ALA 



proper, and " side aisle " seems a tauto- 

 logy. 



AIZOON, a genus of exotics, of which 

 there are several species: three, shrubs of 

 the Cape of Good Hope; one, an annual 

 of the Canary Islands ; and another, of 

 Spain. Name (<vor, from etu, always, 

 and aiev, alive; the old name for the 

 house-leek (sempervivum). 



AJARARATH, an old name for lead. 



AJCGA, the bttgte. A genus of plants, 

 of ten species and some varieties. Class 

 ilidynamia,nnd order gymnospertnia. Four 

 of the species are British, inhabiting 

 pastures chiefly: they are hardy peren- 

 nials. " Name altered from the abiga 

 (abtgo, to drive away) of the Latins, a 

 medicinal plant allied to this." Hooker. 



AJURU-CATINGA, a species of American 

 parrot: colour green, with eyes of fiery 

 red, encircled with white. 



AJURU-CURAD , a species of the American 

 parrot : colour lively green, with a blue 

 crown, the throat and sides of the head of 

 a fine yellow. 



AJURU-PARA, a small American parrot, 

 of an elegant green : the beak, legs, and 

 circulets of the eyes, white. 



AJUTAGE, the same with Adjutage 

 (q.v.). 



AKERA, a genus of mollusca, of the 

 order tectibranchiata. 



Axis, a genus of coleopterous insects, of 

 the Melasoma family, and Pimeliarioe 

 tribe. Named from mxis, a javelin, in 

 reference to their form. 



ALA, the wing of a bird, Lat. from 

 u^ttu, to enclose. 1. In botany: (a) The 

 angles which the leaves or their stalks 

 make with the stem or branches of the 

 plant from which they arise are called 

 alee or axilla. (6) The two lateral petals 

 of papilionaceous flowers placed between 

 the vexillium and the carina are called 

 alte. (c) The borders formed on the stem 

 of a plant by decurrent leaves are called 

 alee, (d) An appendage of some seeds, 

 consisting of a membranous prolongation 

 from the side of the seed. According to 

 the number of these appendages, seeds 

 are distinguished into monopterygia (1- 

 winged) ; dipterygia (2-winged) ; triptery- 

 gia (3-winged) ; tetrapterygia (4-winged) ; 

 noli/pterygia (many- winged) ; and, from 

 their form, molendinacea (windmill-wing- 

 ed). Hooper. 2. In anatomy, the lobes 



of the liver, the lateral cartilages of the 

 nostrils, the cartilaginous parts of the 

 ears, are called ala. The term is also ap- 

 plied in the same sense as axilla. 



ALABASTER, Lat. from iA/3<rra, 

 compounded of a, without, and A/3v, 

 a handle. S^ALABASTRITES. This name is 

 applied indifferently to two minerals : calf - 

 tintcr, which is a carbonate of lime, and 

 gyjisvm, which is sulphate of lime. The 



I ALA 



latter is the alabaster of the ancient*, 

 used by them, as it is now, for the pur- 

 poses of sculpture, as for making small 

 statues, ornamental vases, perfume-boxes, 

 bottles, &c. 



ALABASTRI'TES, Lat. from uXat^atfrpi- 

 rr,s, alabaster-stone: gypsum. Hora'ce 

 calls it onyx. Also, among the ancients, a 

 vase without a handle, for holding per- 

 fumes ; often seen as ornaments on tomb- 

 stones. Pliny compares them to oblong 

 pearls. 



Alabastrites were often made of other 



materials than alabaster, as lead, gold, 



coloured glass, terra-cotta, and the com- 

 mon stones of the country. 



ALJE, plural of ala (q. v.). In the an- 

 cifjit If oman architecture, the nfwere re- 

 ccssses or alcoves for conversation or 

 study, surrounded on three sides by seats : 

 their thresholds were of mosaic work. In 

 malacology, a species of shell-fish. 



ALA'GAO, the local name of a shrub of 

 the Philippine Islands, used by the natives 

 for making cataplasms for diseases of the 

 belly and head, for tumours, &c. 



AL'AGAS-OS, a name of the sacrum and 

 coccyx. 



ALA'LIA, from aXaX&v, speechless. De 

 feet of articulation. 



ALA'LITE, a variety of augite, called also 

 d topside ; so named by Bonvoisin, from 

 his finding a variety of it near the vil- 

 lage of Ala, in Piedmont. 



ALA-MIRE, in music, the lowestnote but 

 one in Guido Aretine's scale. 



ALAMODE, Fr. d la mode, after the fa- 

 shion. In commerce, a thin, glossy silk, 

 for scarfs, &c. It is often called simply 

 mode. 



ALANGIA'CEJE, a natural order of plants 

 closely allied to the myrtacea? : the typi- 

 cal and only genus is alangium (q. v.) 



ALANGIUM, a genus of showy Indian 

 trees of two species. Class polynndria , 

 and order monogynia. Named from alangi , 

 the Malabar name of the first known spe- 

 cies. The other species is called angolam 

 by the nati ves. 



ALA'RIS, Lat. from ala. Formed like, or 

 pertaining to, a wins. Alaris externus, 

 the external pterygoid muscle, which 

 takes its rise from 'the win^-like process 

 of the spheroid bone. 



ALARM. Alarm-bell, a bell rung to give 



notice of danger, as of fire. Alarm-gun, 



a gun fired to give notice of an enemy. 



Alarm-post, a rendezvous appointed in 

 case of defeat, in time of war. Alarm- 

 clocks sometimes have alarms, nhsurdly 

 called alarums : they can be so adjusted 

 as to give notice of the hour at any time 

 wanted. 



ALARM WATCH, a watch that strikes the 

 hours. 



AUSMODOM. a genus of shells of the fit- 



