y;. 



31 



A GLOSSARY OF TERMS 



BRA'MA. Systematic name of the 

 Castagnoles. 



BRANCH. From the word branca, 

 derived fr. lat. brachium, an arm. 

 The branches of trees were view- 

 ed as their arms. Any member 

 or part of the whole; any section 

 or subdivision. The first divi- 

 sion of the animal kingdom i? 

 into BRANCHES. 



BRA'NCHiA(6ra'A;-ea). Lat. A gill. 



BHAXCH I.M. Lat. fr. gr. bragchos, the 

 throat. The gills of fishes. They 

 are the respiratory organs of fishes, 

 but are very different from lungs, 

 both in their form and structure. 



BRANCH'iAL^ran^'-e-a/). Belonging 

 or relating to the branchiae. Bran- 

 chial arches, see ARCHES OF THE 

 BRANCHING. Branchial openings, 

 apertures for the passage of water 

 from the gills. 



BRANCHI'FERA. fr. lat. branchiae, gills ; 

 fero, I bear. Gill-bearing. Sys- 

 tematic name of a family of ba- 

 trachians, 



BHANCHIOSTE'GOUS. fr. gr. bragchia, 

 the branchiae or gills; stego, I co- 

 ver. Belonging or relating to the 

 gill-cover. The great fissure that 

 exists on each side between the 

 head and shoulder of an osseous 

 fish, wherein the gills are situ- 

 ated, is not closed merely by the 

 opercular bones, but likewise by 

 a broad membranous expansion, 

 called the Branchiostegous mem- 

 brane, which is adherent to the 

 hyoid bone, and assists in forming 

 the great valve of the operculum. 

 This membrane is supported by 

 a series of slender bones, derived 

 from the external margin of each 

 branch of the hyoid bone, and 

 these are named from their office, 

 the Branchiostegous Rays. 



BRANCHJ is (brank'-e-is). Lat. plur. 

 (ablative.) Branchiis liberis; with 

 free branchiae. Branchiis fixis ; 

 with fixed branchiae 



BHANCHLET. A twig; subdivision 

 of a branch. 



BRASH A provincial word used in 

 England to describe the alluvial 

 mass or quantiiy of broken and 

 angular fragments of subjacent 

 rock, found usually between the 

 vegetable mould and the regular 

 rocks. It is also called rubble. 



BRE'CCIA (bresh'-ea}. It. A rock 

 composed of an agglutination of 

 angular fragments. When the 

 fragments are rolled pebbles, it 

 constitutes a conglomerate rock 

 called pudding stone. 



BREVIFO'LIA. fr. lat. brevis, short j 

 folium, leaf. Short-leaved. 



BREVIPE'NNKS. fr. lat. brevis, short; 

 penna, a wing. Having short 

 wings. The systematic name of 

 a family of the order of wading 

 birds. 



BRINDED. Streaked. 



BRISTOL STONES or DIAMONDS. Small 

 brilliant crystals of quartz found 

 near Bristol, England. 



BRITTLE. In rniriei atogy ; not tough, 

 frangible. The brittleness of mi- 

 neral bodies does not depend on 

 their hardness ; those of which 

 the particles cohere in the high- 

 est degree, and are immovable 

 amongst each other, are the most 

 brittle. Diamond, quartz, and sul- 

 phur, vary greatly as to hardness , 

 they are all brittle, the first only 

 in particular directions. 



BRON'CHIA. The singular of 



BRON'CHIJE. fr. gr. brogchos, the 

 throat. The two branches of the 

 wind-pipe which convey air to 

 the lungs. 



BRONGNIA'RTII. Specific name of a 

 fossil in honour of M. Brongniart, 

 the eminent French naturalist. 



BROWN COAL. Bovey coal. An im- 

 perfect kind of coal, also termed 

 Bituminous wood. 



BU'BALUS. Lat. An animal of the 

 genus ox. 



BUBO. Lat. An owl. 



BUC'CJE (buk-say}. Lat. plur. of 

 bucca, cheek. Buccte loricalae t 

 mailed cheeks. 



