881 



SPARID^E. 



SPEARMINT. 



and pointed ; in the third the teeth are minute and thickly crowded ; 

 and the fourth tribe have a series of trenchant teeth. 



To the first of these tribes belongs the genus Sargus, where the 

 incisors, or foremost teeth, are compressed, and have sharp-cutting 

 edges ; the molars are rounded, and form several rows. 



Of this genus numerous species are described in the ' Histoire des 

 Poissons ' of Messrs. Cuvier and Valenciennes. Several are from the 

 Mediterranean, and the others are chiefly from the coast of America, 

 north and south. 



The next genus, Charanx, is founded upon a single species, an 

 inhabitant of the Mediterranean, which has sharp-cutting incisors, like 

 the species of Saryus, but the molars are extremely minute, and form 

 only a. single row. 



The third genus of the first tribe is Chrysophrys, which is distin- 

 guished from the Sargus by the incisors being conical, and usually 

 four or six in number in front of each jaw ; the molars for the most 

 part are rounded, and form at least three rows on each side of each 

 jaw, a character which serves to distinguish the present genus from 

 Pa;/ru. 



This genus is numerous in species, and these are almost entirely 



confined to the seas of the warmer and tropical parts of the Old 



!. The Chrysophrys aurata, a species which is very common in 



the Mediterranean, is also occasionally met with on our coast, as well 



as that of France. 



The same remark applies to the Pagrut vulyaris, which is an 

 example of tie next genus, Pagna, which differs from Chrysophrys 

 in having only two rows of molar teeth on each side of the jaw. 

 Several species of this genus are found in the Mediterranean, others 

 inhabit the Indian seas, some again are found on the coasts of Australia 

 and New Zealand ; and the Pagrui argyrops in found on the North 

 American coast. 



The last genus of the first division is PageUus, the species of which 

 are easily distinguished by the foremost teeth in each jaw being all of 

 them small, curved, pointed, and dense. 



Numerous examples of this genus occur in the Mediterranean ; and 

 two species, the P. erytltrimis and P. cenlrodonlus, have been found on 

 our own coast. The former appears to be of very rare occurrence on 

 the British coast ; the latter, known by the name of the Sea-Bream 

 and Gilt-Head, is by no means an uncommon fish on the southern 

 shore of England, and is not unfrequeutly found on the coast of 

 Ireland. 



To the second section belong the genera Lelhirinus, Denlex, and 

 Pentaptu. The first of these genera is at once distinguished from all 

 other genera of the first section by there being no scales on the cheeks ; 

 the mouth is but little cleft ; and the teeth are, some of them strong, 

 pointed, and curved ; others very email and dense, and the molars 

 form only a single row. 



In the genus Uenle.c the teeth are conical, and generally confined 

 to a single rovy ; some of the foremost of them are elongated, curved, 

 and sharply pointed. 



The species of this genus, which are very numerous, appear to be 

 almost entirely confined to the temperate and tropical portions of 

 the Old World. But one species is found on the British coast, 

 the Four-Toothed Sparus of Mr. Yarrell's work, J). vvlgaru, Cuv. 

 and Viil. 



The genus Pentapus is founded upon certain Sparoid Fishes found in 

 the Indian Seas, and off the coast of Australia, which approach the 

 genus Denies, but have two strong canine teeth in front of each jaw, 

 between which sometimes are two or four much smaller teeth ; the 

 other teeth are minute, prickly, close together, and arranged in a 

 single row in each jaw. 



Close to the ventral fins on each side is a spine, and a third spine 

 is situated between these fins. Similar spines are found in other 

 species, but they are usually less developed than in the present genus. 

 The name of Pentapus is applied to these fishes from these spines 

 giving to them the appearance of having five ventrals. 



The third section, in which all the teeth are minute and dense as 

 the pile on velvet, contains but one genus, Cantharju. Of this genus 

 an example is found on the British coast, and is known by the name 

 of the Black Bream (0. yriseus, Cuv. and Val.). This fish, though 

 more rare than the Sea-Bream, is not uncommon on various parts of 

 our coast. 



In the fourth section Cuvier arranges the genera Box, Ollata, 

 ficalhanu, and C'renidens. All these genera have the foremost range 

 of teeth compressed, placed close together, and with a cutting edge 

 which is more or less notched. In the genus Box there is but one 

 series of teeth in each jaw. The B. culgarii (Sparus loops, Linn.) is 

 a common species in the Mediterranean, and lives upon vegetable 

 HuWances. 



:eim Oblala is founded upon a fish from the Mediterranean, 

 the Sparus melanurus, Linn., in which, in addition to the compressed 

 front teeth, which are emargiuated at the apex, there is an inner series 

 of minute teeth. 



The genus Scathana is also founded upon a Mediterranean fish ; 

 here there is but one series of compressed teeth, and these are pointed, 

 or lancet-shaped. 



Lastly, the genus C'renuleni in distinguishable by the foremost row 

 of compressed teeth being dilated at the apex and notched ; behind 



ihese are numerous small globular teeth. There is but one species, 

 ;he C. Forskaiii, Cuv. and Val., an inhabitant of the Red Sea. 



SPARRMANNIA, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Tiliacea. The genus is known by its calyx of 4 sepals, 4 roundish 

 petals, numerous stamens, intermixed with tomentose threads; 

 ;chiuated, 5-augled, 6-celled, 6-valved capsules, with 2-seeded cells. 

 There is only one species, the S. Africana, which is a native of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. It is a beautiful shrub, much cultivated, flower- 

 ing in the beginuins of the spring. 

 SPARROW. [PASSER.] 

 SPARROW-HAWK. [FALCOXID.E.] 

 SPARTALITE. [ZINC.] 



SPARTI'NA, a genus of Grasses belonging to the tribe Chloridece. 

 It has upright 1-flowered spikes in racemes, the glumes unequal, the 

 upper long and acuminate ; the paleoo unequal, the outer boat-shaped, 

 compressed, retuse; the styles elongated, united half-way up; the 

 stigmas filiform, protruding at the summit of the floret. There are 

 two British species, the 6'. stricta and S. atterniflora. The former 

 grows in muddy salt-marshes, the latter has been found only on the 

 mud-flats of the river Itchiii at Southampton. (Babington, Manual 

 of British Botany.} 



SPARTUM, a name applied by the Romans to the plant much 

 used by them for cordage. It is fully described by Pliny (' Nat. 

 Hist.,' xix. 2). Authors have differed much respecting the plant 

 intended ; some conceiving that some of the brooms are intended, as 

 Spartium junceum, or Spanish Broom, which produces a fibrous thnead 

 of which cloth is made ; and S. monospermum, which is found on the 

 coasts of Spain as far as the moving sands reach ; its twigs are used 

 for tying bundles, and herbs are brought to market tied together 

 with them. The leaves of both afford food for sheep and goats. 

 Others are of opinion that some of the grasses are intended, which 

 grow in the same places and are used for the same purposes, as, for 

 instance, Lijgeum Spartum and Stipa tenacisiima, both of which are 

 called Esparto by the Spaniards, and both are used for making ropes, 

 baskets, nets, and for filling palliasses. 



SPARUS. [DENIES.] 



SPATANGUS. [ECHINIMS.] 



SPATHE (the Greek airaSr\). This term is applied to the sheathing 

 involucrum of many plants. It is seen in the greatest perfection in 

 the flowers of Palmacece and Aracece, where, during the flowering of 

 the plants, it embraces the entire inflorescence. This organ is con- 

 sidered by most botanists to be a modification of the bract. 



SPATHO'DEA, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Bignoniacece. The calyx is spathaceous, cleft and toothed or entire 

 on the other side ; the corolla is funnel-shaped, with a 5-lobed rather 

 unequal limb ; the four stamens are divided into two long and two 

 short, with the addition of a fifth sterile filament ; the capsule 

 silique-forined, falcate, falsely 4-celled, and corky ; the seeds are 

 furnished with membranous wings ; the species are erect shrubs or 

 trees, rarely climbling shrubs ; the flowers somewhat panioled, 

 orange-coloured, yellow, or purple. 



S. JUtecdii has downy impari-pinnate leaves, roundish downy leaflets, 

 terminal erect racemes, and a much-curved slender corolla ; the 

 shoots are covered with a whitish down ; the racemes the length of 

 the leaves ; the flowers white and pretty large ; the limb spreading ; 

 the fruit about a foot long, pendulous, twisted in various forms. 



& Roxburghii has its leaves three in a whorl or scattered impari- 

 pinnate ; the leaflets from 4 to 5, in pairs, serrated and smooth ; the 

 panicles erect, terminal, dense, downy, and many-flowered ; the fruit 

 narrow and 4-celled ; the calyx generally 2-parted, with the upper lip 

 2-cleft and downy. It is a native of the Circars. The branches are 

 very spreading ; the back gray, with a few scabrous spots ; the flowers 

 large, rose-coloured, and delightfully fragrant ; the limb of the corolla 

 nearly equal, and elegantly waved at the edges. This species is 

 remarkable on account of its serrated leaves. The wood is employed 

 for many purposes by the natives. 



S. lonyijiora is an arboreous plant, and has large spreading terminal 

 panicles, a bilabiate corolla, long pendulous slender sub-cylindrical 

 follicles, with sharp edges and variously curved; the flowers are 

 large, yellow, and very fragrant ; the follicles very long ; the wood 

 of this tree is high-coloured, hard, durable, and of much use amongst 

 the inhabitants of the hills about the coasts of Coromaudel and 

 Malabar, where it is plentiful. 



SPATULA. [DUCKS.] 



SPATULARIA, a genus of Fishes of the Sturgeon tribe, remark- 

 able for the form of their snouts, which are enormously prolonged 

 and leaf-like in form. The Paddle-Fish of the Mississippi is the type. 



SPAWN, the white fibrous matter which, shooting through earth, 

 i dung, decaying vegetable matter, &c., is the matrix from which mush- 

 rooms and other Fungi are produced. It is generally composed of 

 small white thready fibres, which produce, at various distances, little 

 white knobs, from which the stem and cap of the mushroom proceed. 

 This matrix or spawn, called Mycelium, is in fact the real stem of 

 the mushroom, aud the stipes and pileus, with their appendages, are 

 1 the inflorescence. This spawn is made use of for the purpose of 

 | procuring from it the growth of the Edible Mushroom (Agaricus 

 campestrii). [FuNoiJ 



SPEARMINT. [MENTIIA.] 



