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ANT 



ANOPLOTHE'RE.' ) (from avoxXoc, un- 



ANOPLOTHE'RIUM. f armed, and Stipivv, 

 a wild beast. ) A fossil extinct quadruped, 

 belonging to the order Pachydermata, re- 

 sembling a pig. Five species of Anoplo- 

 therium have been found iu the gypsum 

 of the neighbourhood of Paris. The 

 largest (Anaplotherium commune) being 

 of the size of a dwarf ass, with a thick 

 tail, equal in length to its body, and re- 

 sembling that of an otter ; its probable 

 use was to assist the animal in swimming. 

 The posterior molar teeth in the genus 

 Anoplotherium resemble those of the 

 rhinoceros ; their feet are terminated by 

 two large toes, like the ruminating ani- 

 mals, whilst the composition of their 

 tarsus is like that of the camel. The 

 place of this genus stands, in one respect, 

 between the rhinoceros and the horse ; 

 and in another, between the hippopota- 

 mus, the hog, and the camel. Buckland. 

 Cuvier has shown that the structure of 

 the hind-foot alone, is sufficient to prove 

 that the Anoplotherium was of a species 

 at present unknown. 



ANO'RMAL. (anormis, Lat.) Irregular ; 

 deformed. 



ANO'RTHITE. The mineral to which this 

 name is given is thus called from the ab- 

 sence of right angles in its fracture, which 

 circumstance serves to distinguish it. It 

 is a variety of felspar, and has been de- 

 scribed by Rose. Its specific gravity is 

 763. Its constituent parts are silica 44'49, 

 alumina 34-40, lime 15*68, magnesia 5'30, 

 oxide of iron, under 1. 



ANORTHI'TIC MELANE-ORE. A species of 

 mellane-ore, called also Allanite, which 

 see. 



ANTA'CID, (from avrl and acid.} Op- 

 posed to sourness ; of an alkaline quality ; 

 a remedy for acidity. 



ANTAGONIST. (antagonista, Lat. anta- 

 goniste, Fr. antagonista, It.) A term 

 applied to such muscles as oppose, or 

 counteract, others. 



ANTARCTIC. (from avrl, against, and 

 dpKTog, the bear, or northern constella- 

 tion. ) 



1. The southern pole, so called, as oppo- 

 site to the northern. 



2. One of the lesser circles, drawn on 

 the globe, at the distance of twenty-three 

 degrees and a half from the antarctic, or 

 south pole. 



ANTE'CIAN. (from O.VTOIKOQ, Gr. living 

 opposite.) Those who live under the 

 same meridian east or west, but under 

 opposite parallels of latitude north and 

 south. The word is also written Antoe- 

 cian. 



ANTEDILU'VIAL. > (from ante, before, and 

 ANTEDILU'VIAN. \ diluvium, a deluge.) 

 1. Existing before the deluge. 



2. Relating to things existing before the 

 deluge. 



ANTBDILU'VIAN. One that lived before 

 the deluge. 



ANTEMU'NDANE. (from ante, before, and 

 mundus, the world. ) That existed before 

 the creation of the world. 



AMTK'NJCB. (antenna, Lat. antennes, Fr. 

 This word appears by all lexicographers 

 to be given in the plural only.) Those 

 delicate moveable horns with which the 

 anterior part of the heads of insects are 

 furnished. These are peculiar to this 

 order of beings, and are easily distin- 

 guished from the tentaculse of vermes, in 

 being crustaceous ; and from the palpi of 

 insects, by their situation being nearer 

 the mouth. The antenna rarely exceed 

 two in number, though in some insects 

 of the apterous kind they amount to four, 

 or even six. Of the uses of the antennas 

 we are still ignorant. 



The antennge are jointed organs, placed 

 one on either side of the head between 

 the angle of the mouth and the eyes ; the 

 variations in their structure are very 

 great. Those which consist of equal 

 joints are called equal ; those whose 

 joints are dissimilar are called unequal. 

 The inequality of antennae proceeds 

 chiefly from the differing form of their 

 second and last joint. Antennie which 

 consist of but one joint are called exarti- 

 culate ; those with two joints, biarticu- 

 late ; with three, triarticulate ; while 

 those whose joints are numerous are 

 called multiarticulate. The great ma- 

 jority of antennae are completely naked ; 

 others have a clothing consisting of 

 shorter or longer hair. 



ANTE'RIOR. In conchology, the anterior of 

 bivalves is the side opposite to the 

 hinge ; of a spiral univalve, that part of 

 the aperture most distant from its apex ; 

 of a symmetrical conical univalve, that 

 part where the head of its inhabitant lies. 



A'NTHER. (anthera, Lat. dvOnpa, Gr.) 

 That part of the flower which contains 

 the fertilizing dust, pollen, or farina, 

 which, when mature, it scatters. The 

 anther forms the essential part of the 

 stamen. Anthers differ greatly as re- 

 gards their figure, number, and situation. 

 The most common form of the anther is 

 that of a grain of corn, only smaller ; it 

 has a crease, or line, down it, as the 

 grain has, at which it opens when burst- 

 ing ; this is generally turned inwards to- 

 wards the axis of the flower ; but in 

 some plants, as the cucumber, iris, ranun- 

 culus, &c., it is turned outwards. The 

 anther is generally fixed immoveably to 

 the filament in various ways ; but in 

 most of the grasses, and many other 

 plants, it is attached by its middle, and 



