lit 



ELEPHANTS FOOT. 



rMBi-.p.ixin.r. 



exMs with remains of the other specie* in the British Museum. The 

 total length of the cranium and tu.kn i* 14 feet; length of the skull 

 4 ft S inches; width 89 inche*; width of the munle 2 feet; length 

 of the tusk* 10 feet; circumference of the tusk at the bane 20 inches. 



The other two species are named B. intiynu and B. bombifroni. 



The speete* of Ifatlodon, in the collection from the Sewalik Hill*, 

 are M. Primm**, 11. StnOemtit, and M. Intide**. 



Profceaor Owen state* that a specie* of MaHodon, nearly allied to 

 If. myunidnu, has left iU remains in the ossiferous oaree and poet- 

 tertiary or newer tertiary deposits of Australia. From the conformity 

 of the molar teeth Carter regarded a ilaitodon whose remains have 

 heen discovered in Peru a* identical in specie* with the M. angvtiideni 

 of Europe. Professor Owen regard* the M. longiroXri* of Kaup, 

 found in Germany, and the It. Arrenmti* of Croizct and Jobert, dug 

 up in Auvergne, u identical with hi* It. agtutidm*. 



In the collection of the British Museum, in addition to the specie* 

 which we bare mentioned above, will be found remain* of Elepluu 

 frittui and S. meridionals, found in Europe. There i* also the remain* 

 of a species of Matlodon, M.Andium. from Buenos Ayres. 



(Owen, Brititk Potril Mammal* and, liirdt ; Falconer and Cautley, 

 Fauna A nliqua fXralauit ; Mantel), Pdrefartioni and their Teaching!.) 



ELEPHANTS FOOT. [TESTUDIXARIA.] 



ELEPHA'NTOPUS (from A<>ui, an elephant, and rain, a foot, on 

 account of the shape of it radical leaves), a genus of Plant* belonging 

 to the natural order Compotita, the sub-order Corymbiftrtr, the tribe 

 Yenmiacttc, the sub-tribe I'moninr, and the division Elfphantopetr. 

 It ha* head* containing 3-4-5 florets, equal flowered, closely collected 

 into a cluster, surrounded by leave* ; the involucre compressed in 

 two rows, the leaflet* dry, oblong, alternately flat and folded, the inner 

 usually 3-nerved ; the receptacle naked ; the corolla palmate, with a 

 &-cloft limb, which has acuminate segment* and one recess deeper than 

 the others ; the filaments smooth, the branches of the style half subu- 

 late ; the achenium rather compressed, many ribbed, oblong, hairy ; 

 the pappu* in one row consisting of several straight paletc, dilated at 

 the bake, but otherwise very narrow, acuminate, equal, and serrated. 



i. tealxr has a hairy dichotomou* stem, the radical leaves scabrous, 

 cuneate, and very much narrowed at the base, those of the stem lan- 

 ceolate. This plant is common in almost all parts of India, in dry 

 elevated positions. It has a stem a foot high, with the head* of pale- 

 red flower* on long stalks. The roots are fibrous. Both the roots and 

 the leaves are reputed to have active medical properties. The natives 

 on the Malabar coast use a decoction of them in cases of dysuria, 

 There are other species natives of South America and the West Indie*. 



(Limlley, Flora itedica ; London, Encyclonirdia of Plants.) 



ELETTA'RIA, a genus of Plant* belonging to the natural order 

 /.inijiljrrat'ir. The characters of this genus are the same as A mo- 

 mum, but the tube of the corolla is filiform and the anther naked. 

 [AMOMUM.] 



B. Cantamomum, True Cardamom, is a native of the mountainous 

 districts of the coast of Malabar, especially above Calicut, in the 

 Wynaad district, between 11 and 12 N. lat., where the best are 

 produced. It i* therefore well placed; for Cardamoms formed a 

 portion of the early commerce, which subsisted between this part of 

 India and Arabia, whence they must have been made known to the 

 Greeks, a* they are described by Dioscoride*, and mentioned as early 

 a* the time of Hippocrates. 



The Cardamom plant delight* in moist and shady places on the 

 declivities of the hill*. It u cultivated from partings of the root in 

 the district of Soonda Balaghaut, but the fruit is very inferior; the 

 best grows in a wild state, at least where no other measures are 

 adopted than clearing away the weeds from under the largest trees, 

 which are felled clone to the root*. The earth being loosened by the 

 force of the fallen tree, young Cardamom plants shoot forth in a 

 month's time, and are sheltered by the shade of the branches. The 

 tree-like herbaoeou* plants attain a height of from 9 to 12 feet. The 

 root i* as tortuous and tuberous a* that of the ginger, and the leaves, 

 with long sheathing foot-stalk*, are from one to two feet in length, 

 placed in two rows, and lanceolate in ihape, like those of the Indian 

 Shot (CVmiui Indifa) common in English garden*. The scapes, or 

 flower- and fruit-bearing stalks, make their appearance in February of 

 the fourth year, from the base of the (terns, are three to four in number, 

 nl from one to two feet long, lax, and resting on the ground. The 

 fruit U ripe in November, and require* nothing but drying in the sun 

 to be fit for commerce. The seeds are gratefully aromatic and pungent 

 with a flavour of camphor, and are regarded as a necessary article of 

 diet by the inhabitants of Asia. They are used in medicine, and 

 enter into a number of pharmaceutical preparations. 



B. Carttamomnm mtdtum is a native of the hilly country in the 

 neighbourhood of Sytbeh, where the plant i* called Do Keswa. The 

 seal of this species are numerous, obovate, with a groove on one 

 side. Dr. Lindley concludes that thin plant yields the C'anfamomwm 

 mnlium of writer* on MaterU Medico. 



K I, E ITS I SB, a genus of Plant* belonging to the natural order of 

 the Grasses. B. coraeana is cultivated as a corn-plant by the inhabit- 

 ntaof the Coromandel Coast, and is known by the name of Natehuoc. 

 According to Schomburg a decoction of another species, K. ftxlim, i 

 employed in Demerara in the convulsion* of infante. . Toeuuo i* 

 an Abyssinian corn-plant belonging to thi* genus. 



ELEl'THERIA. [CROTOS.l 



KI.IIioXE. [SBIMADJL] 



ELK. fCiBviDJiJ 



ELLIPSOLITHES. Mr. Sowerby gave this title to some 

 (compressed f) forms of Fossil Cephalopoda, from the Mountain 

 Limestone. 



ELLIPSOSTO'MATA, De Blainville's name for a family (the 

 third) of hi* second order, Atipliimokranrhialrt, of his first sub-class, 

 Pnraceiihnlrjihora 7'iui'ca, of his second class, Paracephtdophora, of his 

 Sfalacotoa. The Sllijaotlomala of De Blainville comprehend the 

 genera Melanin, Rittoa, PhariaiuUa,AmpuUaria, ffelicina (including 

 AmpuUeii-a, De Blainv., and Wwyiro.Say), and Pleurocerut. Of these 

 all but Plturoctnu are included under the Pectinibranchiate Gastero- 

 pod* of Cuvier; and as the habit* of the included genera are by no 

 means uniform, the genera will be treated of under their several 

 titles. [AMPi'i.LARiA.J 



ELM. fumes.] 



ELODIANa [CHELOSIA.] 



E'LYMUS, a genus of Grasses belonging to the tribe Hordeinett. 

 It ha* 2 glumes, both on the same side of the spikelet, without awns 

 or seto, with 2 or more perfect flowers, and the spikelet* two or 

 three together. Several specie* of thi* genus have been described. 

 Two only are natives of Great Britain. 



. arenaritu, Upright Lyme-Grasg. It has an upright close spike ; 

 the rnchis flat, not winged ; the glumes lanceolate, downy, not longer 

 than the spikelets. It is a coarse grass, common on sandy sea-shores; 

 and, with other grasses, it sends down long fibrous roots amongst the 

 sand in such a way as to prevent its moving about with the winds. 

 On some parts of the coast immense sandbanks are formed by this 

 grass and others, binding down the. Bauds which are thrown up by 

 occasional and successive high tides. Although this grass, according 

 to Sir H. Davy, yield* a large quantity of sugar, it is not eaten by any 

 of our domestic animals. 



E. gtniculatu*. Pendulous Lyme-Grass, has a lax spike bent down- 

 ward* ; the rachis winged ; the glumes awl-shaped, glabrous, longer 

 than the spikelet*. The stem i* 8 or 4 feet high, and the spike 1 or 

 2 feet long, bent down in a remarkable manner at the second or third 

 spikelet. It has been found near Gravesend. Most of the remaining 

 species are natives of America, both North and South. 



(Babington, Manual of Srititli Botany ; Loudon, Encyclopedia of 

 Planli.) 



ELYSIA. [PLACOBIIANCHIATA.] 



ELYSIAD^E. [NCDIBRANCIUATA.] 



ELXERINA. [CEM.ARI.BA.] 



KM.YRGINULA. [FissuRELi.ro*.] 



EMBEKIZA. [EMDKHIZID.*.] 



KMHKUIXID^E, a family of Bird* belonging to the order Intruort* 

 and the tribe Conirmlra. The most distinguishing genus of the family 

 is Embrriza, It comprises however other genera. The general rela- 

 tion* of this family are given under FRTNOILLIDJK. We shall confine 

 ourselves here to the British genera of this family known under the 

 name of Buntings. 



PUrlrophanes. Beak short, thick, conical, the edges of both mandi- 

 ble* slightly curved inwards ; upper mandible smaller than the lower, 

 with a small palatal knot. Nostrils basal, oval, partly hidden by small 

 feathers. Wings long and pointed ; the first and second quill-feathers 

 of nearly equal length, and the longest in the wing. Legs with the 

 tarsi of moderate length ; anterior toes divided ; Literal toe* equal in 

 length ; hind toe strong ; claw elongated, and nearly straight. 



P. Lapponica (Gould), the Lapland Bunting. It is the Emlieriza 

 Lapponi' u :ind A', mlt-nrala of other writer*. Though a native of the 

 arctic regions, Mr. V anvil records five instances of its being taken in 

 Great Britain. It is found in Siberia and near the Uralinn chain. 

 Towards winter a few migrate a* far a* Switzerland. It inhabit* the 

 Faroe Islands, Spitzbergen, Greenland, and Iceland in summer, and 

 thi-Tiri- westward to Hudson's Bay. Sir John Richardson says, that 

 about the middle of May, 1 827, it appeared in very large flock* at 

 Carlton House, and a few day* later made their appearance at Cum- 

 berland House. The egg* are usually seven, and of a jrale ochre-yellow 

 (potted with brown. 



il't. tin' Snow-Bunting. It in tin /'. mon- 



tnnn, K. nirnlin. and A', muttrtiiin of authors; and the Tawny- Mountain- 

 anil Snow-Itnnting of KiiRlisli writers. It was at ono time supposed 

 they were different species, but thi MI the great variety of 



plumage to which these birds are subject. The pniloininant colour 

 of their plumage in white, hence the name Snow-li'intiiir. This bird 

 arrives in this country in the end of September and the beginning of 

 October, and extends from the north of Scotland to the south of Eng- 

 land. This bin! is rather larger than the last 



Emneriza. Beak conical, strong, hard, and sharp-pointed ; the 

 edges of both mandibles curving inwards; the upper mandible nar- 

 rower and smaller than the under ono, and its roof furnished with a 

 hard bony and projecting palatal knob. Nostrils basal and round, 

 partly hidden by small feathers at the base of the bill. Wings of 

 moderate size ; the first quill shorter than the third, which is the 

 longest in the wing. Feet with three toes before and one behind, 

 divided to their origin ; clows rather long, curved, and strong. 



E. miliaria, the Common Bunting, is the most common species of 



