L E N 



253 ] 



L E P 



DeCandolle to certain points, which 

 appear as dark spots, on the surface 

 of the bark of plants. 



LENTI'CULAB. (lenticular is, resembling 

 a lentil, Lat. lenticulaire, Fr.) Ha- 

 ving the form of a lens. 



In entomology, a round body, 

 with its opposite sides convex, 

 meeting in a sharp edge. In con- 

 chology, doubly convex shells. 



In mineralogy, crystals nearly 

 flat, and convex above and beneath. 



LENTI'CTJLAK ORE. The name given 

 by Jameson to obtuse octahedral 

 arseniate of copper ; called also len- 

 ticular arseniate of copper. 



LENTICULI'NA. A sublenticular, mul- 

 tilocular, spiral univalve ; a genus 

 of microscopic foraminifera. Dis- 

 tinguished from Nautilus by having 

 no syphon. 



LENTI'CTJLITE. A fossil shell of a 

 lenticular form. 



LE'NZINITE. A mineral found in Ger- 

 many, and thus named after Lenzi- 

 us, a German mineralogist. There 

 are two kinds of lenzinite, the opa- 

 line and the argillaceous ; the for- 

 mer of a milk-white, the latter of 

 a snow-white colour. 



LE'PADITES. The goose-barnacle. An 

 order of Cirripedes, the species of 

 which are distinguished by a ten- 

 dinous, contractile, and often long 

 tube, fixed by its base to some 

 solid marine substance, supporting 

 a compressed shell, consisting of 

 valves united to each other by 

 a membrane ; and by having six 

 pairs of tentaculated arms. They 

 are usually found in places exposed 

 to the fluctuations of the waves. 

 Kirby. 



LE'PAS. (\67ras, Gr. lepas, Lat. lepas, 

 Fr.) LinnaBus included under the 

 name lepas all the cirripedes or 

 multivalves. These animals are 

 known in this country by the name 

 of Barnacles. The lepas, or barna- 

 cle, constitutes a connecting link 

 between molluscous and articulated 

 animals ; the gills are attached to 



the bases of the cirrhi, or jointed 

 tentacula. In the Linnaaan system, 

 the lepas constitutes the second 

 genus of multi valve shells. The 

 animal a tritonj shell affixed at 

 the base, and consisting of many 

 unequal erect valves. They are 

 without eyes, or any distinct head 

 have no powers of locomotion, but 

 are fixed to various bodies. Their 

 body, which has no articulations, 

 is enveloped in a mantle: their 

 mouth is armed with transverse 

 toothed jaws in pairs, and furnished 

 with a feeler. This genus consists 

 of two families, or divisions, very 

 different in their form, the first of 

 which is the Balanites, or Acorn- 

 barnacles, having a shelly instead 

 of a tendinous tube, with an oper- 

 culum or lid, consisting generally 

 of four, but sometimes of six valves, 

 and being of a sub-conic form. The 

 second family consists of the Lepa- 

 dites or Goose- barnacles, the species 

 of which are distinguished by a 

 tendinous, contractile, and often 

 long tube or pedicle, which, being 

 of a flexible nature, allows the 

 animal, fixed by its base to some 

 solid marine substance, to writhe 

 about in quest of food. The ani- 

 mals of this genus have only been 

 found in the ocean. 

 LEPIDODE'NDEON. (from Xe7rs, a scale, 

 and SevSpov, wood, Gr.) An ex- 

 tinct genus of fossil plants, of very 

 frequent occurrence in the coal for- 

 mation. Count Sternberg has thus 

 divided the Lepidodendra : 

 Tribus 1. (Lepidotae) squamis 

 convexis. 

 a. Scutata3. 

 I. Escutata3. 



Tribus 2. (Alveolariaa) squamis 

 subconcavis. 



It is stated by Lindley and Hut- 

 ton that plants of this genus are, 

 next to the calamites, the most 

 abundant of the fossils in the coal 

 formation of the north of England. 

 Lepidodendra are sometimes found 



