SPA f 



Gulden to the Rat moles. Class Mammalia, 

 order Rodentia. The S. typhus (Zanni, 

 Slepez, Blind rat mole), is the most 

 known. It is a singular shapeless animal, 

 lives under ground like the moles, subsists 

 on roots, has a large triangular head, short 

 legs, no apparent eye ; is rather larger 

 than our rat ; has smooth fur of an ash 

 colour approaching to red. It is the blind 

 mole of the ancients. 



SPAN. 1. The space from one end of the 

 thumb to the end of the fingers when ex- 

 tended: as a measure 9 inches. 2. In 



nautical language, a small line, the middle 



of which is attached to a stay. 3. In 



architecture, &c., the extent of an arch 

 between its piers or abutments. 



SPAN'DREL, It. spandere, to spread. In 

 architecture, the space above the haunches 

 of an arch. 



SPAN-'DREL BRACKE'TIBTO. Brackets 

 placed between curves. 



SPAN'DREL WALL. A wall built on the 

 back of an arch. 



SPAN'IRH-WHITE. A white earth from 

 Spain used by painters. 



SPANK'ER-BOOM. A boom projecting 

 from the mizzen-mast beyond the taff-rail. 



SPANK'ER, or DRIV'ER. The gaff-sail set 

 on the mizzen-mast of a ship. 



SPAN'NER. A screw-key, an iron in- 

 strument for tightening up screw-nuts. 



SPAN-PIECE. In building, the name given 

 in some places to a collar-beam. 



SPAN' ROOF. A common roof, formed 

 by two inclined planes. 



SPAR. 1. A small beam or rafter. This 

 name is usually given to the round pieces 

 of timber used for the yards and top-masts 

 of ships. 2. In mineralogy, spar is ap- 

 plied by the working miners of England 

 to all crystallised minerals that have a 

 shining lustre. The term has been adopted 

 by mineralogists, and applied synony- 

 mously with German spath to an order of 

 crystallised minerals, which easily break 

 into rhomboidal, cubical, or other forms, 

 with polished surfaces, but without re- 

 gard to the nature of the constituents, 

 which renders a specific epithet necessary, 

 as calcareous spar, gypseous spar, &c. 



SPAR'ROWHAWK. The name of sparrow- 

 hawk (Nisus, Cuv.), is generally appro- 

 priated to those hawks whose tarsi are 

 high and scutellated. The common spar- 

 rowhawk (Falco msus, Lin.), is coloured 

 like the goshawk, but its legs are longer, 

 and it is a third less in size. It is used in 

 falconry. 



SPAR'RY-IR'ON ORE. Steel-ore. A valu- 

 able iron-ore found in metalliferous and 

 common veins, in primary and secondary 

 rocks. It consists chiefly of carbonate of 

 protoxide of iron, and may with facility 

 be converted into excellent steel. Its 

 colours we grey, yellow, brown, black, 



r 2 SPE 



SPARSE, Lat. sparsus, dispersed : irre- 

 gularly scattered. Applied to leaves, 

 flowerstalks, glands, stars, &c., &c. 



SPAR'TIUM. Broom. A genus. Diadel- 

 phia Decandria. Name <rTT/e of 

 Dioscorides, from inrct^Toy, a rope. Ac- 

 cording to Don, the Spanish broom is the 

 only species; but, according to others, 

 the common and white broom, with 17 or 

 18 species of genista, belong to the genus. 



SPASM. 'Svcto-ftof , from iriraitu, I draw. 

 A violent, involuntary, and continued 

 contraction of the muscular fibres. Spasms 

 are distinguished into dome and tonic 

 spasms : the clonic spasms are true con- 

 vulsions ; the contractions and relaxa- 

 tions are alternate; but in tonic spasms 

 the member remains rigid. 



SPATHA'CEJS. A natural order of plants, 

 comprehending the narcissus and such as 

 have their flower protruding from a 

 spathe. 



SPATHE, firetdii, spatha. A sheath or 

 covering of an immature flower, which 

 bursts longitudinally, and is more or less 

 remote from the flower. 



SPAT'ULA, Lat. dim. of spatha. An apo- 

 thecary's instrument for spreading plas- 

 ters, &c. 



SPAT'ULATE, Lat. spatulatus, battledore- 

 shaped. Applied to leaves, &c., of a 

 roundish figure, tapering into an oblong 

 base. 



SPA'VIN. In farriery, a disease of horses, 

 a bony excrescence or crust that grows in 

 the inside of the hough. There is also a 

 blood-spavin. 



SPEAK'ER (of the House of Commons), a 

 member of the house, elected by a ma- 

 jority of votes, to act as chairman or pre- 

 sident in putting questions, keeping or- 

 der, reading briefs of bills, &c. He 

 votes only when the house is equally 

 divided. 



SPE'CIALTT. In law, any instrument in 

 writing under seal. 



SPE'CIE. A term used for gold and sil- 

 ver coin, in contradistinction to paper 

 money. 



SPE'CIES, Lat. from specio, to see. Indi- 

 vidual animals, plants, or minerals, agree- 

 ing in their appearances or their compo- 

 sition. Their similarity gives rise to the 

 establishment of species. Individuals or 

 species, differing in circumstances arising 

 from accident ; in plants and animals, 

 from soil and climate ; in diseases, from 

 constitution, &c. ; in minerals, from loca- 

 lity, are termed varieties. The circum- 

 stances which are common to one or 

 more species give rise to a division, or the 

 formation of a genus. A species is a col- 

 lection of all the individuals which re- 

 semble each other more than they resem- 

 ble anything else ; which can, by mutual 

 fecundation, produce other individuals j 



