4*24 



EMMET ENCEPHALUS. 



jnond-park and Kingston. Their conduct there shows 

 that the male takes more interest in the rearing of the 

 young than is done by any of our common domestic 

 poultry ; and from the attention which he shows in 

 this respect, there is reason to believe they are mono- 

 gamous. While a pair of these birds were kept in a 

 pen at the place mentioned, the female, in the early 

 part of the summer, dropped at different times nine 

 eggs. She made no previous nest, nor did she appear 

 to take an}' care about dropping the eggs in the same 

 place. But they were no sooner dropped than the male 

 bird took charge of them. As they were dropped he 

 rolled them gently along with his bill, collecting them 

 together ; and set about performing the labour of in- 

 cubation. This he continued to do with the greatest 

 assiduity for the period of nine weeks. The result of 

 this paternal incubation was the production of five 

 young emeus. These birds are now so well-known 

 in this country, that farther description is not neces- 

 sary. 



EMMET. A little insect, sometimes also called a 

 pismire. These two names were employed by our 

 earlier authors for the ant. 



EMPETRE^E the Crowberry family. A natu- 

 ral order of monochlamydeous dicotyledonous plants 

 containing three or four genera, and a similar number 

 of known species. This order appears to hold an 

 intermediate place between Euphorbwcece and Celas- 

 trine(, to the former of which it bears a strong affinity. 

 It is at once distinguished by its inferior distinct im- 

 bricated sepals, its definite ascending ovules, its distinct 

 stamens, and its want of petals. 



Its essential botanical characters are : flowers dioe- 

 cious ; sepals consisting of many hypogynous imbri- 

 cated scales ; stamens equal in number to the sepals, 

 and alternate with them ; filaments long ; anthers 

 roundish, two-celled, the cells distinct, bursting longi- 

 tudinally ; ovary free, situated on a small fleshy disk, 

 three, six, or nine celled ; ovules solitary, ascending ; 

 one style ; stigma radiating, the number of its rays 

 corresponding with the cells of the ovary ; fruit fleshy, 

 surrounded by the persisting calyx, three to nine- 

 celled, the coating of the cells bony ; seeds solitary, 

 ascending ; embryo cylindrical, in the axis of a fleshy 

 somewhat horny albumen ; radicle inferior. 



The plants belonging to this order are small heath- 

 like shrubs, with evergreen, alternate or whorled, ex- 

 stipulate leaves, and minute axillary flowers. They 

 are found in Europe, North America, and the Straits 

 of Magellan. Many of them possess acid proper- 

 ties. The chief genera are, Empetrum, Corema, and 

 Ceratiola. 



Empetrum nigrum, black crowberry, or crakeberry 

 is abundant on mountainous heaths in the north of 

 Britain. It is a small branching shrub bearing 

 black clustered berries, which afford abundant food 

 to the moor game. The plant endures cold well. 

 Its berries are eaten by the Highlanders, but they 

 are by no means a desirable fruit, and if taken in large 

 quantities are said to occasion headach. Although 

 watery and insipid, they sometimes prove very accep- 

 table to the traveller on the mountains. They are 

 used as food by the Russian peasants, and in Kamts- 

 chatka are boiled with fish. They are said to possess 

 anti-scorbutic and diuretic properties. When boiled 

 in alum they yield a dark purple dye. The crow- 

 berry is the badge of the clan Maclean, in Scotland. 



EMPIDJE. A family of dipterous Jnsects, belong- 

 ing to the section Tanystoma of Latreille, nearly al- 



lied to theAsilidce (see BOMBYLIIDA:), from which they 

 differ in their smaller size, less robust structure, and in 

 having the proboscis long and perpendicular. The 

 head is nearly globular, and the eyes very large. 

 These flies are of small size ; they are very numerous 

 in respect to their species as well as to the number of 

 individuals. Some of the species may be noticed in 

 the summer flying in great numbers, and with great 

 velocity, over standing waters close to the surface, 

 over which they rush as though impelled by the wind ; 

 others are found in trees and upon plants, where they 

 prey with avidity upon other insects, and so greedy 

 are they that we have noticed them thus occupied 

 even during coupling. There are numerous generic 

 and sub-generic divisions, resting merely on minute 

 structural differences. 



In the typical genus, Empit, the proboscis is much 

 longer than the head, the terminal style of the an- 

 tennae biarticulate and short. The type of the genus 

 is the Empis borealis of Linnaeus, a species found in 

 Ireland, having the wings broad and black, and the 

 hind legs in the females plumed. 



EMPLEURUM (Hortus Kewensis). A small, 

 ornamental evergreen shrub, native of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. The flowers are monoecious, and rank 

 in the order Diosmece. It is a greenhouse plant of 

 easy culture. 



ENCELIA (Cavanille). A genus of two ever- 

 green shrubs, natives of South America, belonging to 

 the natural order Composites. The flowers are orange 

 or yellow, grow well in any light soil, and require 

 ordinary greenhouse treatment. 



ENCEPHALUS (Kirby). A genus of minute 

 coleopterous insects, belonging to the section Penta- 

 mera, family Staphylhiidce, and subfamily Aleocharidct, 

 having the head small and inflexed, the thorax very 

 short and broad, the abdomen short and very broad, 

 flat above, with the margins elevated and notched, the 

 antenna) thickened at the tips, and the palpi with the 

 last joint slender. The peculiar form of the various 

 portions of the body above described enables the little 

 creature, constituting the type of this genus, to accom- 

 plish a mode of defence against its enemies, which, 

 from its singularity, will not fail to interest the ob- 

 server of nature. Amongst the various means by 

 which insects are enabled to defend themselves when 

 attacked, the instantaneous imitation of death is one 

 of the most efficacious ; this is effected by different 

 insects in different manners. In some cases, as in the 

 Ptinida:, the limbs are simply laid along the breast 

 and held there in a state of rigidity until the danger 

 is over; in others, as in the mimic beetles (Histeiidfc') 

 and pill beetles (Byrrkidce), these limbs are suddenly 

 folded up and received into cavities prepared on the 

 under side of the body for this express purpose ; 

 others again roll themselves into a ball, by bending 

 the head and posterior extremity of the body beneath 

 the breast, whereby the legs are covered, and the 

 insect appears like a morsel of stone or a seed. This 

 is the mode adopted by the genera Agaihidhtm, Lciodes, 

 and Clanibns, in the coleopterous order, and by the 

 beautiful Chrysididce in the hymenopterous order. 

 This manoeuvre however, as we have shown in our 

 article upon the latter family, does not always suc- 

 ceed, the insect mimic escaping, it is true, with its life, 

 but suffering the loss of its wings. But a more com- 

 mon and repeatedly observed instance of the adoption 

 of this kind of defence is found in the common wood 

 louse (Armadillo vulgaris), which, when disturbed, 



