SAL 



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SAL 



so that if its legs or tail be cut off, or its 

 eyes plucked out, these organs will, in 

 the course of a few months, be repro- 

 duced. 



From the strata at CEningen has been 

 extracted a gigantic fossil salamander up- 

 wards of three feet in length, the Homo 

 diluvii testis of Scheuchzer u 



SA'LIENT. (saliens, from salio, Lat. to 

 leap.) Leaping ; moving by leaps. 



SA'LIENT A'NGLE. A projecting angle. In 

 a zig-zag line the upper are the salient, 

 the lower the re-entering angles. 



SALI'KEROUS. (from sal, salt, and/ero, to 

 bear, or produce, Lat.) Containing salt ; 

 yielding salt. Thus, in geology, we 

 have saliferous deposites ; saliferous 

 rocks ; saliferous strata ; saliferous sys- 

 tem, &c. &c. 



SALI'FEROUS SYSTEM. This r is the new 

 red sandstone system of some authors ; 

 the Poikilitic system of Mr. Conybeare. 

 Of above two hundred species of fossils 

 found in the rocks of the saliferous sys- 

 tem, not more than fifty have been disco - 

 vered.in England. The saliferous system 

 comprises the new red sandstone and the 

 magnesian limestone formations ; in the 

 former of these two formations no organic 

 remains have been discovered in Eng- 

 land. In Germany and France there is 

 added to the series of strata which we 

 possess in this country, a member which 

 is called muschel-kalk ; this, though ex- 

 tensively developed in Germany, has 

 never been discovered in England. The 

 organic remains of this system, says 

 Prof. Phillips, though few in number, 

 are exceedingly interesting to the na- 

 turalist and geologist, from the strong 

 testimony they offer of the successive 

 changes of the living creation, according 

 to the new circumstances of the land and 

 sea. The fossil plants, shells, fishes, 

 and reptiles of the saliferous system, ap- 

 pear to partake both of the character of 

 those in the older carboniferous, and the 

 newer oolitic, deposites. Calamites, re- 

 sembling those of the coal formation, are 

 mingled with cycadese, like those of the 

 oolites. Fishes of the genus palaeoniscus 

 are here found for the last time ; while 

 the remains of oviparous quadrupeds, the 

 phytosaurus and protorosaurus, are first 

 discovered. If the saliferous system 

 were arranged only in accordance with 

 its organic remains, the lower half, or 

 magnesian limestone formation, might be 

 ranked with the carboniferous rocks ; the 

 upper half, or new red sandstone forma- 

 tion with the oolitic rocks ; but regarding 

 it according to its mineral characters, it 

 forms one great series of deposites, which 

 were thrown down at a period when a 

 decided change in the conditions of the 



globe was taking place. The manner in 

 which the group rests upon the carboni- 

 ferous group in England is such as to 

 show that the latter was disturbed, dislo- 

 cated, and partially removed before the 

 former was accumulated upon it ; never- 

 theless, in other parts of the European 

 area, there is reason for supposing that 

 the new red sandstone was quietly depo- 

 sited upon the carboniferous series, no 

 real line of separation being established 

 between them. Mr. De La Beche ob- 

 serves, " it is worthy of remark, that, as 

 far as the European area is concerned, 

 rock-salt is very frequently distributed 

 among the higher parts of the new red 

 sandstone series, from which circum- 

 stance it has sometimes been named sali- 

 ferous t by way of distinction ; a term 

 exceedingly objectionable, as it would 

 imply either that at this geological period 

 salt was more abundantly deposited than 

 at any other, or that it was confined to 

 it." The saliferous system, commencing 

 with the keuper, or variegated marls, lies 

 immediately under the lias, and, termi- 

 nating in the reg conglomerate, rests upon 

 the carboniferous series. Its depth in 

 some parts has been estimated at eight or 

 nine hundred feet. 



SALIFI'ABLE. That may become a salt by 

 combination with some other body. 



SALI'NE. (salin, Fr.) Containing salt ; 

 consisting of salt. 



SALI'VA. (saliva, Lat. salive, Fr.) A 

 fluid secreted by the salivary glands, which 

 serves to lubricate the tongue and fauces, 

 to facilitate deglutition, and is supposed 

 greatly to assist the function of digestion. 

 Its principal saline constituent appears, 

 from analysis, to be muriate of potash. 



SA'LIVARY GLANDS. Organs which secrete 

 the saliva. All animals that masticate 

 their food are provided with salivary 

 glands, which pour the saliva into the 

 mouth as near as possible to the grinding 

 surfaces of the teeth. In animals sub- 

 sisting on vegetable food, which requires 

 much maceration, the salivary glands are 

 of large size. Fishes and the cetacea, 

 performing no mastication, have no sali- 

 vary glands. 



SALT, (sal, Lat. salz, Germ, sel, Fr. sale, 

 It.) Formerly called muriate of soda, 

 now known as chloride of sodium. In an 

 impure state, this is one of the most 

 abundant productions of nature. It occurs 

 in two forms, either as a solid mineral, or 

 in solution, in the waters of the ocean, 

 and of lakes and springs in inland dis- 

 tricts. The waters of the ocean contain 

 about one-thirtieth of their bulk in solu- 

 tion. The uses of salt are numerous, 

 putting aside its great importance, or ab- 

 solute necessity, as a matter of food. It 



