867 



SORECID^E. 



SOULAMIA. 



858 



whitish hair; ears within, scantily furnished with some of a similar 

 colour, without, nearly bare; tail thinly clothed with a stiff short 

 black hair ; whiskers near- the base of the proboscis, each hair 

 variegated black and white ; claws short, black, compressed, and 

 pointed. Length from nostrils to root of tail 4i[ inches; length of tail 

 3.j inches. The colour of both sexes is nearly alike. 



Skull and Teeth of Uacroicrlidcs typical. 



a, upper surface of the skull, natural size ; 6, lateral parts of the same, natu- 

 ral size ; f, lower jaw of the lame, natural size ; d, under surface of the skull 

 of the same, double the natural size ; e, lower jaw of the same, double the natu- 

 ral size. (Smith.) 



It inhabit* the open country in the interior of South Africa, and is 

 occasionally seen during the day about the roots of bushes or amongst 

 brushwood, whence, upon being discovered, it instantly retreats to its 

 natural and subterraneous habitation. (' Zoological Journal.') 



This, or one of the species (but most probably this) seems to be 

 the Elephant-Shrew of Pennant, and is thus described : "Shrew with 

 A vi', y long, slender, and little nose; the whole animal of a deep brown- 

 colour. Inhabits the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope : 

 called the Elephant, from its proboscis-like snout: engraven from a 

 drawing by Mr. Paterson." Pennant further remarks that this animal 

 has been very ill represented by Petiver, in Table 23 of his ' Giizo- 

 phylacii Naturae et Artis Decas tcrtia,' and truly so it is : but Pen- 

 nant's figure is not much better. Petiver's description is : " 9. Mia 

 araneut (Japentiti maximum. Taken from a painting of Dr. Sherard's, 

 now consul of Smyrna." 



Macroscelides tyiricus. (Reduced from Dr. Smith's figure.) 



SOREX. [SO 



SORGHUM, a genus of Grasses, said to be named from the Oriental 

 name of one of the species, of which ' sorgo ' is the Italian name. 

 The species have sometimes been referred to IIolcus, sometimes to 

 Andropogon, but from their habit and uses they seem well entitled 

 to be considered as a distinct genus, which may be characterised as 

 having the flowers monoecious, panicled ; glume coriaceous, cartilag- 

 inous, 2-Qowered ; the upper flower hermaphrodite, the lower palea 

 more or less deeply bifid and awned between the lobes, the upper 

 often wanting. The species form tall grasses with succulent stems, 

 and are found in the tropical parts of Asia, whence they have spread 

 to the warm parts of Europe. 



S. vulgare is the largest of the small cereal grains, and may be con- 

 sidered the representative of the Indian Corn (Zea Mays) in America, 

 where it is usually called Guinea Corn, and in some works the Great 

 or Indian Millet. The different kinds are usually called Joar in 

 India, where they form principal objects of culture, and one of much 

 more importance than would appear in Europe, as many of the 

 inhabitants live as much upon these small or dry grains as upon rice. 

 The Joar is the Durra of some Arab tribes, and the Zurrut of others; 

 its Indian origin is indicated by the Persian name, Jawurs Hindee. 

 It is extensively cultivated throughout Asia, and appears to be the 

 Tall Corn of the Chinese. It has been introduced into the south of 

 Europe, where it is chiefly employed for feeding cattle and poultry, 

 but it is also made into cakes. The flour is white, and a good deal 

 resembles that of the Indian corn in nature. The species commonly 

 sown in India are S. vulgare and S. bico/w (Kala-Joar). S. cernuum is 

 a distinct species, which forms the principal food of the mountaineers 

 of the Munnipoor district. S. saccharalum is also cultivated in many 

 parts during the rainy and cold seasons, on land which is too high 

 for rice. The stalks and straw of all are much valued as fodder for 

 cattle, being cut into small pieces, commonly called Kurbee. 



SORREL. [RuMEx.1 



SORREL-WOOD. [OXALIS.] 



SORUS, in Botany (from aup6s, 'a heap'), a term applied to the 

 collections of the sporangia or capsules which are found on the edges 

 or the under surface of the fronds of ferns. In most instances, as in 

 the Aspidiacece, Aspleniacea, Davilliacece, &o., the sori are covered 

 with a peculiar projecting portion of the epidermis, which is called 

 the Indusium, and forms an important part in the systematic arrange- 

 ment of these plants. In some instances, as in Adiantum and Cerato- 

 pteris, the substance of the leaf has a share in the formation of the 

 indusium. It has been generally admitted that the indusium is the 

 analogue of the bract in the higher plants, but Treviranus maintains 

 that it is an entirely peculiar organ, nor, according to this view, can 

 it be looked upon as a mere extension of the epidermis. In looking 

 for analogies between flowering and flowerless plants, Kolreuter 

 supposed that the indusium represented the stamens. 



The term Sorus is sometimes applied to mere collections of spores 

 or granules, as seen in many Algie, of which Ddesseria alata and D. 

 sinuosa are examples. 



SOUI-MANOA. [CINNYRIM:.] 



SOULAMIA (Soularnion is the name of the tree in the Moluccas), a 

 genus of Plants belonging to the natural order Polyyalaceie. It has 5 

 sepals, the 3 outer ones very small, the 2 inner largo and concave ; 

 the petal is concave ; the capsule samaroid, indehiscent, compressed, 

 corky, emarginate, and 2-celled. 



S. amara, Bitter Soulamia, is a shrub with crowded ovate leaves 

 tapering to the base, quite entire, and veiny. It is a native of the 

 Moluccas, and has white racemose flowers, the size of those of the 

 vine. The fruit is compressed, thin at the edges, dry, with 2 seeds in 



