USED IN NATURAL HISTORY. 



139 



SPIRE. All the whorls of univalve 

 shells, except the one in which 

 the aperture is situated, which is 

 termed the body. 



SPI'RIFER. A genus of brachiopod 

 mollusks. (fig. 11, p. 30, Book viii). 



SPIRIGXA'THA. fr. gr. speira, a spi- 

 ral ; gnat has , a jaw. In entomo- 

 logy, a filiform ligula or tongue, 

 used as an organ of suction ; when 

 at rest it may be rolled up. It is 

 observed in the sphynx, or hawk- 

 moth. 



SPLEEN. One of the organs of the 

 abdomen, the precise use of which 

 is not known. 



SPOXGELET. i fr. lat. spongiola, a little 



SPONGI'OLE. \ sponge. The ab- 

 sorbing extremity of the fibril of 

 a root, consisting of extremely 

 lax cellular tissue and mucus. 



SPON'DTLUS. fr. gr. spondulos, a ver- 

 tebra. A genus of bivalves, in 

 which the teeth of the hinge lock 

 into each other, like the vertebras 

 of the spine. 



SPORANGIUM. fr. gr.spora, a spore; 

 aggeion, a vessel. The theca or 

 ease which contains the spores of 

 cryptogam ic plants. 



SPORES. The seeds of lichens, and 

 cryptogamous plants. 



SPORI'DIA. Granules resembling 

 sporules. 



SPOIU'FKROCS. fr. gr. spora, a spore ; 

 and Lat. fero, I bear. Bearing 

 spores. 



SPO'RULES. Diminutive spores ; 



parts in cryptogamic plants which 

 correspond to the seeds in other 

 plants. 



SponuLi'rERous. Bearing sporules. 



SPUMA'CEOUS. fr. lat. spuma, foam. 

 Foamy. 



SPUR. Calcar. In botany, a petal 

 which is lengthened at the base 

 into a hollow tube ; any horn-like 

 process formed by a flower. 



SQ.UA'LI. Lat. plnr. of squalus. 



SUUA'LIDES. Systematic name of a 

 family of fishes. 



SQUA'LUS. Lat. A shark. 



SQ.UA'MA. Lat. A scale. In 



any kind of bract which has a 

 scaly appearance. 



SQ.UA'MIFORM. Scale-like. 



SQ.UA'>IOSE. fr. lat. squama, a scale 

 Soaly. 



Sq.UAMiPE'xxES. fr. lat. squama, a 

 scale ; penna, a feather. Syste- 

 matic name of a family of spiny- 

 finned fishes. 



SQ.UAR'ROSE. ) In botany, applied to 



SQ.UAR'ROUS. parts which are 

 spread out at right-angles from a 

 common axis. 



SQ.UAR'ROSE-SLASHED. Applied to 

 leaves slashed with minor divi- 

 sions at right -angles with the 

 other divisions. 



STALA'CTITES. fr. gr. stalasso. I drop. 

 Conical concretions of carbonate 

 of lime attached to the roofs of 

 calcareous caverns, and formed, 

 by the gradual dropping of water 

 holding the carbonate in solution. 



STALA'OMITES. fr. gr. stalagmos, a 

 dropping. S't'alactical formations 

 of carbonate of lime, found on 

 the floors of calcareous caverns. 



STA'MEN. Lat. The male appara- 

 tus of a flower. 



STA'MINA. Lat. plur. of stamen. 



STA'MIXATE. Having stamens, but 

 no pistils. 



STAMisA'cEous.-Straw-libe ; straw- 

 coloured. 



STAMINI'DIA. Small stamen-like or- 

 gans occurring in some cryptc.^Ji- 

 mous plants. 



STAMINI'FEROUS. Producing stami- 

 na. 



STAXDARD. Vexillum. The upper, 

 erect, and expanded petal of a 

 papilionaceous flower. 



STAPES. Lat. A stirrup. The in- 

 nermost of the small bones of the 

 ear, so called because it resem- 

 bles a stirrup. 



STARCH. Fccula ; aniylin. A vege- 

 table substance which exists in 

 many tuberous roots, the stalks of 

 palms, and in the seeds of *.h< 

 cereal grasses. 



