ARK 



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A E S 



ABMADI'LLO. (armaditte, Fr.) The 

 Dasypus of Linnseus, and placed 

 by him in the order Bradypoda, 

 class Mammalia. Cuvier has placed 

 the armadillo in the order Edentata, 

 or quadrupeds having no front 

 teeth, class Mammalia. The arma- 

 dillo is constructed with unusual 

 adaptations to the habit of burrow- 

 ing in search of its food, and 

 shelter in the sand ; its fore feet 

 forming instruments of peculiar 

 power for the purpose of digging ; 

 and presenting an extraordinary 

 enlargement and elongation of the 

 extreme bones of the toes, for the 

 support of long and massive claws. 

 The armadillo and chlamyphorus 

 are the only known animals that 

 have a compact coat of plated 

 armour. There are several sub- 

 genera. 



AEI'LLUS. } (arillus, Lat.) A substance 



A'EIL. ) enclosing the seed in 

 some plants : it is either a complete 

 or partial covering of a seed, fixed 

 to its base only, and more or less 

 loosely or closely enveloping its 

 other parts. Mace is the arillus of 

 the nutmeg : the red arillus of the 

 seed of the common spindle-tree is 

 well known, and is very orna- 

 mental in our hedges in the au- 

 tumn. 



A'EMATUEE. farmatura, Lat. armature, 

 Fr.) 



1. That by which the body is pro- 

 tected from injury. 



2. Weapons of attack. 



3. A piece of soft iron applied to a 

 loadstone, or connecting the poles 

 of a horse- shoe magnet, 



AEME'NIAN STONE. A blue mineral, or 

 earth, variously spotted. It much 

 resembles Lapis lazuli. 



AEEA'GONITE. A variety of carbonate 

 of lime, found originally in Arragon 

 in Spain, from which circumstance 

 it has obtained its name. Its colours 

 are white, grey, green, and blue ; 

 it is found both crystallized and 

 massive. It is frequently combined 



with a small proportion, about four 

 per cent, of carbonate of strontites. 

 Beautiful specimens of this rare 

 mineral, of a snow white colour 

 and satin-like lustre, have been 

 found in the lead- mines of Cum- 

 berland. 



ARSE'NIATE. A compound of arsenical 

 acid with a metallic oxide ; many 

 arseniates are found native ; when 

 heated along with charcoal powder, 

 they are decomposed, and arsenic 

 sublimes. 



A'ESENIC. (apaavncov, Gr. arsenic, Fr. 

 arsenico, It.) Native arsenic is a 

 mineral found in Germany, France, 

 and England. It occurs generally 

 in masses of various shapes ; its 

 colour is that of blue steel ; it is 

 brittle ; its surface readily tarnishes 

 on exposure to the atmosphere. 

 When struck, it gives a smell 

 resembling garlic ; before the blow- 

 pipe it emits a white smoke, burns 

 with a blueish flame, gives a strong 

 garlicky smell, and deposits a white 

 powder. This metal and all its 

 compounds are virulent poisons. 

 Combined with sulphur it forms 

 orpiment or realgar, or the yellow 

 and red sulphurets of arsenic. The 

 term apaeviicov, from which the 

 word arsenic is derived, was an 

 ancient epithet, applied to those 

 natural substances which possessed 

 strong and acrimonious qualities, 

 and as the poisonous quality of 

 arsenic was found to be remarkably 

 powerful, the term was especially 

 applied to orpiment, the form in 

 which this metal more usually 

 occurred. Dr. Paris, from whose 

 work the above is quoted, states 

 that in the celebrated plague of 

 London, amulets of arsenic were 

 worn, suspended over the region of 

 the heart, as a preservative against 

 infection ; on the principle, so pre- 

 valent at one period, that all 

 poisonous substances possess a 

 powerful and mutual elective 

 attraction for each other. 



