USED IN NATURAL HISTORY. 



157 



sume rounded forms, like bomb- 

 shells, and are often elongated 

 into the shape of a pear. 



VOLCA'NIC FOCI. The subterranean 

 centres of action in volcanoes, 

 where the heat is supposed to be 

 in the highest degree of energy. 



VOLT'ZIA.A genus of fossil co'nifers. 



VOLTA'IC. Applied to electricity 

 produced after the manner of 

 Volta, an Italian philosopher. 



VO'LUBLE. fr. lat. volvo, to twist. 

 Twining; applied to plants which 

 twine around other bodies. 



VoLUME.-The bulk of a body ; or the 

 apparent space a body occupies. 



VOLUNTARY. Under control of the 

 WILL. 



VOLU'TA. Lat. A whorl. A ge- 

 nus of gasteropods. 



VOLU'TION. fr. lat. volutus, rolled. 

 In malacology, a whorl. 



VO'LVA. Lat. A wrapper. The 

 wrapper, or involucrum-like base 

 of the stipes of agaric. Origi- 

 nally it was a bag enveloping the 

 whole plant, which, when the 

 plant elongated and burst through 

 it, was left at the foot of the stipe. 

 (fig. 128, p. 108, Book vii). 



VO'MER. Lat. A thin, flat bone, 

 which constitutes a part of the 

 partition between the nostrils. 



VO'SGEAN. Belonging or relating to 

 Vosges. 



VULGA'RIS. Lat. Common. 



VUL'PES. Lat. A fox. 



VUL'TUR. Lat. A vulture. Vultur 

 papa. The king of vultures. 



VuL'vA-In conchology, a spatulated 

 mark, in several bivalve shells, 

 formed on the posterior and an- 

 terior slopes, when the valves are 

 united. 



VUL'VIFORM. In botany, like a 

 cleft or fissure with projecting, 

 rounded edges. 



VULTURI'NUS. Lat. Belonging or 

 relating to a vulture. 



WACKE. A simple trap rock nearly 

 allied to basalt, 



14 



3K 



name of plumbago or 

 black lead. 



WAL'CHIA A genus of fossil co'ni- 

 fers. (fig. 48, p. 43, Book viii). 



WARM-BLOODED ANIMALS. A term 

 applied to two classes of verte- 

 brate animals ; namely, mammals 

 and birds. 



WARP. The deposit from muddy 

 waters artificially introduced up- 

 on low lands. The operation of 

 warping is performed by arresting 

 the flow, or rendering the water 

 stagnant, that the mud in it may 

 subside. 



WATER OF CRTSTALXIZA'TION. That 

 portion of water which combines 

 in a dry state with many sub- 

 stances, forming an essential con- 

 dition of their crystalline charac- 

 ter. 



WATERSHED. The general declivity 

 of the face of a country which 

 determines the direction of the 

 flowing of water. 



WATER-SPOUT. A meteorological 

 phenomenon of the same class 

 probably as the whirlwinds which 

 raise pillars of sand in the de- 

 serts of Africa. A column of wa- 

 ter, in the form of an inverted 

 cone, is observed to descend from 

 a cloud, until it meets a conical 

 column rising from the sea ; the 

 two cones unite, assuming the 

 form of an hour-glass, and often 

 move with great rapidity, until 

 they meet with some opposing 

 wind, or other cause, which de- 

 stroys them. 



WAV r. Undulated. 



WEALD. Name of a part of Kent 

 and Surrey, in England. The 

 Wealden clay and Wealden deposit 

 are found in this part of England, 

 (p. 69, Book viii). 



WELK. 



WHELK. 



WHILK. 



WEN. A kind of tumour. 



WHELP. A pup; a young dog. 

 Any young beast of prey. 



>, j. 



I 



A kind of small she! 



