II- 



..vinos. 



OXALW. 



Argali (ttap/ww Arfala). ' 



I fruu Mr. Hodgson aud those which were sent from Siberia 

 l>y the Kuatian naturalist." 



UVIBOS. fBoviD-r] 



OVl'PAROUS. An animal is said to be oviparous when the ovum, 

 T egg, i* excluded from the body entire, and hatched after such exclu- 

 sion. Bird* and the great majority of reptiles are oviparous animals. 



oVIS. [Or**.] 



OVOVIVITAKOOS. An animal U said to be ovoviviparous when 

 the rgg it batched within the body, and the young one is exclud< d 

 alive. Tbu. among the Reptile*, tho young of the Lizard known by 

 the name of /oofora ri'n>arii (the Viper, the Rattlesnake, and the 

 IUindworm\ are hatched before they are excluded from the body, and 

 not long before such exclusion ; indeed it U probable that the rupture 

 nf the egg take* place during the parturition. The Monotremes 

 ria and Orm/Ar.i-AjmrAiM) and the JlnriHjiiiita are examples of 

 ovoviviparoos mammiferoui iiuadniprd*. 



n\ 



OVOLUat Trw.riD.i-] 



OWL. [Brno: SmiiiiDJL] 



IIU). ' 

 "\ EYE. 



' i.VM< )OK. " The leave* of specie* of C'aululntu and liutthiuiu are 

 tho* called in Brazil, where they are used as mucilaginous remedies. 



OX I. II'. fl'HIMI l.\] 



"\TONOUE. (llKi.NixrniA.] 



K, HV-/-N>rrrr., a natural order of l'oly|>etulotis 

 Kxogeoou* PUnt* with a superior ovary, a rmall number of hypo- 

 gYDOO* stamana, which are usually monadelpbuu*, and distinct styles. 

 TMr fruit contain* five cells, in which there are numerous seeds, 

 ncoatioiully expelled with violence by a sudden contraction of the 

 side* of the pericarp. Tb* order i* so very nearly allied t '.. ranincrit 

 that it can hardly be considered distinct. The genus ttra/i* itself is 

 called Wood-Sorrel, from the acidity of the leaves and the natural 

 babHatioa of the European specie* in a wild state ; it U however most 

 common at the Cap* of Good Hope, where the specie* are extremely 

 ornamental. In the Kait India* the genus Artrrkoa produce* a fruit 

 (the Carambola or Blimbinp), used for pickling and preserving ; but 

 its extreme acidity render* it unsuitable to many persons. Our 

 lalit AedtHOf, or Common Wood-Sorrel, ha* been supposed to be 

 the true Shamrock of the Irish, instead of the trefoil to which the 

 name i* more commonly applied. In the tropical part* of India U 

 an annual Osmlit, called 0. sewtfira In consequence of it* pinnated 

 leave* being irritable like the ensitive plant ; it has been lately ascer- 

 tained that the European trefoil leaved upecie* have the came pro]>erty, 

 only in a nor* feeble degree. (' Bulletin d* 1'Academie Royale de 

 BrasrHe*,' voL vL, No, 7.) This phenomenon i* most conspicuous in 

 a hot canny day. 



(XXALI8 (from {, aharp, acid ; the leave* have an add taste), a 

 cam* of Pkate beiooging to the natural ord-r <i.,,it,.l r ,r or IHalidacen, 

 It ha* 4 *epal* eoOMoUd below, and 6 petal* which are likewise fre- 

 qwraUy eonxcUd below. The Umem are 10 in number, and tnona- 

 ddphoaa; the 6 outer one* shorter than the ret. The style* 6, and 



.:,!- . 



0. 4e*M*0a, Common Wood-Sorrel, i* a sn-all perennial plant with 



a subterranean rootatoek cousisting of many Bcaly joints; the 

 are ternate, leaflets obcordate aud having the peduncles longer than 

 the leave?, with two scaly bracts at about the middle ; the corolla is 

 about 4 times as long as the calyx, and of a white colour beautifully 

 veined with purple. Mr. Curtis remarks that the leaves are often 

 purplish beneath, and that the fruit darts forth its seeds at the smallest 

 touch when ripe. This species of wood-sorrel has a pleasant acid 

 taste, dependent on the presence of oxalic acid, and U frequently used 

 in salmis ; its flavour approaches near to that of lemons or tartarir 

 acid, with which it& medicin.il effects also correspond, as it is esteemed 

 a refrigerant antiscorbutic and diuretic. The expressed juice of this 

 species, evaporated and set in a cool place, affords a crystalline salt, 

 \vliich may be used whenever vegetable acids are wonted. It is sold in 

 the shops under the name (if Essential Salts of Lemons, and is employed 

 to take iron-moulds and ink-spots out of linen. 



". rui-nt'cNfata, Horned Wood-Sorrel, has a decumbent stem, branched 

 and rooting ; the leaves are ternate with obcordate leaflets ; oblong 

 stipules united to the base of the petioles; the peduncles are two- 

 Upwered, and .-horter than the leaves. It is a native of Kurnpe. p;u-ti- 

 cularly in Spain, Italy, and Greece, as well as of Japan, Mexico, North 

 America, and England. The flowers are yellow. The flowers of the 

 North American plant are larger than the European. 



0. riolacea is a North American ipecies. 



II fata i 



1, Ilic Ftamcni and stvlrs ifter the caljx and corolla have been removed; 

 2, the ovary uttli the fire distinct strlei; 3, a transverse section of an ovary. 



