L Y N 



441 



MAC 



LYCOPODIA'CEA. The club-mosses. A 

 natural tribe of cryptogamic plants, of 

 which the genus lycopodium is the type. 



LYCOPO'DIUM. The club moss. A genus 

 of cryptogamic plants. Order, Mnsci. 

 Name from Xt/e?, a wolf,and -row? , a foot, 

 in allusion to the shape of one of the 

 species. The L. clavatum, or wolfs claw, 

 the seed of which is remarkable for its 

 combustibility, &c., is used in theatres to 

 imitate lightning. 



LYCO'SA. The name given by Latreille to 

 a genus of arachnides. The lycosae are 

 extremely voracious. A species of this 

 genus, the Tarentula, so called from Ta- 

 rentum, a city of Italy, in the environs of 

 which it is common, is highly celebrated. 

 The poisonous nature of its bite is thought 

 to produce the most serious consequences, 

 being frequently followed by death or 

 tarentism, results which can only be 

 avoided by vhe aid of music and dancing. 



LYDIAN STONE. The Lyditu Lapis. A 

 flint-slate, used by the Greeks and Ro- 

 mans for the trial of gold and silver. 



LYING PANELS. In architecture, those 

 in which the grain of the wood runs 

 horizontally. 



LTING-TO. In navigation, the situation 

 of a ship when she is retarded in her 

 course, by arranging the sails in such a 

 manner as to counteract each other with 

 nearly equal effect. 



LYMPH. The liquid contained in the 

 lymphatic vessels of the body. It is trans- 

 parent and colourless. , 



LYM'PHATIC. 1. Of the nature of lymph. 



2. The name of an absorbent vessel, 



which carries the lymph into the thoracic 

 duct, where it mixes with the chyle. 

 The lymphatics of the body are small ar.d 

 transparent, originate from all the cavi- 

 ties of the body, and form with the lacte- 

 als of the intestines the absorbent system. 



LYNCH-LAW. The irregular and revenge- 

 ful species of justice which was adminis- 

 tered by the populace in some parts of 

 the United States, owing to the difficulty 

 of enforcing regular law. It is named 

 after a Virginian farmer, of the name of 

 Lynch, who took the law into his own 

 hands in flogging a thief. 



LYNX. A sub-genus of felit, of which 

 there are four or five species, or rather 

 varieties, known in commerce by the 

 qualities and colours of their fur. The 

 most beautiful is the F. ceri-aria, emm., 

 as large as a wolf, and which is found in 

 Asia : the fur is reddish-grey, finely 

 spotted with black. Those of Canada and 

 Sweden (F. borealis, Temm.) are ash- 

 coloured grey with few spots. The Bay 

 Lynx (F. rtiffa, Gtild.) of North America 

 is reddish fawn, mottled with brown. 

 The Caracal (F. caracal, Lin.) from Persia, 

 Turkey, &c., is the true Jvnx of the 

 ancients. 



LYRA The harp. A constellation of the 

 northern hemisphere,which owes its name 

 to the lyre which Apollo gave to Orpheus. 



LY'RATE, from lyra; lyre-shaped. Ap- 

 plied to leaves divided transversely into 

 several segments, the segments gradually 

 increasing in size towards the extremity 

 of the leaf. 



LYSIMA'CHIA. The loose-strife. A genus 

 of herbaceous plants. PentantlriaMono- 

 gynia. Temperate and cold climates. 

 Named after Lysimachus. There are 

 four British species, among which is the 

 common loose-strife, and money-wort, 

 both perennials, the latter very common 

 in our ditches. 



LYSIMA'CHIA. A natural family of plants, 

 of which the genus Lysimachia is the type. 



LYS'SA, Xu<rc-a. Hydrophobia. 



M. 



M, the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, 

 as a numeral ^tands for 1000, and with a 

 dash over it, M, it stands for a thousand 

 times a thousand, or 1,000,000. In astro- 

 nomical tables, &c., M stands for meridio- 

 nal, meridian, mid-day, &c. In law, M is 

 the brand or stigma of a person convicted 

 of manslaughter and admitted to benefit 

 of clergy. In medical prescriptions, it is 

 used to denote a handful (manipulus), as 

 of herbs, flowers, &c. ; and sometimes it 

 is a contraction of misce : thus m. /. 

 haust. mix and let a draught be made. 

 M is also an abbreviation of many Roman 

 names, as Marcus, Martius, &c. M. A. 

 Hagisier Artium, Master of Arts. 



MAC, ) A Scotch prefix to surnames 

 Me. ) signifying son, as McDonald, for 

 Donaldson ; synonymous with the Eng- 

 lish Fitz. and the Irish 0. 

 MACA'COS, ) A genus of mammiferous 

 MACA'QUES. ) animals. Order Quadru- 

 mana. The nianed Macaque (Simia 

 Silenus and Conina, Lin.) from Ceylon, and 

 the Pig-tailed Baboon (M. rhesus), from 

 Bengal, are species. The Inui of Cuvier 

 are also macaques without tails. 



MACAD'AMIZING. A method of making 

 roads, first publicly introduced by Mr. 

 Macadam. It consists in breaking the 

 stones small, that they may bind with 

 the earthy and pulverised matters of a 

 common road into a firm and smooth 

 mass. 



MACANDOU'. The name given by the na 

 tives to a tree of Malacca, the fruit of 

 which is roasted and eaten as a cure for 

 dysenteries, cholera morbus, and other 

 similar complaints. 



MACARO'NI, \ A kind of biscuit made of 



MACCARO'NI. I flour, eggs, sugar and 



almonds, highly prized as an article of 



luxury by the Italians. In commerce, it 



is known by the name of Genoese paste 



