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valves ; the former have heads and eyes ; 

 conchifers are without either, and possess 

 but a low degree of any other sense than 

 touch and taste. Thus the whelk is an 

 animal of a higher order than the muscle 

 or oyster. Buckland. Lamark divides 

 Conchifera,which includes all the bivalves, 

 into two orders, Dimyaria and Mono- 

 myaria. 



CONCHI'FEROUS. (from concha, andyero, 

 Lat.) Animals having shelly coverings ; 

 producing shells. 



CONCHI'PHERA. A class of mollusca, 

 inhabiting bivalve shells. See Conchifer. 



CO'NCHITE. (conchytes, Fr. coquilles pe- 

 trifiees.) Petrified, or fossil, shells. 



CO'NCHOID. In geometry, the name given 

 to the curve invented by Nicomedes. 



CONCHOI'DAL. Shelly ; shell-like. The 

 fracture of flint is said to be conchoidal, 

 that is to resemble a shell, having convex 

 elevations and concave depressions. 



CONCHO'LEPAS. A genus of oval vaulted 

 univalvular molluscs ; one species only is 

 known, the conch olepas peruviana, 

 brought from Peru. 



CONCHOLO'GICAL. Relating to the science 

 of conchology. 



CONCHOLO'GIST. (from conchology.} One 

 versed in the science of conchology. 



CONCHO'LOGY. (from Koy^rj, concha, and 

 Xoyoc, Gr. conchyliogogie, Fr.) That 

 branch of natural history which treats 

 of testaceous animals, or animals having 

 a testaceous covering, whether they in- 

 habit the ocean, or fresh water, or the 

 land. 



It is upon the exclusive shape of the 

 shell, and not the animal inhabitant, that 

 the arrangement of conchology is founded. 

 In early periods, naturalists hesitated 

 whether to construct the arrangement 

 from the animal or the shell; it was, 

 however, very wisely determined that it 

 should be from the latter. The greater 

 part of shells are found without the ani- 

 mal in them, and all fossil shells can only 

 be determined by their form. The Lin- 

 nsean arrangement of shells consists of 

 three orders, namely, Univalves, Bivalves, 

 and Multivalves. Univalves consist of 

 shells complete in one piece, as the 

 cyprea, bulla, buccinum, &c. Bivalves 

 are shells of two parts, or valves, gene- 

 rally connected by a cartilage or liga- 

 ment, as the oyster, muscle, cockle, &c. 

 Multivalves are shells consisting of more 

 parts than two, as chiton, lepas, and 

 pholas. Every part of a shell which is 

 connected by a cartilage, ligament, hinge, 

 or teeth, is called a valve of such shell. 

 Of the three orders of shells, the uni- 

 valves are the most numerous, both in 

 genera and species. 



CONCRE'SCENCE. (from concresco, Lat.) 



The act or quality of growing by the 

 union of separate particles. 



CONCHYLIO'LITHUS. > (from /coyv^, and 



CONCHY'LIOLITE. 5 \i0og.) A fossil 

 shell. 



CONCRE'TE. (from concresco, Lat.) To 

 coalesce into one mass ; to grow by the 

 union and cohesion of particles. 



CONCRE'TE. (concrete, Fr. concrete, It. 

 concretum, Lat.) A mass formed by 

 the union and cohesion of various par- 

 ticles. 



CONCRE'TION. (concretion, Fr. concre- 

 zione, It.) A coalition, union, or cohe- 

 sion of separate particles. 



CONDE'NSABLE. That which is capable 

 of being drawn or pressed into a narrower 

 space or compass. 



CONDENSA'TION. (condensation, Fr. con- 

 densazione, It.) The act of forcing 

 bodies into a smaller space. 



CONDE'NSE. (from condenso, Lat. con- 

 denser, Fr. condensare. It.) To force 

 into smaller compass. 



CONDE'NSITY. The state of being con- 

 densed. 



CONDU'CTOR. (from conduco, Lat. con- 

 ducteur, Fr. conduttore,\t.} Any sub- 

 stance capable of receiving and trans- 

 mitting electricity, or the electric virtue, 

 or fluid, or spark. 



CO'NDUIT. (conduite, Fr. condotto, It.) 

 Any hollow vessel for the conveyance of 

 water, or any other fluid, from one place 

 to another. 



CO'NDYLE. (ic6vSv\o, Gr. condylus, Lat. 

 condyle, Fr.) The condyles are bony 

 projections, or eminences, at the ends of 

 bones, as the condyles of the shoulder- 

 bone at the elbow ; the condyles of the 

 thigh-bone at the knee. 



CO'NDYLOID. (from Kovdv\o<; and tWog, 

 form, Gr.) Anapophysis of a bone. 



CONE. (K&VOQ, Gr. conus, Lat. c6ne, Fr. 

 cono, It.) 



1. A solid figure having a circle for its 

 base, and terminating in a point ; a figure 

 resembling a sugar-loaf. 



2. The fruit of the fir-tree ; a catkin 

 hardened, and enlarged into a seed- 



Co NFE'RVA. A genus of plants, class 

 Cryptogama, order Algae. 



CONFIGURATION. (Fr. Forme exterieure, 

 ou surface qui borne les corps, et leur 

 donne une figure particuliere.) 



1. The form of a body in relation to its 

 various parts, and their mutual adap- 

 tation. 



2. The conjunction, or mutual aspect of 

 the planets. 



CONFLA'TION. (conftatio, Lat.) The cast- 

 ing or melting of metal. 



CONFLUENCE, (from confluo, Lat. to flow 

 or run together.) 



