USED IN NATURAL HISTORY 



55 



DIP'TERTE. Lat. plur. of dip'tera. 



DIP'TEROTJS. Relating to dip'tera. 

 Two-winged : applied to certain 

 seeds which have their margins 

 prolonged in the form of wings. 



DIP'TERYX. fr. gr. dis, double; pte- 

 rux,a wing, in allusion to the two 

 appendages of the calyx. Ton- 

 quin bean. A genus of plants of 

 the family of leguminosse. 



DIRECTION OF STRATA. The Strike, 

 or line of bearing, (p. 185, Book 

 viii). 



DIRT-BED. (Portland.) A bed of 

 dark brown substance, seemingly 

 black loam, about a foot in thick- 

 ness, which occurs in the upper 

 oolite of Portland, (p. 145, Book 

 viii). 



Dis' AGGREGATED. fr. lat. de, priv. ; 

 aggrego, I gather together. Sepa- 

 rated, divided, broken up. 



DISAGGREGA'TION. The breaking 

 up of a mass into small parts. 



DISCO'BOLI. Lat. plur. of discobo- 

 lus, fr. gr. diskos, a disk; bullo, I 

 throw. A quoit-player. Syste- 

 matic name of a family of fishes 

 whose ventral fitjs form a disk. 



DI'SCOID. fr. gr. diskos, a quoit; ei- 

 dos, resemblance. This term is 

 applied to those univalve shells 

 of which the whorls are disposed 

 vertically on the same plane so 

 as to form a disc ; as in the Plan- 

 orbis. (p. 44, Book v). In botany, 

 when anything is dilated into 

 something which may be corn- 

 pared to a disk, the term discoid 

 is applied. When in Composite, 

 the florets are all tubular, the head 

 of flowers is said to be discoid. 



DISCO'RDANT STRATIFICATION. Un- 

 conformable stratification. 



Dis'cus. Disk. The fleshy annular 

 process that surrounds the ovari- 

 um of many flowers. 



DIS'EXG AGED. Separated from, freed. 



DISINTEGRATE. fr. lat. de, priv.; 

 integer, entire, whole. To sepa- 

 rate, or break up an aggregate into 

 twirts. When any mineral falls 



to pieces without any perceptible 

 chemical action, it is said to be 

 disintegrated. 



DISINTEGRATION. The act of se- 

 parating, or dividing a whole into 

 parts. 



DISK. In conchology the middle 

 part of the valves, or that which 

 lies between the urnbo and the 

 margin. 



DISLOCATE. fr. lat. de, priv. ; lociu, 

 place. To put out of place. 



DISLOCATION. Displacement. In 

 geology, where strata or veins 

 have been displaced from the po- 

 sition where first deposited or 

 formed, they are said to be dislo- 

 cated. 



DISPE'RMOUS. Containing two seeds. 



DISPOSITION. fr. lat. dispono, I ar- 

 range. Arrangement, method, or- 

 der. 



DISRUPTION. fr. lat. disrumpo, I 

 break off. The act of breaking 

 asunder. 



DISSEM'INATED. When a mineral, 

 crystallized or not, is found here 

 and there, imbedded in a mass of 

 another substance, it is said to be 

 disseminated in that mass. 



DISSE'PIMENT. fr. lat. dissepio, to se- 

 parate. Septum. In botany, the 

 partition which divides a capsule 

 into two cells. 



DI'STICHOUS. fr. gr. dis, twice ; sti~ 

 chos, a row. Bifariaus ; arranged 

 in two rows. 



DisTo'RTioN.-fr. lat.rfg, from ; tortum. 

 twisted. The act of distorting, or 

 twisting out of place. 



DITRICHO'TOMOUS. Divided into 

 twos or threes ; a stem continu 

 ally dividing into double or treble 

 ramifications. 



DIU'RNK. Systematic name of a 

 division of the birds of prey. 



DIU'RNAL. fr. lat. dies, a day. Be- 

 longing to the day. 



DIVA'RICATE. Growing in a strag 

 gling manner. In con-.hology. 

 straddling, spreading out widely. 



Di VA'BiCATiNG.-Spreading out near- 



