Evtatfurj? ai Natural gl 



Sea-nettles, spoken of under the head ACA- 

 LEPiijE. They are distinguished by the 

 form of their body, which is cylindrical, soft, 

 fleshy, and susceptible of contraction and 

 dilatation. They are also furnished with nu- 

 merous tentacula, which are appended round 

 the margin of the aperture that serves both 

 as the mouth and vent ; and these being 

 not only radiated but of various lively 

 colours, nave given rise to the popular names 

 of Animal-flma&rs and Sea-Anemonies, by 

 which the Actiniae are familiarly known. 

 They are found on the shores of every sea, 

 often covering the sides of rocks as with a 

 tapestry of flowers. As in other tribes, each 

 species has its peculiar haunt, and they 

 differ from each other in shape, size, and 

 colour; those in tropical regions far sur- 

 passing in gorgeous brilliancy such as are 

 met with in the seas of colder latitudes. 

 "These singular creatures," says an able 

 contemporary, " have a power of reproduc- 

 tion equal to that so well known in the fresh- 

 water polypus. They may be cut perpen- 

 dicularly or across, and each cutting will 



give origin to a new animal. The young 

 Actiniae are seen issuing, already formed, 

 sometimes from the mouth ; and sometimes 

 the base of the old animal is dissevered, a 

 portion remaining attached to the rock, 

 where it continues to live, increasing in size, 

 becoming more and more rounded, while, in 

 a short time, a mouth, stomach, and tentacula 

 are formed, presenting, to the surprise of an 

 observer, a complete Actinia. At length, 

 the side portions of this base give out glo- 

 bules, which are detached, and fix themselves 

 upon adjacent rocks, where they grow and 

 produce a new colony like the parent ani- 

 mal." Among the best ascertained Actiniae 

 are the large leathery Sea- Anemone (A. 

 sent/is), the purple Sea- Anemone (A. equina), 

 the white Sea- Anemone (A. plumosa), and 

 the deep crimson species (A . Jordiaca), which 

 is found in the Mediterranean, and esteemed 

 by the Italians a great delicacy for the table. 



ACTINOCAMAX. A name given by 

 Miller to the fossil shells of an extinct genus 

 of Cephalopodous Mollusca, apparently con- 

 necting the Belemnites with the existing 

 Sepice. They are principally found in the 

 chalk formations of England and Nor- 

 mandy. 



ACTJLEATA. The name for a section of 

 Hymenopterous insects, whose antennae are 

 simple, and composed of a constant number 

 of joints, namely, thirteen in the males, and 

 twelve in the females. The larvae have 

 never any feet, and subsist on food which 

 the females or neuters provide them with : 



one division of them, the Prcedones, or pre- 

 daceous tribes, which do not collect pollen, 

 feeding upon other insects that have been 

 stored up for them ; and the other division, 

 the Melliferce, or honey-collectors, feeding 

 upon honey or pollen paste, similarly re- 

 served for their use. 



ADAPTS. The name given to a genus of 

 Pachydermatous quadrupeds, now existing 

 only in a fossil state, some imperfect speci- 

 mens of which were found in the plaster 

 quarries of Montmartre, and described by 

 Cuvier in his great work, Sur ks Ossemew 



ADDA. A small species of Lizard, cele- 

 brated throughout the East as being effica- 

 cious in the cure of various cutaneous diseases 

 to which the inhabitants of Egypt and 

 Arabia are peculiarly subject. It is about 

 six inches long ; the body and tail cylin- 

 drical, the latter ending in a very sharp 

 point ; the face is covered with black lines, 

 which cross each other ; the body is of a light 

 straw colour with black bands ; and the 

 scales shine as if they were varnished. It 

 burrows in the sand. 



ADD AX. (Antilope addax.) A species 

 of Antelope, more heavily formed than the 

 generality of Antilopidce, and having large 

 spiral horns, annulated to within about six 

 inches of the points. It lives solitarily or 

 in pairs on the borders and oases of the 

 Nubian deserts. It has remarkably broad 

 hoofs, provided by nature to enable the 

 animal to move the more easily over the fine 

 loose sand. The general colour of the Addax 

 is a greyish-white ; but the head and neck 

 are of a deep reddish-brown with a mark of 

 pure white across the lower part of the fore- 



ADDER. (Ftpera lerus.) The Adder, 

 or Viper, is a venomous reptile of the serpent 

 kind, seldom more than two or three feet 

 long, being considerably shorter than the 

 common snake in proportion to its bulk. It 

 is of a dull yellow colour with black spots, 

 and the abdomen entirely black. [See 

 VIPER.] 



ADEPHAGA. A name given to a family 

 of carnivorous and very voracious Coleop- 



ADESMACEA. A family of Lamellibran- 

 chiate Mollusca, which either bore tubular 

 dwellings in rocks, wood, &c., or live in 

 testaceous tubes, their shells being con- 

 sequently destitute of the hinge ligament. 

 The genera Pholas, Teredina, Teredo, Fis- 

 tulana, and Septaria belong to this family. 



ADJUTANT, or GIGANTIC CRANE 



(Leptoptilos Argala), the Argala of India. 

 This remarkable bird is a native of the 

 warmer parts of India, and is of great use in 

 removing noxious animals and carrion, 

 which it devours with avidity. It stands 

 five feet high, measuring from the tip of the 

 bill to the claws seven and a half feet, and 

 From the tip of each outstretched wing not 

 less than fourteen feet. The head and neck 

 are nearly bare ; the beak is extremely large, 



