THE FARMER AT HOME. jg 



AMPHIBIA. A class of animals which live equally well in air 

 or water ; such as the phocae, or seal tribe, frogs, lizards, crocodiles, 

 eels, water serpents, and snakes. They are remarkable for their 

 tenacity of life ; some will continue to move, even when the head is 

 cut off. 



ANALYSIS. The separation of a compound body into its con- 

 stituent parts ; a resolving ; as, an analysis of water, air or oil, to 

 discover its elements. This is what is called chemical analysis. In- 

 deed, to analyze bodies, or resolve them into their component parts, 

 is the chief object of chemistry. When it is applied to the soils it is 

 the means of ascertaining the nature, properties, and proportions of 

 which they are composed. This chemical examination of the soil 

 affords perhaps more certain and more valuable information to the 

 farmer, for the improvement of its fertility, than any mode of inves- 

 tigation. It is to the agricultural chemist the same as an examina- 

 tion of the pulse, the tongue, and the excrements to the physician in 

 ascertaining the physical condition of the human system. One is as 

 necessary to the former, as the other is to the latter. 



ANESNOSCOPE. Every contrivance which indicates the direc- 

 tion of the wind is called by this name. The vane upon towers and 

 roofs is the simplest of all anesnoscopes. There are some, also, where 

 the vanes turn a moveable spindle, which descends through the roof 

 to the chamber where the observation is made. On the ceiling of 

 this apartment a compass-card is fixed, and, whilst the wind turns 

 the vane together with the spindle, an index, fixed below, points out 

 the direction of the wind on the card. 



ANGORA GOAT. A species of goat, so called, because found 

 in its highest excellence in the neighborhood of Angora, a city of an- 

 cient Syria. They are of dazzling white color, and, in all, the hair 

 is very long, thick, fine, and glossy ; which is indeed the case with 

 almost all animals of Syria. There is a great number of these ani- 

 mals about Angora, where the inhabitants drive a trade with theii 

 hair, which is sold either raw or manufactured, into all parts of Europe. 

 Nothing can exceed the beauty of the stuffs which are made from the 

 hair of almost all the animals of that country. These aVe well known 

 by the name of camlet. The great antiquity of this kind of manu- 

 facture is evident ; as we are told in sacred scripture, that the cur- 

 tains of Moses' tabernacle were made of goat's hair, probably of the 

 Angora goat. 



ANIMALCULE. In its general acceptance, this is a little ani- 

 mal ; but since the invention of the microscope, the term is particu- 

 larly applied to the myriads of insects, too small to be seen by the 

 naked eye, which are discovered by that instrument. The shape of 

 animalcules is infinitely diversified"; one is a long slender line ; ano- 

 ther is coiled up like an eel or serpent ; and some are circular, ellip- 

 tical, or -globular. Vinegar is full of these minute eels. They are 



