694 



SISON SNIPE. 



Sirex gigas of Linnaeus, the female of which is more 

 than an inch long, black, with the second and three 

 terminal joints of the abdomen orange-coloured. 

 The male has the abdomen of a darker orange, with 

 the extremity black. It is very rare in this country, 

 a more abundant species being the Sirex juvenciis. 



SISON (Linnseus). A genus of annual and peren- 

 nial herbs, natives of Europe. It belongs to Umbel- 

 liferce, and in English lists is called honeywort. 



SISYPHUS (Latreille). A genus of coleopterous 

 insects, belonging to the subsection Lamellicornes, 

 and family Scarabtsvke, having the four hind legs very 

 long ; the elytra have not a notch at the shoulders, and 

 the antennae are eight-jointed ; the body sub-convex. 

 This is a curious genus of dung-rolling beetles, nearly 

 allied to, and having similar habits with, the genus 

 GYMNOPLEURUS, which see. The genus are chiefly 

 conKned to the arid parts of the south of Europe and 

 Africa. The most remarkable species is figured in 

 our plate of beetles, Sisi/p/uis tpinipcs of Gory 

 (Monograph. Sisyph., p. 8). It is of black colour, 

 slightly pilose, with the front of the head notched, 

 the middle thighs with one tooth, and the posterior 

 with four. It is from the Cape of Good Hope. 



SISYRINCHIUM (Linnaeus). A genus of orna- 

 mental herbs, natives of various parts of America. 

 The flowers are tetrandrous, and the genus ranks 

 among the Iridacece. Some of the species are nearly 

 hardy, but they are generally potted in light soil, and 

 kept in frames. 



SIUM (Linnaeus). A genus of herbs, mostly 

 aquatics, and commonly called the water-parsnep. 

 The genus belongs to Umbelliferas, and one has 

 been introduced into the kitchen garden, and culti- 

 vated for its roots, under the name of Skirret. 



SLATE, or SHALE, as it is frequently called, is 

 a very abundant and useful mineral. The slate dis- 

 trict of England is of considerable extent. In Corn- 

 wall it is seen immediately incumbent upon granite, 

 and the slaty districts form very beautiful scenery 

 upon many parts of our coast. But this mineral 

 appears on the large scale, and in peculiar grandeur, 

 in the mountain-chain which includes Snowdon, 

 Plynlimmon, and Cader Idris. These mountains 

 have an enormous elevation, their summits are jagged 

 and irregular, their declivities steep and barren, and 

 the neighbouring passes and valleys of slate forma- 

 tion are of the most romantic character. London is 

 chiefly supplied from Caernarvonshire and West- 

 moreland. Argyle and Dumbartonshires also pro- 

 duce vast quantities. 



SLIPPER-WORT is the Calceolaria pinnata of 

 Linnaeus, a fine genus of South American annuals, 

 perennials, and undershrubs, belonging to Scrophn- 

 larincce. The species are highly ornamental, and the 

 varieties numerous. Cuttings, seeds. 



SLOANEA (Linnaeus). A genus of trees and 

 shrubs, natives of South America, and named in 

 honour of Sir Hans Sloane, P.R.S., and belonging to 

 Tilificea;. One species is a timber tree, but they may 

 be kept and propagated in our stoves. 



SMERINTHUS (Latreille). A genus of lepi- 

 dopterous insects, belonging to the family Sphinglda;, 

 having the antennae somewhat prismatic, and serrated 

 with a terminal brush of hairs. The spiral tongue is 

 almost obsolete ; the palpi compressed, covered 

 very closely with scales ; the wings, with the external 

 margins, notched and angular ; the caterpillars are 

 covered with very minute tubercles or warts ; the 



terminal segment armed with a conical horn, and the 

 head somewhat triangular ; they feed chiefly on the 

 leaves of trees ; the chrysalis is slightly rugose, and 

 pointed at the extremity of the body, and is subter- 

 ranean. These are dull heavy-bodied hawk-moths, 

 which seldom make much use of their wings, thus 

 differing from the generality of the family. This 

 peculiarity is entirely dependent upon the obsolete 

 structure of the spiral tongue, which (instead of being 

 of very great length, as in the true Sphinges, which 

 derive their name, hawk-moths, from their habit of 

 hovering over flowers, and extracting their sweets by 

 means of their proboscis) is in the Smerintluis so 

 extremely short, as to be useless to the insects. 

 There are three British species, the eyed hawk 

 moth (Sm. occellatus], the poplar hawk-moth (Sm. 

 popidi], and the lime hawk-moth (Sin. tiUfe). They 

 are all sufficiently common, and are handsome insects 

 of comparatively large size. 



SMIL ACE ^E. A natural order comprising twelve 

 genera, and above one hundred speeifs. This order, 

 including Smifax, Ruscnx, Trillium, Paris, &c., are, on 

 one hand, associated with tlie Diotcorac&t by their 

 broad leaves, and on the other with the Asphodc- 

 lacett', by their generally perigynous anthers and 

 superior three-celled ovarium. The characters, how- 

 ever, which associate them with either distinguish 

 them from each other. Thus the superior ovarium 

 takes them from Dioscornceec, and the broad leaves 

 from Asphodelacea: ; and such genera as have the 

 foliage not reticulated are known by the triple style 

 and membranous testa, which latter is characteristic 

 of all the Smilaceee. Various species of the order are 

 esteemed for their alterative properties ; they are 

 tonic, diuretic, and demulcent. Siniliu- aspi-m is by 

 some preferred to the drug sarsaparilla ; which drug 

 is the produce of the 5. sarza. The genera are 

 mostly hardy, and increased by division. 



SMYNT'HURUS. See PODURID^. 



SMYRNIUM (Gartner). A genus of biennial 

 and perennial herbs, natives of cold countries. The 

 flowers are pentandrous, and the genus belongs to 

 Umbelliferee. One of the species was formerly a 

 kitchen garden vegetable, and cultivated under the 

 name of Alisanders, and used in the stead of celery, 

 which last has superseded the former. 



SNIPE (Scolopax). A genus of the longirostral 

 family of Echassjers in Cuvier's arrangement, and the 

 typical one of the whole family, as one may infer 

 from the name Becasse, or " beaky," given to it by 

 the French. The characters of the genus, as taken 

 generally to include the subgenera, which do not, 

 however, comprise nearly all the birds that were 

 included in the Linnaean genus Scolojtax, may be 

 stated as follows : the bill long, straight, enlarged at 

 the tip, with the upper mandible larger than the 

 under one, and the enlarged part of it bending over 

 the tip of the other like a hook. The mandibles for- 

 warded for half their length, and the lower one cani- 

 culated and truncated at the tip. The nostrils 

 basal and lateral, cleft longitudinally, and covered by 

 membrane ; the feet of mean length and slender, and, 

 in the true snipe, having the tibiae feathered down to 

 the tarsal joint, and three toes to the front and one to 

 the rear ; the wings are of mean length, the second 

 quill the largest in the wing, but the first one nearly 

 equal to it ; the eyes are placed so far backwards in 

 the head that the birds can command the whole 

 | horizon without turning, and it is in this that their 



