762 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



Tourmaline. A mineral occurring in three-sided 

 prisms. Black tourmaline is the most common variety, 

 but there are also other varieties, as the blue (indi- 

 colite), red (rubellite) ; also green, brown, and win:. 

 red and green varieties, when transparent, arc valued as 



{'ewels. The finest ones come from Maine, and are worth 

 our or five times as much as jrarn- 



Turquoise. A hydrous phosphate of alumina con- 

 taining a little copper. It has a blue, or bluish-green 

 color, and usually occurs in kidney-shaped masses with 

 a nodular surface, like that of a bunch of grapes. The 

 fine specimens are wort h nearly half as much as diamonds, 

 -ingle large pearl. 



L'ralian Emerald. A precious stone of a rich green 

 color, a variety of beryl. 



\'erd antique (un-tfk'). A-mottled-jircen, serpentine 

 marble. Also a green porphyry, which id called Oriental 

 rerd antique. 



Zircon. A mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, 

 usually of a brown or gray color. It consists of silicon 

 and zirconium, and is harder than the garnet. The 

 transparent varieties are used as gems. The red variety 

 is called Hyacinth; a colorless, pale yellow, or smoky- 

 brown variety from Ceylon is called jargon. 



Prickly Pear, otherwise called Indian fig, 

 is a fleshy and succulent plant, destitute of 

 . covered with clusters of spines, and con- 

 sisting of flattened joints inserted upon each 

 other. The fruit is purplish in color, covered 

 with fine prickles, and edible. The flower is 

 large and yellow. It is a native of the tropical 

 parts of America, whence it has been introduced 

 into Europe, Mauritius, Arabia, Syria, and 

 China. It is easily propagated, and in some 

 countries is used as a hedge-plant. It attains 

 a height of seven or eight feet. 



Primrose. A genus of beautiful low Al- 

 pine plants. Some are among the earliest flow- 

 ers in spring, as the common primrose, the ox- 

 lip, and cowslip; and several Japanese and 

 other varieties are cultivated in gardens as orna- 

 mental plants. Their roots are perennial; the 

 leaves almost always radical; and the flowers 

 supported on a naked stem, and usually dis- 

 posed in a sort of umbel. The varieties of the 

 common primrose which have arisen from culti- 

 vation are very numerous. 



Puma or Cougar. A carnivorous ani- 

 mal peculiar to America, where it ranks next to 

 the jaguar in importance as a destructive or 

 dangerous creature. It is known as the Amer- 

 ican lion, probably from its resemblance in build 

 and color to the lioness; but it is considerably 

 le>- in size, and lacks a mane. Its length is about 

 forty inches, exclusive of a tail of twenty-six 

 inches; its height is about two feet. The geo- 

 graphical range of the puma is very extensive, 

 though it is less abundant in North than in 

 South America, where it haunts a variety of 

 situations, seeming to be equally at home in the 

 dense forests, the open plains, and the elevations 

 of the Andes to at least 10,000 feet. It is of a 

 cowardly nature, and is not regarded with fear 

 by man. Unlike most of the larger members 

 of the cat family, it is remarkably silent. 



Python. A genus and family of serpents 

 allied to the family of boas. They are not ven- 

 omous, but kill their prey by compression. The 

 pythons belong exclusively to the Old World, 

 and are of enormous size, sometimes attaining 

 a length of thirty feet. They are found in India 

 and in the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, 

 in Africa and in Australia. A rudimentary pel- 

 vis and traces of hihder limbs exist in the py- 

 thons, these structures terminating externally 



in a kind of hooked claw. The head exceeds 

 the neck in thickness, and the mouth is ex- 

 tremely large. Aided by their prehensile tails 

 and rudimentary hinder limbs, the pythons sus- 

 pend ^ themselves from the branches of trees 

 and lie in wait near water for animals which 

 come to drink. The genus python contains 

 various species, the best known 'of which i- the 

 West African python, common in menageries. 



Quail. The Virginia quail is common 

 throughout North America, and extends as tar 

 south as Honduras. It is larger than the Kur<>- 

 pean quail, and is better eating. The California 

 crested quail is another American species. The 

 quail, genus Coturnix, is widely distributed 

 over the Eastern Hemisphere, visiting Kurope 

 in early summer and returning south in the 

 autumn, when immense numbers are caught 

 and fattened for the market. Length about 

 seven inches, general color reddish-brown, with 

 buff streaks on the upper surface; throat rufous; 

 head, dark brown above, striped with ocheroiis 

 white; sides, reddish-brown, lower parts p.-de 

 buff, fading into white on belly. Color less 

 bright in the hen bird, and the rufous tinge 

 absent from the throat. They nest on the 

 ground, laying from nine to fifteen p yriform, 

 yellowish- white eggs, blotched with dark-brown. 

 The males are polygamous and extremely pug- 

 nacious. 



Raccoon. A small family of plantigrade 

 carnivorous mammals, bear-like in appearance 

 and of small size. The raccoons are peculiar to 

 America, where they range from British Colum- 

 bia and Canada to Paraguay. The common 

 raccoon is a pretty animal, about the size of a 

 cat, but much stouter; it has a long brown or 

 grizzled coat, a ringed and bushy tail, and a 

 turned-up nose. Its legs are short, and are 

 armed with strong claws, useful for digging or 

 climbing. In its attitudes it is somewhat mon- 

 key-like, and usually sits upon its haunches 

 when feeding, holding its food in its fore-paws. 

 It has a curious habit, too, of washing articles 

 given to it, and of soaking any food of a dry 

 nature in water before eating it. Its skin is 

 highly valued as a fur, and is consequently much 

 sought after in North America, where the animal 

 is widely distributed. 



Redbreast. A bird of the family >///- 

 viadce, familiarly known in the United States 

 and the British Islands and throughout most 

 parts of Europe. It is generally designated as 

 the "robin redbreast," or more briefly "a robin." 

 and has similar appellations in continental Ku- 

 rope significant of the kindly regard entertained 

 for it. Its utmost length is about five and t hree- 

 fourths inches, but it is of a rounder and fuller 

 form than many of the Sylviadce, the slender- 

 ness of its legs rather strikingly contrasting 

 with the form of the body. The wings are rather 

 short, the fifth quill the longest. The tail is 

 scarcely forked. The bill is rather broad and 

 depressed at the base, narrower and slightly 

 compressed at the point, the upper mandible 

 bent down and notched. The general color is 

 olive-brown, and the reddish orange-breast is a 

 conspicuous characteristic, particularly of the 

 male. The name robin is improperly given in 

 the United States to a species of thrush. 



