574 



RHIPICERA RHYNCH.EA. 



RHIPICERA (Lalreille). An interesting genus 

 of coleopterous insects from Brazil and New Holland, 

 belonging to the family Ccbrionidte, distinguished by 

 the beautiful antennae of the males, which are com- 

 posed of from twenty to forty joints, each being fur- 

 nished with a long and pilose branch, together forming 

 an elegant flabellated appearance. The antennae of 

 the females are only slightly serrated, and are com- 

 posed of fewer joints than in the other sex. The 

 body is of an elongate-ovate form, the thorax short 

 and convex, and the legs of moderate size. There 

 are six or eight species. 



RHIPIDURA Fan-tail. A genus of birds, 

 belonging to Cuvier's dentirostral family of Passercs, 

 and nearly allied to the fly-catchers in their general 

 habits. They are natives of Australia, a country 

 which is as peculiar in many of jts birds, as in its 

 other productions. Their general characters are as 

 follows : the bill short, depressed, wide at the base, 

 and compressed toward the tip ; the upper mandible 

 keeled and crooked in the culmen, and notched to- 

 ward the tip. The nostrils basal, oval, and nearly 

 covered with hairs and feathers. The gape provided 

 with numerous bristles, which are rather longer than 

 the mandibles. The wings are of mean length, some- 

 thing resembling those of the fly-catchers, but more 

 rounded, and therefore it is concluded that the birds 

 are not capable of the same rate and extent of for- 

 ward flight. The tail is long, rounded at its termina- 

 tion, capable of being spread out like a fan, and 

 therefore well adapted for assisting the birds in rapid 

 ascent and descent. The feet are of mean length, 

 slender, and with the tarsi smooth. There are se- 

 veral species, but very little is known of their habits. 



R. Jlabelliforme. This is the fan-tailed fly-catcher 

 of Latham, and a bird which is by no means rare in 

 the country inland from Sydney, between that place 

 and the ascent of the Blue Mountains. It frequents 

 the woods and bushes, in which it hunts for insects, 

 darting upwards and downwards, rather than per- 

 forming long flights. Its general colour is blackish 

 fawn ; with a spot behind the eye, the throat, the 

 tips of the coverts, and the ends of the shafts of the 

 tail-feathers, white ; and the belly rust-coloured. 



R. -malacilloides is black, with the quills yellowish 

 brown, and a spot behind the eye ; the middle of the 

 breast and abdomen white. 



R. rubrifrons is blackish fawn, M'ith the back, the 

 forehead, a streak over the eye, the base of the tail, 

 and the lower part of the belly, red ; the neck black ; 

 the throat and breast white, spotted with black ; and 

 the quills fawn, with white tips. 



RHIPIPTERA (Latreille; RHIPIDOFTERA, La- 

 marck). Names proposed by these authors for the 

 order of insects previously described by Mr. Kirby 

 under the name of STREPSIPTERA, which see. 



RHIPIPHORUS (Bosc). A curious genus of 

 coleopterous insects, belonging to the family MOR- 

 DELLID^E,' which see for its characters, and an account 

 of its parasitical habits. 



RHIPODENDRON (Willdenow). A genus of 

 African succulent plants, nearly related to the genus 

 Aloe, and from which it has been separated. It be- 

 longs to HemerocallidecB. They are managed in every 

 respect like other succulents, that is, planted in light 

 lime-rubbish soil, and allowed but little water. 



RHIPSALIS (Gaertner). A genus of succulent 

 undershrubs, natives of South America and India. 

 The flowers are icosandrous, and belong to Cactee or 



Opuntiacccc. The species are all cultivated like other 

 succulents. 



RHIZOBOLEjE. A natural order containing 

 only one genus, namely, Caryocar, of which there are 

 three species. The genus is remarkable for bearing 

 the butter or suwarrow nuts. These have a rich oily 

 flavour, and are used as a desert. The fruit of C. gla- 

 brinn is eatable, and the nuts of C. amygdaKperwn 

 taste like almonds. C. butyrosum is the butter nut, 

 and which are sometimes met with in our fruiterers' 

 shops. The species arc large trees, natives of Gui- 

 ana, and cultivated in our stoves. 



RHIZOPHORE^E. A natural order containing 

 only two genera, and of each a single species as yet 

 discovered. The genera are Rhizophora and CaraHia. 

 The R. mangle is the mangrove of Madagascar. They 

 are arborescent, and are remarkable for growing 

 upon the shores of the sea and rivers. The seeds 

 have the singular property of germinating while en- 

 closed within the capsule and adhering to the parent, 

 and pushing forth a long fusiform radicle, which 

 lengthens till it reaches the soil, where it takes root, 

 and forms a new individual. 



RHODIOLA (Linnaeus). A genus of two species 

 of alpine plants, natives of Britain and Siberia. The 

 flowers are dioecious, and the genus belongs to 

 Crassulacece. In gardens the species are planted in light 

 soil, and usually placed on lapidiums or rock-work. 



RHODODENDRON (Linnfeus). A genus of 

 shrubs and trees which, from the beauty of their ever- 

 green foliage, and highly splendid character of their 

 flowers, attract the admiration of every beholder. 

 The magnificence of the European and American 

 species is only exceeded by the grandeur of the arbo- 

 rescent species from Nepal. Of these last we have 

 now two or three species, and several splendid 

 varieties procured by intermixture of the pollen 

 of the trees of Nepal and shrubs of America and 

 Europe. 



The Rhododendrons are placed by Linnseus in his 

 tenth class Decandria,- and they belong to the proteus- 

 like natural order Ericece. They are all propagated 

 by seeds or layers, and all thrive in leaf mould, moor- 

 earth, and sand. 



RHODORA (Linnams). A genus containing 

 only as yet one species, viz., R. Canadcnsis. It is 

 a pretty early flowering shrub, and mostly before the 

 leaves appear. It belongs to the EricecE, and is 

 treated like what are called American plants, namely, 

 in heath-mould borders, though they are often potted 

 for decorating the greenhouse in early spring. 



RHOPALA (Dr. Brown). A genus of South 

 American trees, bearing tetrandrous flowers, and be- 

 longing to the natural order Proteacece. 



RHUBARB. See RHEUM. 



RHUS (Tournefort). An extensive genus of de- 

 ciduous trees and evergreen shrubs, found in every 

 quarter of the globe. The flowers are pentandrous, 

 and the genus belongs to Tercbintfiaccce. They are 

 chiefly hardy plants, and the greenhouse species are 

 easy of management. 



RHYNCHJSA. A genus of Echassiers or stilt- 

 birds, belonging to the longirostral or long-billed 

 familv, and nearly allied to the snipes. They have 

 indeed been classed with these and also with the rails 

 by some authors, though they appear to have cha- 

 racters of their own sufficient for entitling them to be 

 regarded as a distinct genus. 



They are all natives of warm climates of China, 



