si>H.*:noDua 



SPHEROSTILlimX 



onler Alga. It was formed by Stackhouse, and applied to the plants 

 belonging to it on account of their globofe fructification. A great 

 number of species of this genus bare been deaoribed, including 

 amongst them aome of the moat useful of the aea-weed tribe. Theae 

 speciee bare ben distributed by later botanists into the genera Rkn- 

 domnia, Gigarlaa, Ckoodnu, (ieUdium, and PkyUophora, and the 

 genu* SfJurneocnu baa only one *pecies, the & eoronopi/oliut. The 

 grniu Ckondna afford* the Carrageen-Moa*, which is ao much used as 

 an article of diet It ia a ipeciea of tielidium, with which the swallow* 

 builil thrir nosta in the Eoitern Archipelago, and which are BO highly 

 value.! as articles of food by the Chinese. 



S 1' 11 .-K'KODUS, a Koaail genus of Fishes. I FISH.] 



SPII.KUnMA. 



SPH.ttltOPS. [loUAKIDJL] 



SPH.fcRuSIDERtTE. [IBOX.] 



SI'II.KKL'LITE, a Mineral occurring in small botryoidal and sphe- 

 roidal masses. Surface sometimes rough, at other times smooth. No 

 regular cleavage. Structure compact, fibrous. Fracture conchoidal. 

 Hardness 7 to 7'5. Brittle. Colour gray, brown, red, yellow, of 

 various shades. Opaque ; translucent on the edges. Specific gravity 

 2-4 to U'54. Before the blow-pipe almost infusible, the edges becom- 

 ing covered with a sort of enamel. It is found embedded in pitch- 

 stone at Speithausen in Saxony; in pearlstone at Glashutte, near 

 Schemnitz, Hungary, and also in Iceland and Scotland. It yields by 

 analysis: 



Silica 79-12 



Alumina 12-00 



Potash and Soda 3-58 



Magnesia 1-10 



Oxide of Iron 2-45 



Water 1-75 



100 



SPHAGNUM, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order of 

 Mosses. It is known by the following characters : Receptacle pedun- 

 culated, its peduncle resembling a fruit-stalk ; capsule sessile, entire, 

 it* lid deciduous, it* mouth naked ; calyptra irregularly torn. The 

 plants of this genus are very widely diffused over the surface of the 

 earth, perhaps more so than any other, hardly any limits being ascer- 

 tained for their geographical distribution. They are aquatic plants, 

 and constitute the great mass of our bogs in swampy and moory 

 district*. All the species of this genus used to be included under the 

 name of S. paliutre; but later writers have multipled the species to 

 fourteen. Of these, Sir William Hooker, in his ' Muscologia Britan- 

 nica,' admits only four, and one or two even of these he thinks may 

 be varieties. 



.S 'Mtuifulium, Obtuse Leaved Bog-Moss, has tumid branches, with 

 obtuse ovate leaves. It is found on the surface of watery turfy bogs 

 throughout Europe. 



S. aeiUifolium, Narrow-Leaved Bog-Moss, has attenuated branches 

 and ovato- lanceolate leaves; and is very abundant, especially in bogs 

 in mountainous situations. 



S. cutpidatuM, the Long-Leaved Floating Bog-Moss, seems to he a 

 rariety of the lait, having peculiar characters from growing constantly 

 under water. It* leave* are looser and narrower than those of the 

 narrow-leaved bog-moss. It seldom bears fruit ; its stems are some- 

 time* 4 feet long, and its leaves three-quarters of an inch broad. 

 SI'HAROIS. fCHKLOlilA.] 



Sl'.MI.ClD.*, Leach (SpkryiJa, Latreille), a family of Hymenopte- 

 rous Insect* of the section Fouora, distinguished by the following 

 characters: Hinder tarsi at leat equal in length to the head and 

 thorax ; antenna) generally slender, and formed of elongated joints, 

 which are often arched and contorted, at least in the female*; prothonix 

 forming a kind of neck, very distinctly separated from the mesothorax, 

 and contracted in front. The base of the abdomen constricted into a 

 long petiole; mandibles internally tnnthed. The following are the 

 principal genera contained in this family : 



I'- 1 tit (Fab.), has the labrum distinct ; the antenna;, at least those 

 of the males, are nearly straight, composed of joints closely applied to 

 each other ; maxillary palpi scarcely longer than the labial, prominent, 

 and with the joinU unequal ; all the cubital sell* perfect ; the fn st 

 recurrent nervure inserted m-ar the anterior extremity of the second 

 of these crll*. The males have the tibim and the first joint of tho 

 posterior tar<i compressed. 



All the known species of Prptii are exotic, and they abound most in 

 South America and in the West Indian islands ; they are usually of 

 large size, and have dark -coloured wing*. 



Ctnpala. The labrum and antenna, resemble those of Prptii, but 

 the maxillary palpi are much longer than the labial, pendent and 

 unequal-join Ud. 



Pampilut (Fab.). Thi* genu* i* placed by Latreille in the SpJugida, 

 but, according to Leach, it forms the type of a distinct f.imily (Pompi- 

 ltda), characterised by having a transverse prothorax, at least as brosd 

 again as long, with it* posterior margin acute ; the abdomen obovoid! 

 without any contraction, in the shape of a long petiole, at its base. 

 The antenna; are setaceous and long ; the superior wings have one 

 marginal cell, nearly semicircular, and three sub-marginal cells, the 



first a long or longer than the two following ; the second receiving 

 about its centre the first recurrent nervure ; the third, which is either 

 triangular or subquadrato, receives the second ; a fourth submsrginal 

 cell is sometimes traceable. 



Several species of this genus are found in England ; they usually 

 make burrows in the sand for nidification, but some are said to make 

 their nests in wood. The perfect insect provides its cell with spiders, 

 these constituting the food of the larvae, 



Ammoplula (Kirby). Abdomen with the petiole long; superior 

 wings with one oval marginal cell, and three submargtnal cells ; the 

 first as long or longer than the two following, the second receiving 

 both the recurrent nervures, the third very small and narrow towards 

 the marginal cell ; legs long, the anterior tarsi slightly ciliated. 



These insects, observes Mr. Shuckard, on the authority of St- 

 Fargeau, construct their burrows in sand alone, and supply their 

 Inrvro with Arachnids and the larvae of Ltpidoptcra, and select by 

 preference those of the Noctua, sometimes as large as themselves. 

 They sting them towards the middle of the body, which renders them 

 torpid, but does not kill them, and prevents their motion. The Am- 

 mophila then extending itself in its whole length upon the larva, 

 seizes it with its mandibles near the head, and supports the remainder 

 of the body with its legs. But thus encumbered it can no longer fly ; 

 it therefore proceeds slowly, dragging it along. Should it perceive any 

 obstacle in the path, such as a stone or tuft of plants, it quite its load 

 an instant, and springs lightly forward to reconnoitre and explore its 

 way, but returns immediately to resume its burden. 



A female has been observed by St-Fargeau, thus loaded, to clear a 

 wall eight or ten feet high, but not without much ingenious contrivance. 

 The caterpillar fell several times to the ground, when the Ammophila 

 placed it upon a projecting stone to rest itself and recruit its strength ; 

 but it renewed its task with extraordinary perseverance, and succeeded 

 in accomplishing it. 



In the genera Splte.r, Pronttus, and Cklorion, the mandibles and 

 labrum are comparatively short, and more or less curved at the point. 



Proaieui. The second cubital or submarginal cell receives the two 

 recurrent nervures. 



Uphex. The superior wings have one long and narrow marginal cell, 

 which is rounded at the apex, and three submarginal cells, the first as 

 long as the two following ; the second quadrate, receiving the first 

 recurrent nervure towards its extremity; the third forming a truncated 

 triangle with its posterior margins slightly rounded, and receiving the 

 second recurrent nervure in its middle : a rudimentary fourth cell is 

 sometimes observable. One species has been found in England, but 

 appears to be extremely rare. 



Clilorion has the first recurrent nervure inserted under the first 

 cubital cell, and the second beneath the third cubital. 



Dolichurut, Latr., has the maxillary palpi much longer than the 

 labial, and nearly setaceous ; the mandibles are dentated. 



The remaining genera of this family have no teeth to the mandibles : 

 they are, Ampulc.c, Podium, and Pelopa-iu. The first of these genera 

 resembles i'/Uorion as regards the insertion of the recurrent nervures 

 in the superior wings, and in the genera Podium and PJoptriu the 

 second cubital cell receives two recurrent nervures. 



SPHECOTHERES. [MERULID*.] ' 



SPHE'GIH.K. ISPIIECID*] 



SI'HKNACANTHUS, a genus of Fossil Fishes. [Fi*n.] 



SPHK'NE. [TITANIUM.] 



SPHENISCUS. [PENGUINS.] 



SPHENOCLE'A, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 t'ampanulacea, consisting of only a single species. The genus is charac- 

 terised by having a superior 5-parted ralyx with indexed segment*. 

 Corolla 5-parted, with the segments indexed and somewhat auricled 

 at the base, and which conceal the 5 teshile stamens; ovary inferior; 

 style very short and 2-lobed ; capsule membranous, many-seeded, with 

 a central fungous placenta, circumscieaile ; seed* minute, embryo 

 without albumen, straight, with the radicle next the hilum. The 

 only known species, called & Zeylanica, i* an annual, with alternate 

 entire leaves, without stipules ; found in marsh situations in all parts 

 of India. It is sometimes made the typo of an order. 



Sl'IlKNOCLEA'CE/E, a natural order of Plants, consisting of only 

 one species, belonging to the monopetalous sub-claw of Exogcns. It 

 wo* formed by Martins, and consists of a single genus, which at that 

 time was called f-'/Jtcnoclta, but now known as Potigatium. This plant 

 is very like a Campanula in its structure, but it is distinguished from 

 all Campanulai-em by the absence of albumen in its seeds, and also the 

 want of collecting hairs on its stylos. It has also round subsessile 

 anthers, and a habit diQerent from that of plants allied to it in struc- 

 ture. [SPHEKOCLEA.] 



si'HKNolli HONK. [SKELETON.] 

 8PHBNONCHD8, a genus of Fosil Fishes. [FiSH.1 

 BPHENOPHTLLUM, a genus of Fossil Plants. [COAL-PLANTS.] 



Sl'IIKNOl'S. [Sl'lNCIDA] 



SI'H KN< >TTKKIS, a genus of Fossil Ferns. [COAL-PLANTS.] 



M'HUNU'RUS, Swuinson, a sub-genus of Columbida. 



8PHRRCHEU& | HTDROPHTLLIDA] 



BPHEBOSTILBITk, a Mineral, occurring in globular masses. 

 Structure radiated. Fracture brilliant. Lustre pearly. Fibres flexible. 

 Hardness above 3'0. Specific gravity 2'31. It is found in Iceland a 



