-papular 3tcttanarp at gm'matrtr Mature. 651 j 



among the Greeks and Romans, and, ac- 

 cording to riiny, was brought to table with 

 much pomp, and ornamented with flowers, 

 the slaves who carried it being also adorned 

 with garlands, and accompanied by music. 

 Its flesh has, indeed, been esteemed in all 

 ages ; but modern nations do not consider it 

 BO great a luxury as the ancients. Its fishery, 

 however, is an object of importance. 



The largest species of Sturgeon, called the 

 ISINOLASS STUKOEOX (Accipenser huso), is 

 chiefly found in the Black and Caspian seas, 

 ascending the tributary streams in immense 

 multitudes. It frequently attains the length 

 of twenty or twenty-five feet i and some 

 have been taken weighing nearly 3000 Ibs. 

 It enters the rivers in the middle of winter, 

 while they are still covered with ice, is very 

 voracious, and pursues all the smaller fishes, 

 but feeds likewise on vegetables. The fishery 

 of this species is vastly important in the 

 south of Russia ; upwards of a hundred 

 thousand being taken yearly. The caviar 

 of commerce is chiefly made from its eggs, 

 which exist in such abundance as to consti- 

 tute nearly one-third of the total weight. 

 This is a very common aliment in Turkey, 

 Russia, Germany, Italy, and especially in 

 Greece, and forms an important article of 

 commerce, very profitable to Russia. The 

 flesh is nutritious, wholesome, and of an 

 agreeable flavour. The isinglass of com- 

 merce is prepared from the air-bladder ; and 

 the tut may be used as a substitute for butter 

 or oil. 



STURIO : STURIONID^:. A genus and 

 family of Cartilaginous flshes, of which the 

 Sturgeon is the type. [See STUKGEON.] 



STURNUS: STURNID^S. A genus and 

 family of Passerine birds, of which the com- 

 mon Starling is a familiar example. [See 

 STAKLINO.] 



SUCKER. [See LUHPFISH.] 



SUID^E : SWINE. (Sus, Linn.) A fa- 

 mily of PachyJcrma.ta, highly important to 

 man as food. The animals composing this 

 family are characterized by having on each 

 foot two large principal toes shod with stout 

 hoofs, and two lateral toes which are much 

 shorter and hardly touch the earth. The 

 incisor teeth are variable in number, but the 

 lower incisors are all levelled forwards ; the 

 canines ore projected from the mouth and 

 recurved upwards. The muzzle is termi- 

 nated by a truncated snout fitted for turning 

 I up the ground. The Babyroussa, Peccary, 

 and other allied genera, are included in the 

 family Suidve. [9ee HOG.] 



I SUN-BIRDS. (Cinnyridce.) A family of 

 Tenuirostral birds, of the most brilliant plu- 

 mage, living upon the juices of flowers. 

 Cuvier defines the genus Cinnyris as being 

 distinguished by a long and slender bill, 

 with the edge of the two mandibles finely 

 serrated ; and the tongue, which can be pro- 

 truded from the bill, terminating in a fork. 

 They are, he observes, small birds, the plu- 

 mage of whose males glitters in the season 

 of love with metallic colours, approaching 

 in splendour that of the Humming-birds, 



which they represent in this respect in the \ 

 Old Continent, where they are found prin- 

 cipally in Africa and the Indian Archipelago. ! 

 Their subsistence for the most part is drawn. 

 from the nectar of flowers ; their nature is ' 

 gay, their song agreeable, and their beauty 

 makes them much sought after in our Ca- 

 binets ; but as the tribe is confined cxclu- ' 

 sively to the torrid zone and the southern ' 

 hemisphere, the naturalists of our northern j 

 latitudes have little opportunity of observing 

 their manners or oi inspecting their internal ' 

 construction. There is an obvious affinity 

 between the CinnyricUe, the TruchiliiUe, and 

 the Meliphaffida:. One species will be ouf- ; 

 iicient to describe. 



TheSuN-BiRD. (Cinnyrit gplendida.) The ' 

 length of this beautiful bird is rather more 

 than five inches. The bill and legs are 

 black ; the head and throat deep violet- i 

 blue, with a gloss of gold on the crown ; 

 upper part of the neck, back, wing and tail- ' 

 coverts, of a deep but very brilliant golden ' 

 green, and stretching to a considerable ex- ; 

 tent over the tail : across the middle of the i 

 breast runs a bright red bar, beyond which ' 

 the abdomen and thighs are of the same 

 deep violet-blue co'.our as the breast : the 

 wings and tail are black. 



SUN- FISH. (Orthagoriecus.) A genus of; 

 Cartilaginous fish, remarkable for its peculi- 

 arity of form : the body is compressed, broad, > 

 abruptly truncated, resembling, in fact, the ; 

 head of a large fish separated from the body. 

 Its nearly circular form, and the silvery 

 whiteness of the sides, together with their 

 brilliant phosphorescence during the night, 

 have obtained for it very generally the 

 appellations of sun or moon-fish. While ! 



swimming, it turns round like a wheel : it 

 has also the power of floating with its head 

 and eyes above water, but not of inflating or 

 distending itself with air ; in this state it 

 moves along sideways, very slowly, how- 

 ever ; and appears like a dead or dying fish. 

 It grows to an immense size, often attaining 

 the diameter of four feet, sometimes even 

 double that size, and occasionally weighing 

 from three to five hundred pounds. It_ is 

 very fat, and yields a great quantity of oil ; 

 but the flesh is ill tasted, and exhales a dis- 

 agreeable odour. It is found in almost all 

 seas, from the arctic to the antarctic circle. 

 There are three or four species; two of 



