STU 6 



trrain is a fatal dose for a strong dog. 

 Like most other poisons, it is reckoned a 

 valuable medicine. 



STBTCH'NIC ACID. An acid obtained 

 like strychnia from the bean of the 

 ttrychnos mix vomica, and also from St. 

 Ignatitts's Bean ; called also Igasuric acid. 



STRYCH'NOS. The name of a genus of 

 plants. Pentandria Monogynia. Name 

 *" T ? y % vo '> use< i by the Greeks to designate 

 a species of nightshade. The species, of 

 which there are two, are natives of India ; 

 one, the 8. nux vomica, affords the poison- 

 nut, or nux vomica of the shops, one of 

 the most powerful of the vegetable poi- 

 sons; the other species, S potf.torum, 

 which affords the cleaning-nut, is less 

 known. Formerly the plants which 

 afford St. Ignatius's bean, Jesuit's bean, 

 and Upas ticiM, one of the strongest Java 

 poisons, were comprised in this genus. 



STUC'CO. A name indefinitely applied 

 to the finer kinds of calcareous plasters. 

 We usually give this name to plaster of 

 Paris, which is calcined calcareous gyp- 

 sum, mixed with water to the consistence 

 of cream ; but the common stucco, for 

 architectural and sculptural purposes, is 

 composed of pulverised white marble, 

 mixed with plaster of lime, the whole 

 sifted and worked up with marble. This 

 composition, in process of time, becomes 

 as hard as stone, and takes a fine polish. 



STUD'DING-SAIL. A sail which is set be- 

 yond the skirts of the principal sails of a 

 ship. The studding-sails are only set dur- 

 ing light winds. They appear like wings 

 upon the yard-arms. 



STUDIES. 1. In painting, these signify 

 works which a painter undertakes in 

 order to acquire a practical knowledge 



of his art, and facility of execution. 



2. The term is also applied to the parts 

 taken separately, which the artist after- 

 wards transfers to the picture. 



STUDS. In carpentry, a term applied to 

 posts, or quarters which are placed in par- 

 ti/. *ns, about a foot distant from each 

 other. 



STUD'WORK. In building, a wall of 

 brick-work built between studs. 



STU'FA (Italian 1 ). A jet of steam issu- 

 ing from a fissure of the earth in volcanic 

 regions. 



STUFF. Applied to various woollen 

 fabrics ; especially to a light woollen 

 cloth, formerly much used for curtains 

 and bed-furniture. 



STUFFING-BOX. In mechanics, a piece 

 secured to the end of a cylinder-pipe or 

 other vessel through which a rod passes : 

 used in pumps, steam engines, &c., where 

 the ciston-rod requires to move freely, 

 vut to be air-tight. 



,^TCM. "Wine not yet fermented. Stum 

 a ireq.uent';y added to vapid wines, to ex- 

 cite fenner.tation anew 



7 STY 



STUR'DY. In farriery, a disease of fre- 

 quent occurrence among sheep, attended 

 with stupor and blindness. It generally 

 proves fatal. 



STUK'GEON. A large, valuable, and 

 well-known fish, which ascends certain 

 of the European rivers, and is an object 

 of important fisheries. There are several 

 species. The sturgeon properly so called 

 (Accipenser sturio, Parneil) called the 

 sharp-nosed sturgeon, found in vast 

 abundance in some of the American 

 rivers, but rarely in those of Britain. It 

 attains a length of 5 or 6 feet ; (2.) The 

 broad-nosed sturgeon (Accipenser latiros- 

 tres, Parnoil), some sppcimens of which 

 have been takm in the rivers of Scot- 

 land, between 7 and 8 feet in length ; (3.) 

 The sterlet (Accipenser mthenus, Lin.), a 

 delicious fish, rarely more than two feet 

 long. Its caviar is reserved for the Rus- 

 sian court, and there is reason to believe 

 that it is the Elops and Accipenser, so highly 

 celebrated among the ancients ; (4.) The 

 great sturgeon or beluga (Accipenser huso, 

 Lin.), which is frequently taken 15 

 feet in length, and weighing 1200 Ibs., 

 and one specimen was taken which 

 weighed nearly 3000 Ibs. It is found in 

 the Po. There are some other species 

 less known. See ACCIPENSER. 



STURI'ONES. Sturgeons. An order of 

 Chondropterygious fishes (Chondroptery- 

 gii, with free branchia) , closely allied to 

 the ordinary fishes in their gills. The 

 sturgeon is the type of the order. Sturio 

 (whence sturgeon') is modern, and is pro- 

 bably the German name stoer latinised. 



STSLE, Lat. stylus, Gr. ffruhos- 1. An- 

 ciently a sharp-pointed instrument, to 

 write on hard substances without ink ; 

 an antique pen. Hence the metaphorical 

 use of the term to denote a particular 

 manner of writing as regards the mode of 



expression, choice of words, &c. 2. In 



botany, the shaft of a flower which pro- 

 ceeds from the germen, and bears the 



stigma. 3. In surgery, a probe. 4. 



In dialling, the gnomon of a dial. 5. 



In chronology, a particular manner of 

 reckoning time with regard to the Julian 

 and Gregorian calendars. Style is old or 

 new. The old style follows the Julian 

 manner of computing the months and 

 days, or the calendar as established by 

 Julius Caesar, in which the year is reck- 

 oned 365 days, 6 hours. The new style was 

 introduced by Pope Gregory XIII., who 

 reformed the calendar, reckoning the 

 year 365|*ays, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 

 seconds, which is very nearly the true 

 solar year. At the reformation of the 

 calendar it was found necessary to re- 

 trench 11 days from the old style. This 

 was acted upon in Germany in 1 700, and 

 adopted by act of parliament in Britt.'> 

 in 1752, when the 3rd of September ol 



