NER 



NUT 



NEBULA. A cluster of small stars 

 appearing like a minute cloud. 



NECK, COLLL.M. In {)lants, the 

 space between the stem and roots, 

 often swollen in size. The neck of a 

 capital is tlie space above the shaft 

 between the ring {annulet) above, and 

 the astragal at tlic top of the shaft. 



N E C R O P II A G A N S, NECRO- 

 PHAG A (from vei<poc, dead, and <payu, 

 J cat). A family of clavicorn beetles, 

 some of whicli live on decomposing 

 animal matters. 



NECROSIS (from vrnpoeiv, to de- 

 stroy). A disease, resembling morti- 

 fication, of the bony structures. In 

 plants, the term means the rotting of 

 the part. 



NECTARY, NECTARIUM. The 

 part of a flower which secretes hon- 

 ey. It is usually an appendage of 

 the petals or disk. 



NECTARINE. The smooth peach. 

 See Peach. 



NEGATIVE SIGN. Minus, or 

 — . It is employed to denote quan- 

 tities or measures below a standard. 



NELUMBIUM. A marsh plant of 

 China, the seeds of which, of ihe size 

 of an acorn, are eaten green, or pre- 

 served as sweatmeats, and have a 

 nutty flavour. The succulent roots 

 are also eaten raw as a fruit, or boil- 

 ed as a vegetable. 



NEMOCERA. A family of dipte- 

 ra, with filiform antennae. 



NEMOGLOSSATA. The bee 

 tribe, and those hymenoptera which 

 have a long, thread-like tongue. 



NEMOROSE, NEMORQSA. Be- 

 longing to the woods. 



NEP. Catmint. 



NEPHRITE. A tough, greenish 

 mineral, used to manufacture orna- 

 ments. A silicate of alumina and 

 magnesia with iron. 



NEPHRITES (from vt^poc). In- 

 flammation of the kidney. Bleeding, 

 warm baths, purges, diluents are 

 used. 



NEPTUANIAN THEORY. The 

 theory of Werner, that geological for- 

 mations were due to aqueous causes. 



NERIUM. A genus of important 

 Eastern plants. N. antidysentencum 

 afTords the codaga bark ; N. tinctori- 

 £.16 



'j<??i, a beautiful evergreen of India, 

 affords some indigo from its leaves. 



NEROLI, OIL OF. The distilled 

 'essential oils of orange flower.'?. 

 I NERVES. The while, thread- 

 : like fibres which, proceeding from 

 j the brain or spinal marrow, ramify 

 throughout every part of the bodies 

 of the higher animals. They convey 

 impressions from and to the brain, 

 preside over tiie functions of the dif- 

 ferent organs, and regulate motion 

 and the senses. Nerves can hardly 

 be said to be absent in any animals, 

 although they become extremely ru- 

 dimentary in many. Chemically, ner- 

 vous matter consists of seven parts 

 albumen, five fatty matter, and eighty 

 water. The fat is peculiar, contain- 

 ing phosphorus. 



Most diseases affecting the whole 

 body are accompanied, or commence 

 in an impaired state of the nervous 

 system, which presides over health. 

 Nerves are said to be cerebral when 

 they proceed directly from the brain : 

 there are nine pairs of these, and 

 they preside over the senses. The 

 nerves arising from the spinal mar- 

 row are termed spinal nerves, and di- 

 vided into cervical, dorsal, lumbar, 

 and sacral. They preside over mo- 

 tion and ordinary sensation, as well 

 as the functions of the lungs, stom- 

 ach, liver, and other viscera. The 

 great sympathetic nerve is a series of 

 junctions between the spinal nerves, 

 and is connected with the brain ; in 

 its course, small masses of a reddish 

 colour occur, called ganglions : it 

 renders the functions of the different 

 organs uniform. A plexus of nerves 

 is a net-work formed by the union of 

 various filaments. 



NERVES, or NERVURES. In 

 plants, the ramifications of woody 

 tissue and vessels seen upon leaves, 

 flowers, &c. They support the cel- 

 lular tissue of the leaves. 



NETHERLANDS, HUSBANDRY 

 OF. See Flanders. 



NETTED. Reticulated, marked 

 like the meshes of a net. 



NETTLE. The genus Urtica, 

 herbaceous and shruliby plants, often 

 furnished with stinging hairs : their 



