ANT 



C 17 ] 



ANT 



the filament being very thin, it is moved 

 by the slightest air. The plural of anther j 

 is anthera. 



ANTHOPHY'LLITE. (from civBog, a flower, 

 and (pvXXov, a leaf, Gr.) A mineral oc- 

 curring both crystallized and massive, of 

 a yellowish grey, or brownish colour. Its 

 constituent parts are, silica 56*0 ; alu- 

 mina 3-0 ; magnesia 23'0 ; lime 2'0 ; 

 oxide of iron 13'0 ; oxide of manganese 

 4-0. Gmelin. Specific gravity 3 '2. 

 Alone, infusible before the blow-pipe ; 

 but with borax it yields a grass-green 

 transparent bead. It is the prismatic 

 schiller-spar of Mohs. It is found in 

 Inverness-shire and in Norway. 

 A'NTHRACITE. (from civQpaZ, Gr. anthrax, 

 Lat.) A shining substance like black- 

 lead ; a species of mineral charcoal ; a 

 mineral approaching to the state of plum- 

 bago ; it consists nearly of pure carbon, 

 is hard to ignite, and has frequently a 

 semi-metallic lustre. The coal in the 

 extensive coal-formation in Pennsylvania 

 is called anthracite, because it emits but 

 little smoke in burning ; but it is only a 

 variety of common coal, containing but 

 little bitumen, and is not the true anthra- 

 cite of mineralogists. From the same 

 circumstance, also, it has become a com- 

 mon thing to call the Welsh coal anthra- 

 cite. Some anthracite contains 97 per 

 cent, of carbon. Hardness from 2-0 to 

 2-5. Specific gravity from 1-3 to 1-6. 

 AN'THRACITIC. Partaking of the nature of 



anthracite. 



ANTHRA'COLITE. The same as anthracite. 

 ANTHRA'CONITE. A variety of calcareous 

 spar, of a black colour, with a compact 

 fracture, of a glimmering lustre, and 

 which, on rubbing, yields a sulphureo- 

 bituminous odour. 



ANTHRACOTHE'RIUM. (from avBpaKiog, 

 and Orjpiov, wild beast, Gr. ) A name given 

 to an extinct mammifer, thus named by 

 Cuvier, supposed to belong to the Pachy- 

 dermata, the bones of which, changed 

 into a kind of coal, have been found in 

 the lignite and coal of the tertiary strata. 

 This genus was first discovered in the 

 lignite of Cadibona, in Liguria : seven 

 species are known, some approximating 

 to the size and appearance of the hog ; 

 others approaching that of the hippopo- 

 tamus. 



ANTHRO'POLITE. (from avflpwTroc., a man 

 and \LOoQ, a stone, Gr.) A petrifaction 

 of the human body ; a fossil human 

 skeleton. Several skeletons of men, 

 more or less mutilated, have been found 

 in the West Indies ; these still retain 

 some of their animal matter, and all their 

 phosphate of lime. One of them may be 

 seen in the British Museum, and another 

 in the Royal Cabinet at Paris. 



A.NTHROPOMO'RPHOUS. 

 from av0po*7TOC., a man, and ^iop0?}, form, 

 Gr.) Having a form resembling the hu- 

 man. 



ANTIA'CID. Contrary to sourness ; of an 

 alkaline quality ; remedial of acidity. 

 More generally written antacid. 



A'NTICHRONISM. (from O.VTI, against, and 

 Xpovof, time.) Deviation from the right 

 order, or account, of time. 



ANTICLI'NAL. If a range of hills, or a val- 

 ley, be composed of strata, which on the 

 two sides dip in opposite directions, the 

 imaginary line that lies between them, 

 towards which the strata on each side 

 rise, is called the anticlinal axis. In a 

 row of houses, with steep roofs facing 

 the south, the slates represent inclined 

 strata dipping north and south, and the 

 ridge is an east and west anticlinal axis. 

 LyelL 



In most cases an anticlinal axis forms 

 a ridge, and a synclinal axis a valley. 



ANTIMO'NIAL. Made of antimony ; having 

 the properties of antimony. 



ANTIMO'NIATE. ^ A salt formed by the com- 



ANTI'MONITE. $ bination of antimonic 

 acid with a salifiable base. 



A'NTIMONY. (antimoine, Fr. antimonio, It. 

 The derivation of this word is not agreed 

 on, some lexicographers stating it to be 

 from avri and (J.OVOQ, two Greek words, 

 signifying that it is never found alone : 

 Dr. Johnson, however, on the authority 

 of Furetiere, refers it to a ludicrous story 

 related of Basil Valentine, a German, who 

 appears to have been the discoverer of 

 the metal in 1620 ; it is stated that he 

 was a monk, and practised as a physician, 

 and having thrown some of it to the hogs, 

 he observed that after it had purged 

 them, they immediately fattened ; ima- 

 gining that the effect on bipeds would be 

 similar, he administered a like dose to his 

 fellow monks. The experiment, how- 

 ever, proved rather an unfortunate one, 

 for, in consequence of the dose being too 

 large, they all died of it, and the sub- 

 stance thenceforth obtained the name of 

 Antimoine, i. e. Antimonk.) A metallic 

 ore, consisting of sulphur combined with 

 the metal which is properly called anti- 

 mony. This metal is of a bluish-white 

 colour, and considerable brilliancy, with 

 a specific gravity of 6' 712. It fuses at a 

 temperature of 9 00, but requires a greatly 

 increased heat to volatilize it. It is not 

 malleable, being so brittle as to be easily 

 reduced to powder by trituration, and its 

 ductility is inconsiderable. The most 

 abundant ore of antimony is that in which 

 it is found combined with sulphur, and 

 called sulphuret of antimony. Antimony 

 combines with chlorine so rapidly as to 

 produce a shower of fire, if it be poured, 



