EXPLANATIONS 



UOME OF THE SCIENTIFIC TERMS OR UNUSUAL WORDS WHICH 

 OCCUR IN THE COURSE OF THIS WOKK. 



e, belonging to the first order of birds, called Accipitres, Birds of Prey. 



Alburnum, the outer and most recent layer of wood in trees. 



Alluvia, soils formed from the muddy sediment of rivers, or from the earth washed 

 down by rains and torrents from mountains. 



Ammonia, or Ammoniacal gas, a pungent air which gives its peculiar qualities to 

 volatile salts or hartshorn drops. 



Antenna, organs of touch situated near the mouths of insects, having many joints. 



Anther, a small body which contains the pollen or fertilizing dust cf flowers j the 

 anthere are fixed generally on the ends of slender filaments, and surround the 

 germ or seed-vessel. 



Articulations, joints formed by the union of bones. 



Auricles, two appendages to the heart, so called from their supposed resemblance to 

 the external ear (auricula). They are hollow and muscular. Their office is 

 described, pp. 24, 25. 



faote, see Nitrogen. 



Bimanous, two-handed ; belonging to the order Banana. 



Bivalved, having two valves or shells ; applied to shell-fish, as the oyster, clam, &c. 



Calcareous, composed of lime. 



Caloric, the ultimate principle of heat. 



Canine, as applied to the teeth, designates those commonly called dog-teeth or eye- 

 teeth. They are peculiarly adapted to tearing flesh, p. 27. 



Capillary, hair-like. The extreme vessels of the body are so called on account of 

 their indefinite minuteness. 



Carbon, pure charcoal j it is a component part of most animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances. 



Carbonic acid gas, fixed air; the gas produced by the burning of charcoal, and 

 the effervescence of chalk, marble, and other calcareous substances, with 

 acids. 



Carbonic oxide, a gas composed of carbon and oxygen. 



Carbureted hydrogen, hydrogen combined with a portion of carbon. 



Cartilage, gristle. 



Cellular, composed of cells. 



Cetaceous, of the whale kind ; belonging to the order Cctacea. 



Chlorine, a highly irritating and deleterious gas, produced by the distillation of 

 manganese with muriatic acid . 



