USED IN NATURAL HISTORY. 



11 



leather. Of the pale brown co- 

 lour of tanned leather. 



ALVEOLA'TTJS. Lat. Al ve'olate. Hav- 

 ing the surface covered with nu- 

 merous depressions, comparable 

 to the alve'oli or sockets of the 

 teeth. Also, resembling a section 

 of a honey-comb. 



ALVE'OLI. Lat. Plur. of alveolus. 



ALVE'OLUS. Lat. The hole or 

 socket in which a tooth is placed. 



ALVINE. Of, or belonging to the in- 

 testines. 



AMAL'GAM. Any alloy of mercury 

 with another metal. 



AMA'RA. Lat. Bitter. 



AMARTL'LID^E. Also, Amaryllida'- 

 ceae. Systematic name of an or- 

 der of plants, formed from Ama- 

 ryllis, the name of one genus of 

 the order. 



A'MBER. A hard, brittle, transpa- 

 rent or opaque substance, of an 

 orange colour, considered to be 

 an indurated vegetable juice, or 

 concreted balsam. 



AMBERGRIS. Fr. Arab, anibar, or 

 rather anbar, as written in Span- 

 ish, and the French gris, gray, 

 which, literally rendered, means 

 "gray amber," to distinguish it 

 from "yellow amber" of the 

 French, which is a kind of fossil 

 resin of vegetable origin, and ge- 

 nerally known under the name of 

 Amber ; but ambergris originates 

 in the spermaceti whale, and in 

 its essential properties differs al- 

 together from amber, with which 

 substance, the derivation of its 

 name might lead us to confound it. 



AM'BIESTT. Surrounding, investing. 



AM'BITUS. Lat. Contour. The outer 

 rim or circumference of the valve 

 of a shell ; of a frond or recep- 

 tacle, &c. 



AMBLY'PTERTTS. fr. gr. amblus, ob- 

 "ise ; pteron, wing. A fossil fish. 



AMBLYRHI NCHCS, fr. gr. amblus, 

 obtuse ; rugchos, snout. Name of 

 a genus of ignanian reptiles. 



AMBBB'TTE. fr. fr. ambre, amber; 



name of a shell supposed to re- 

 semble amber, (p. 41, Book v.) 



AMBXJLA'CRA. Lat. plur. of ambula 

 crum. The narrow longitudinal 

 portions of the sea-urchin (Echi- 

 nus), which are perforated with 

 a number of small orifices, giving 

 passage to tentacular suckers, and 

 alternate with the broad tubercu- 

 late spine-bearing portions, (p. 

 54, Book viii.) 



AMBULA'CRUM. Lat. An alley. 



A'MEJTT. A cat-kin. 



AME'NTUM. Lat. A cat-kin; a mode 

 of inflorescence. 



AME'NTA. Lat. Plur. of Amentum. 



AMENTA'CE.E. A family of plants, 

 in which the flowers are ar- 

 ranged in amenta or cat-kins. 



AMENTA'CEOUS. Having aments. 



AMERICANA. ^ American> 



AMERICA utrs. y 



AMETABO'LIAN. fr. gr. a, priv. ; me- 

 tabole, change. Not subject to 

 metamorphosis. 



A'METHTST. fr. gr. o, priv.; me- 

 thuo, to be intoxicated. It was 

 supposed to have the virtue of 

 preventing intoxication. Oriental 

 amethyst is a rare violet-coloured 

 gern, called corundum, or ada- 

 mantine spar, with the qualities 

 of sapphire or ruby. The occi- 

 dental or common amethyst is 

 merely a coloured crystal or 

 quartz. 



AMIA'TTTHUS. fr. gr. a, priv. ; wiai- 

 no, to corrupt. Mountain flax. 

 An incombustible mineral, con- 

 sisting of very delicate and regu- 

 lar silky fibres. 



A'MIATITE. Fiorite or pearl-sinter; 

 a volcanic production. 



AM'MOCETES. fr. gr. ammos, sand. 

 Name of a genus of fishes that 

 live in the sand or mud. (p. 127, 

 Book iv.) 



AM'MON. fr. gr. ammos, sand. Nanr) 

 of a heathen divinity whose tem- 

 ple was in the sands of the desert. 

 Grecian Ram. 



AMMO'NIA. Lat. Relating to Am 



