ALA 



[11] 



ALB 



than 4,000 feet; the summit being 

 11,000 feet above the level of the 

 sea. 

 A' LA. (ala, Lat.) 



1. In botany, a term used for the 

 hollow, which either the leaf, or 

 the pedicle of the leaf, makes with 

 the stalk; the hollow turning, or 

 sinus, placed between the stalk or 

 branch of a plant and the leaf, and 

 whence a new offspring generally 

 rises. Sometimes it is used for 

 those parts of leaves otherwise called 

 lobes or wings. Those petals of 

 papilionaceous flowers placed be- 

 tween those other petals, distin- 

 guished as the vexillum and carina, 

 and which constitute the top and 

 bottom of the flower, are also called 

 alee. 



2. In anatomy, the lobes of the 

 liver, the cartilages of the nostrils, 

 and the cartilaginous parts of the 

 ears, are called alse. 



A'LABASTEK. (Alabaster, Lat. aXa- 

 pciffvpov, Gr.) Granular or massive 

 sulphate of lime. Alabaster is 

 found in this country accompanying 

 the salt deposits in Cheshire. It is 

 also most abundant at Montmartre, 

 in the neighbourhood of Paris. At 

 Hontaiont, in Italy, it is found in 

 blocks of such magnitude, that 

 statues of the size of life are occa- 

 sionally cut from them. Being 

 semi-transparent, it has sometimes 

 been employed for windows instead 

 of glass, and a church at Florence 

 is still illuminated by alabaster 

 windows. Instead of panes of glass, 

 there are slabs of alabaster 15 feet 

 high, each of which forms a single 

 window, through which the light 

 is conveyed. Alabaster may be 

 turned by the lathe, and is thus 

 formed into a great variety of orna- 

 mental articles. 



ALAB'ASTBITES. (alalastrites, Lat. 

 a\af3a<npiTrj? f Gr.) Alabaster stone; 

 a kind of marble, whereof the 

 ancients made vessels for ointment ; 

 by Horace called onyx. 



A'LALITE. Called also Diopside, 

 a variety of augite. It occurs 

 massive, disseminated, and crystal- 

 lized, with a vitreous external, 

 and pearly internal lustre ; it is 

 translucent, and either white or of 

 a pale green colour. It was named 

 by Bonvoison, from his finding a 

 variety of it near the village of 

 Ala, in Piedmont. 



ALA'SMODOIT. A species of shells of 

 the genus Unio, having cardinal, 

 but no lateral teeth. 



A'LATE. } (alatus, Lat.) "Winged. 



ALA'TED. j In conchology, applied 

 to shells having an expanded lip, 

 or when any portion of them is 

 much expanded. 



A'LBITE. Tetarto-prismatic felspar ; 

 soda felspar. A name given to 

 felspar, whose alkali is soda 

 instead of potash. Colour gene- 

 rally white, sometimes grey, green, 

 or red. Lustre upon faces of cleave- 

 age pearly, in other directions vitre- 

 ous. Albite forms a constituent 

 part of the greenstone rocks in the 

 neighbourhood of Edinburgh. It 

 is composed of silica, alumina, and 

 soda, with a trace of lime. 



ALBI'TIC, Of the nature of albite ; 

 containing albite. 



ALBUGI'NEA. [from dibits t Lai] 



1. The fibrous membrane in the 

 eye, situate immediately under the 

 tunica conjunctiva. 



2. One of the tunics of the testis. 

 ALBU'GINEOUS. ^albugineus, Lat.] 



1 . The aqueous humour of the eye. 



2. Resembling the white of an egg. 

 A'LBUM GB^'CTJM. The excrement of 



dogs, wolves, hyenas, &c., feeding 

 or living on bones. It principally 

 consists of the earth of bones or 

 lime, in combination with phos- 

 phoric acid. 



ALBTT'RNTJM. [alburnum, Lat.] Called 

 also sap-wood ; the interior white 

 bark of trees : it is this which 

 yearly becomes new wood ; the last 

 formed wood of the trunk of trees 

 and woody plants. It appears pro- 



