. They were esteemed 

 in ancient time* as an infallible lithouthriptic ; their virtues in thi* 

 respect are however entirely imaginary. This species is a native oi 

 Europe, Asia, and North America. It is fouud in dry and stony 

 places in Great Britain, but sparingly. 



L. pnrpuro*imUtu ha* herbaceous stems, the barren ones pros- 

 trate and creeping, the others erect The leaves are lanceolate, acute, 

 and scabrous, of a dark-green, with revolute margins. The flowers 

 are showy and large, at first red, and afterwards of a bright blue. 

 The nut* are white, highly polished, and hiipid. This species has no 

 scale* in the throat of the corolla, but merely fire longitudinal downy 

 folds. It i> a native of Middle and South Europe, of the Caucasus in 

 woody mountain places, and of England and Wales in chalky soil. 



L. arrente. Bastard Alkanet, or Corn Orumwell, has an erect branched 

 stem, lanceolate leaves, rather acute, hairy, and subciliated ; the calyx 

 a little shorter than the corolla; the nuts tubercular, wrinkled, 

 polished, and of a pale-brown. The throat of the corolla is destitute 

 of scales, as in the former species. The flowers are white and small ; 

 the root of a bright red, communicating its colour to paper. It is a 

 native of Europe, Asia, Africa, and some parts of North America, and 

 is found plentifully in the corn-fields of Great Britain. 



/.. tiiictorium has herbaceous procumbent stems, lanceolate obtuse 

 leaves, hairy calyxes a little shorter than the tube of the corolla. The 

 upper leaves are half-clasping, the lower ones on petioles. The flowers 

 sessile in simple or conjugate leafy spikes ; they are of a fine blue 

 colour with a white throat It is a native of Spain, South of France, 

 Italy, and Hungary, in sandy sterile places. 



L. trnuiiiorum has an herbaceous erect branched stem, lanceolate 

 obtuse hairy scabrous leaves, the lower ones opposite ; the calyx is 

 shorter than the tube of the corolla, conniving when bearing fruit 

 It is a native of Egypt and of the island of Cyprus, and has the habit 

 of L. arraut, but i* much smaller. It is the Aif&mp/uor of Dioscorides 

 (iii. 148), and the Litkoipermum of Pliny (xxvii. 74). L. ajiulum ia the 

 2<top-ioiiJ<i of Dioscorides (iv. 192). 



All the species of Lithotjxrnium are noted for the stony hardness of 

 their pericarps, which have the brittleness and lustre of porcelain. 

 This membrane when analysed is found to contain nearly 60 per cent, 

 of earthy matter, which is more than is known in any other organised 

 substance. According to Spanner, L. officinale is the only true Litho- 

 tpermum, none of the other species having a crown of scales in the 

 throat of the corolla. The perennial and herbaceous species are plants 

 of very easy culture, requiring hardly any care. They are always 

 propagated by seed, which may be sown in the open ground. The 

 annual species chould be treated as greenhouse plants, and the shrubby 

 kinds may be grown on rock work or on wall-tops, where they will 

 maintain themselves if allowed to scatter their seeds. They do very 

 well in pot* among other alpine plants, and cuttings of them may be 

 rooted under a hand-glass. In general they are however short-lived 

 and apt to rot 



(Don, JHMamydroaj Planli ; Babington, Manual of Britith Botany ; 

 Burnett, Oittlina of Botany.) 



UTHOSTKOTION, the name given by Llwyd, and adopted by 

 Fleming, to some fossil ' Madrepores,' as the Lamelliferous Corals are 

 commonly termed, which appear confined to the older strata (espe- 

 cially Mountain Limestone). They are included in C'yathophyUum of 

 Goldfuss by Professor Phillips (' Geology of Yorkshire,' voL ii.), and 

 in CWumiinrm by Blainville (' Actiuologie ' p. 350). 



UTHOTKYA. [CmmmMA.] 



LITI'Ul'A, a genus of Pectinibranchiate Molltuca, established by 

 M. Rang, with the following characters : 



Animal transparent, spiral, furnished with a rather short and narrow 

 foot, and a head provided with two elongated conical tentacles, with 

 the eyes at their external base. 



Shell not thick, horny, with a slight epidermis, slightly transparent ; 

 conoid ; the whorls of the spire rather rounded, the last whorl larger 

 than all the others put together, the apex pointed and furrowed longi- 

 tudinally ; aperture oval, wider anteriorly than it is posteriorly, borders 

 disunited, the right border or lip uniting itself to the left without 

 forming a very distinct notch, but only a deep ' contour,' in the place 

 of one ; left lip returning inwards (rcntraut en dedans) so as to form 

 a projection with the anterior extremity of the columella, which is 

 rounded, arched, and a little truncated anteriorly. No operculuni. 



Shell of Ltliopa, magnified. 



M. Rang plsces this form between Jmthina, and I'luuiantUa, and 

 observes that the habits of this Pelagic Mollusc are very curious. He 

 states that he had many years ago observed the shell, but time had 

 not permitted him to study the animal M. Ballanger, captain in the 

 French navy, was the first who recognised it, but that gentleman 



