E P I 



[ 160] 



E P I 



shell to show through it. It often 

 falls off of its own accord, and 

 without any injury to the surface 

 of the shell ; the beauty of many 

 shells is hidden by this outer coat. 

 In botany, the outward covering 

 of plants : every plant is covered 

 by a skin, or membrane, analogous 

 to the scarf-skin that covers animal 

 bodies; this epidermis varies in 

 thickness, being extremely delicate 

 and diaphanous on some parts of a 

 flower, and very thick, hard, and 

 coarse, on the trunks of many trees. 



EPIDI'DYMIS. (eVt&dvyue?, from eV*, 

 and^v/tos-, Gr.) A body principally 

 composed of minute, tender, elas- 

 tic tubes, intricately convoluted, 

 termed tubuli seminiferi, and placed 

 at the outer and back part of the 

 testis. 



E'PIDOTE. The Prismatoidischer Au- 

 gitspath of Mohs, and Pistazit or 

 Pistacite of Werner; the thallite 

 of Lemetherie; akanticone of Dan- 

 drada; delphinite of Saussure; 

 glassyactinolite of Kirwan; aren- 

 dalit of Karstein ; glassiger strahl- 

 stein of Emmerling ; and la rayon- 

 nante vitreuse of Brochant. The 

 above long array of names assigned 

 to one mineral by various mineral- 

 ogists, affords a striking illustration 

 of the evils arising from ill-arranged 

 nomenclature, and adds greatly to 

 the perplexity of the student. A 

 mineral of a green or grey colour ; 

 passing on the one hand into 

 blackish-green, on the other, into 

 dark olive-green, oil-green, and 

 siskin-green. It occurs regularly 

 crystallized, in granular, prismatic, 

 and fibrous concretions, and is said 

 to derive its name from the Greek 

 word eTJdiSwfjLi, from an enlarge- 

 ment of the base of the prism in 

 one direction : it is also found 

 massive and granular. Its lustre 

 is shining externally, and vitreous; 

 internally, glistening and resinous. 

 It is hard, brittle, frangible, and 

 scratches glass. Specific gravity 



3.42. Hardness = 6.0 7.0. The 

 primary crystal is a right oblique 

 angled prism, of about U530' and 

 6 4 30'. It cleaves with brilliant 

 surfaces, parallel with the lateral 

 planes of the prism. Before the 

 blow-pipe it melts into a dark 

 brown or blackish scoria ; and this 

 property, according to Saussure, is 

 very characteristic. Two varieties 

 of epidote have been separated ; 

 one has been named zoisite by 

 Jameson, after Baron Von Zois, its 

 discoverer; the other, skorza, by 

 Brochant. It is found, principally, 

 in primary rocks, and in many 

 parts of Scotland, as well as in 

 England, Norway, France, &c. It 

 consists of silica 37*0, alumina 

 27-0, lime 14'0, oxide of iron 17*0, 

 oxide of manganese 1/5. There 

 are many varieties. 



EPIGA'STRIC. (from eVt, above, and 

 ryaffTyp, the belly, Gr. tpigastrique, 

 Er.) Belonging to the upper part 

 of the abdomen, or epigastric region. 



EPIGA'STRIUM. (eTTL^aarpiov, Gr. epi- 

 gastrium, Lat. epigastre, Er.) The 

 upper part of the abdomen or belly. 



EPIGLO'TTIS. (epiglottis, Lat. epiglotte, 

 Er. e7ri<y\,wffffl$, vel eVtryXwTTts, Gr. 

 membranacartilaginosarotunditatis 

 oblongee gutturi claudendo et rese- 

 rando.) One of the five cartilages 

 of the larynx, situated above the 

 glottis, whose use is to close the 

 glottis during the act of swallowing, 

 and thereby to prevent the passage 

 of food into the trachea, or wind- 

 pipe. 



EPIPHYLLOSPI'BMOUS. (from eV, <pv\- 

 \ov and ffTrepjLia, Gr.) A term in 

 botany, applied to plants bearing 

 their seeds on the back part of their 

 leaves; ex. the ferns. 



EPIOLI'TIC. A term proposed to be 

 given to certain rocks by Professor 

 Catullo. Sir R. Murchison says : 

 "I hold that the rocks which Pro- 

 fessor Catullo has termed epiolitic, 

 when separated from the neoco- 

 mian, are simply the representatives 



