SAB 



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S A U 



direction perpendicular to the axis. 

 The finest sapphires are found in 

 alluvial soil in Ceylon and Pegu. 

 Lately the sapphire has been em- 

 ployed in the formation of small 

 lenses for microscopes; it is also 

 employed, in addition to its use as 

 an ornament, for jewelling the 

 pallets of escapements, and the 

 holes of wheel pivots in astrono- 

 mical clocks and watches. The 

 red sapphire is the most highly 

 esteemed, its value being sometimes 

 equal to that of a diamond of the 

 same size : a single stone has been 

 estimated at the value of one thou- 

 sand guineas. 



SAECI'NTJLA. A genus of lamellated 

 polypifers, thus described by Par- 

 kinson. "A stony polypifer, form- 

 ed in a free, simple, thick mass, by 

 tubes united together. The tubes 

 numerous, cylindrical, parallel, and 

 vertical, accumulated in bundles 

 by intermediate and transverve 

 septa. Kadiated . lamellse within 

 the tubes." Sarcinula differs from 

 Tubipora in its tubes being lamel- 

 lated, and from Stylina in having 

 no central style. 



SA'ECOCAEP. The fleshy part of cer- 

 tain fruits, placed between the 

 epicarp and the endocarp. That 

 part of fleshy fruits which is usually 

 eaten. 



SA'ECOLITE. (from <ra/>, flesh, and 

 X/009, stone, Gr.) A variety of 

 analcime, found at Mount Somma, 

 and obtaining its name from the 

 flesh colour of ts crystals, which 

 are cubo-octahedral. 



SAED. The best specimens are brought 

 from Sardinia, whence its name. 

 A variety of chalcedony, of a deep 

 rich reddish-brown colour. 



SA'EDONYX. (aap%6w%, Gr. sardonyx, 

 Lat.) The Quartz agathe sardoine 

 of Haiiy ; Silex sardoine of Brong- 

 niart. A Variety of calcedony 

 differing from carnelian only in 

 its colour, which is reddish yel- 



low, or nearly orange, with oc- 

 casionally a tinge of brown. 



SA'SSOLIN. | So called from having 



SA'SSOLOE. ) been found near the 

 warm spring of Sasso, in Tuscany. 

 Native boracic acid. 



SA'TIN SPAE. A fibrous variety of 

 calcareous spar. It is susceptible 

 of a fine polish, and exhibits the 

 lustre of satin, from which circum- 

 stance it has obtained its name. 

 Its colours are grey and pale rose- 

 red. Tery fine specimens are met 

 with in Cumberland. 



SATJ'EIA. (from aavpos, a lizard, Gr.) 

 The second order in the class Rep- 

 tilia. This order, according to 

 Cuvier's arrangement, includes six 

 families, namely, Crocodilia, Lacer- 

 tinida, Iguanida, Geckotida, Cha- 

 mffileonida, and Scincoide. 



SAT/EIAN. A reptile belonging to 

 the order Sauria. The species of 

 fossil saurians are exceedingly nu- 

 merous, attaining in-many instances 

 a magnitude unknown among the 

 living orders of that class, and 

 which seems to have been peculiar 

 to those middle ages of geological 

 chronology that were intermediate 

 between the transition and tertiary 

 formations. It is in the oolitic 

 period, between the eras of the red 

 sandstones and the greensands, that 

 the gigantic saurians existed in 

 greatest abundance about the shores, 

 in the rivers, and on the land, in 

 these now cold regions of the globe. 

 Some of the saurians were exclu- 

 sively marine ; others amphibious ; 

 others were terrestial, ranging in 

 marshes and jungles, or basking on 

 the margins of estuaries, lakes, and 

 rivers. Even the air was tenanted 

 by flying lizards, under the dragon 

 form of pterodactyles. 



SAtfEOBATRACHiA. The third order 

 of the class Amphibia, comprising 

 the proteus, siren, &c., and the 

 extinct genus Andrias. 



SAUEOCE'PHALUS. A fossil saurian, 

 found in the oolite, and by Agassiz 



