BLASTING 



53 



BLUE 



Blasting, (blast'ing). [Blast, q.v.] The re- 

 moval of masses of rock by means of explo- 

 sive agents. B. oii=Nitro-glycerine, q.v.= 

 Nitroleum. 



Blastocheme, (blas'to-kem). [Gk. blastos, 

 sprout.] Special generative buds developed 

 from radiating canals in Medusas. 

 Blastoderm, ( blas'to-derm ). [Gk. blastos, 

 sprout; derma, skin.] A primitive organised 

 layer surrounding the embryo in its earliest 

 condition. 



Blastoidea, (blas-toid'e-a). [Gk. blastos, bud; 

 eidos, form. ]=Pentremites : an order of 

 Echinodermata, now extinct, found only in 

 Palaeozoic rocks, having a bud -like oval or 

 globular form. 



Blatta, (blat'ta). [The Greek word.]=Cock- 

 roach: an insect, the type of Blattidae. 



Blattarius (blat-ta'ri-us). [Gk. blatta, moth.] 

 Relating to moths. 



Blattidse, (blat'i-de). [Blatta, q.v.] Cock- 

 roaches, &c. : a family of insects belonging to 

 Orthoptera. 



Blattina, (blat-ti'na). [Blatta, q.v.]=Cock- 

 roaches : a family of insects belonging to 

 Orthoptera. 



Blazing-star=Helonias dioica: an American 

 plant, named from its flower. 



Bleaching, (blech'ing). [A.-S. blcecan, to 

 shine.] 1. By exposure to air and light, and 

 washing in alkaline leys. 2. By use of chlor- 

 ine for cotton goods. 3. By use of sulphur- 

 ous acid for wool and silk. The bleaching is 

 supposed to be performed by the colouring 

 matters being decomposed, and the hydrogen 

 in them being absorbed by the bleaching com- 

 pound. B. compounds: chloride of lime, of 

 potash, of soda, &c.; oxymuriate of lime, <fec. 



Bleak, (blek). [A.-S. blaec. ]=Leuciscus al- 

 burnus: a fish. 



Elechnum, (blek'num). [Gk. blechnon, fern.] 

 A fern, belonging to Polypodiacese. 



Bleinerite, (bli'ner-it). A mineral, chiefly 

 antimouiate of lead. 



Blende, (blend). [G. blenden, to dazzle.] 

 Black Jack=Zincic sulphide: the most com- 

 mon zinc mineral: also used for other lus- 

 trous minerals, as hornblende, &c. : crystal- 

 lises in cubes: one of the zinc group. 



Blenniidse, (blen'ni-de). [Blennius, q.v.]= 

 Blennies: a family of fishes belonging to 

 Acanthopteri. 



Blennius, (blen'ni-us). [Gk. blenna, mucous.] 

 =Blenny: a small fish, the body of which 

 is covered with a mucous secretion: the type 

 of Blenniidse. B. oceHans=Butterfly fish. 



Blets, (blets). Spots on decaying fruit, caused 

 by a small fungus. 



Blight, (blit). Used for any diseased condi- 

 tion of cultivated plants: caused by insects, 

 fungi, &c. Potato j6.=Peronospora infectans. 



Blights, (blits)=Coniomycetes, q.v. 



Blighter, (bli-ter)= Aphis, q.v.: an insect par- 

 asitic on plants. 



Blimbing, (blim'bing). [Corruption of bil- 

 imbi.]=Averrhoa bilimbi: has edible fruit. 



Blind, (blind). [The A.-S. name.] Used gene- 

 rally for animals without eyes, or whose 

 eyes are very small: also for inanimate ob- 



jects of a specially dull kind. B. beetle=. 

 Anommatus: an eyeless beetle, belonging to 

 Colydidaa. B. coa 1= Anthracite. B. rat= 

 Spalax. B. spot: on the retina of the eye, 

 where the nerve enters the eye. B. worm= 

 Slow worm=Anguis fragilis : a snake - like 

 reptile, about a foot long, with small eyes, 

 belonging to Lacertilia. 



Blindage, (blind'aj). [Blind, q.v.] A tem- 

 porary protection against artillery fire. 

 Blinding, (blinding). A layer of sand and 

 gravel spread over newly macadamised roads. 

 Blinks, (blinks). =Montia, q.v. 

 Blister, (blis'ter). [Blatter, the German 

 word.] A bladder caused by external appli- 

 cation of irritation. B. 6eetie=Spanish fly 

 =Lytta vesicatoria: an insect belonging to 

 Meloidse. 



Block, (blok). [The German word.] A pulley 

 or number of pulleys, in a wooden frame. 

 B. house: a wooden erection, usually in- 

 tended to serve as a temporary fort. B. tin: 

 an inferior variety of tin. B. work: erec- 

 tions composed of blocks of wood or stone. 



Blood, (blud). [A.-S. blod.] A somewhat 

 viscous, opaque, red fluid, consisting of 

 small, red particles in a colourless fluid, com- 

 posed of water, fibrin, fatty matter, serolin, 

 albumin, metallic salts, &c. Arterial B.: 

 pure blood (containing more oxygen and less 

 carbonic acid than venous blood), proceeding 

 from the heart to the various parts of the 

 body by means of the arteries. Venous B. : 

 impure blood returning to the heart by the 

 veins; contains more carbonic acid and less 

 oxygen than arterial blood. B. corpuscles: 

 small red and white particles of solid matter 

 suspended in the fluid of the blood. B. discs 

 =Red corpuscles; the white being more irre- 

 gular than the red, into which they also 

 develop. B. /otPer=Haemanthus. B. heat; 

 98 Fahrenheit. B. roos=Haemodoracea3. 

 B. stone. l.=Red haematite ; a variety of 

 ferric oxide. 2.=Heliotrope: a variety of 

 jasper. B. wori=Sauguinaria Canadensis. 

 B. plasma=~LmjioT sanguinis. 



Bloodhound=Canis sagax: a dog with a speci- 

 ally acute power of scenting blood. 



Blowpipe, (blo'pip.) An, 

 apparatus for supplying 

 a continuous stream of 

 air: used to intensify the 

 action of a flame in chem- 

 ical operations. Mouth Blowpipe. 

 B. ; a small bent tube for use with the mouth. 

 Water B. : a chamber partially filled with 

 water, into which air is blown by the mouth, 

 and from which it issues in a very regular 

 stream. 



Blowing-out. The removal of salt from boil- 

 ers in which sea-water is used, by using the 

 pressure of steam for this purpose. 



Blubber, (blub'ber). The fat of whales. " Sea- 

 B. : a popular name for sea-nettles. 



Blue, (blu). [Bleoh, the A.-S. name.] One 

 of the primary colours of the spectrum. B. 

 70/t?i=Derbyshire spar. B. stone: an Aus- 

 tralian basaltic rock. B. bird = Motacilla 

 sialis. . B. 6e=Scilla nutans. A B. bottle^ 



