USED IN NATURAL HISTORY. 



127 



RASO'RF.S. fr. lat. rado, to scratch. 

 Scratchers; an order of birds. 



RATTUS. Barbarous Lat. A rat. 



REA'LGAR. Red sulphuret of ar- 

 senic. A compound of sulphur 

 and arsenic. 



REACTION. The force exerted by 

 two bodies which act mutually on 

 each other. 



RECE'PTACLE. In botany, a dilated 

 portion of the peduncle, contain- 

 ing nutritive matter. 



RECEPTA'CULCM. Lat. A recepta- 

 cle ; a reservoir. That part of 

 the fructification which supports 

 the other parts. 



RECESSES. In botany, the bays or 

 sinuses of I "bed leaves. 



RECLINED. ) In botany, bending 



RECLINING. over, with the end 

 inclining toward the ground ; as 

 in the bramble. 



REC'TRICES. fr. lat. rectrix, a govern- 

 ess. The long feathers of the tail 

 which serve to steer the bird. 



RE'CTCM. The terminating portion 

 of the intestine. 



RECURVED. Bent backward. 



RECURVIRO'STRA. fr. lat. recurvo, I 

 bend back ; rostrum, beak. Sys- 

 tematic name of birds whose 

 beaks are curved upwards. 



RECURVO-PATENT. Bent back and 

 spreading. 



RED-CHALK. Red clay j an argilla- 

 ceous iron-stone ore. 



RED MARL. A name of new red 

 sandstone. 



REEF. A bed of rocks, sand or co- 

 ral, a few feet beneath the sur- 

 face of the ocean. 



REFLEC'TED. > 



REFLEXED. 



REFLEXED RECESSES. Sinuses of 

 leaves which are bent back from 

 the ordinary direction of the sur- 

 face of the leaf. 



REFRA'CTED. Abruptly bent, as if 

 broken. 



RKFRA'CTION. fr. lat. refractus, bro- 

 ken. The deviation of a ray of 

 light from its rectilinear course, 



Bent backwards. 



caused by passing through a trans- 

 parent substance. The degree of 

 refraction depends upon the den- 

 sity of the medium through which 

 the ray of light passes. 



REFRA'CTORY. Applied to minerals 

 which are hard to break, or strong- 

 ly resist the application of heat. 



REG'IMEN. fr. lat. regere, to govern. 

 'The rational and methodical use 

 of food, and everything essential 

 to life ; both in a state of health 

 and disease. It is often restricted 

 in its meaning to diet. 



REGMA. fr. gr. resso, to break. Cap- 

 sula tricocca. A fruit consisting of 

 three or more cells, each of which 

 bursts from the axis with elasti- 

 city, into two valves. The cells 

 of this kind of fruit are called 

 cocci. 



REG'ULUS. Lat. Dimin. of rex, a 

 king. A wren. 



REGU'RGITATE. fr. lat. re, again; 

 gurges, a gulf, or stream. To 

 throw back. The word is used 

 to describe the return of food to 

 the mouth in ruminants after it 

 has been once swallowed. 



REGURGITA'TION. The act of throw- 

 ing back into the mouth food that 

 has been swallowed. 



REM'IGES. The strong feathers of 

 the wings of birds. 



REMO'RA. Lat. A hindrance. The 

 name of a fish. 



RE'NAL. Belonging or relating to 

 the kidney. 



RE'NIFORM. Kidney-shaped. 



RENNET. The fourth stomach of 

 ruminants. When the fourth sto- 

 mach of the calf is salted and 

 dried, it possesses the property oi 

 coagulating milk, when a portion 

 of it is soaked in water, or wine, 

 and the infusion is added to the 

 milk. 



REpA'ifD.-With a serpentine margin. 



REPANDO- DENTATE. Repand a-id 

 toothed. 



RE'PANDATE. fr. lat. repandus, bent. 

 Applied to a leaf which has an 



