S WI 



ance is a blueish gray, mottled with green 

 and yellow. 



SUTTEE. 1. A female deity of the Hindis. 



2. A widow, in India, who immolates 



herself on the funeral pile of her husband. 



SU'TURE, Lat. sutura, from suo, to join. 

 1. In surgery, the uniting of the edges of 



wounds by sewing. 2. In anatomy, the 



word suture is applied to the union of 

 bones by means of dentiform margins, as 



in the bones of the cranium. 3. In 60- 



tany, it is applied to that part of a capsule 

 which is a kind of furrow on the external 

 surface, in which the valves are united. 



1. In entomology, the line at which the 



elytra meet, and are sometimes confluent. 



5. In mammalogy, the line formed by 



the converging series of hairs of the inte- 

 gument. 



SWAB. I. A large bundle of old yarns, 

 swung right and left, to dry the deck. 



2. In metal- founding, a small taper 



tuft of hemp, charged with water, for 

 touching up the edges of the moulds. 



SWAMP differs from a bog or marsh only 

 by supporting vegetation of a larger 

 species. 



SWAMP-ORE. In mineralogy, see BOG-ORB. 



SWAN. In ornithology, see CYGNUS. 



SWAN-PAN. The Chinese abacus. 



SWEEP-WASHER. The person who ex- 

 tracts from the sweepings, potsherds, &c. 

 of refineries of gold and silver, the small 

 residuum of precious metal. 



SWEETBBI'AR. A sweet-scented species 

 of the rose-tree, the Rosa rubiginosa. 



SWELL. 1. In music, a set of pipes in an 

 organ, acted upon by a key-board, and 

 capable of being increased by the action of 



a pedal. 2. At sea, a succession of waves 



in a particular direction. 



SWIETE'NIA. Mahogany-tree. A genus. 

 DecandriaMonogynia. Named after Van 

 Swieten. There are two species : the 

 common mahogany-tree, S. mahagoni, of 

 South America and "West Indies (see MA- 

 HOOANT), and the red- wood tree, S.febri- 

 fuga, of India. The wood of this last is 

 hard and durable, and affords a red dye, 

 and its bark has been proposed as a sub- 

 stitute for cinchona, and appears to have 

 some febrifuge power. 



SWIFT. The largest and strongest of the 

 swallow tribe which visit this country; 

 the Hirundo apu* of Linnjeus. 



SWIFT'EB. In a ship, the foremost and 

 aftermost shrouds, which are not rattled 

 with the rest. 



SWIL'LEY. A provincial name for a 

 small coal-field. 



SWIM'MERS. The web-footed or aquatic 

 birds. Also a tribe of spiders which live 

 in water. 



SWINI'FOX. A variety of the chicken- 

 pox, in which the vesicles are pointed, 

 and the fluid remains clear throughout 

 the iiMue 



685 



SYC 



SWIXE'STONE. A name given by Kir- 

 wan to the foetid carbonate of lime. & 

 STINKSTONE. 



SWING. A ship at anchor swings when 

 it changes its position at the turn of the 

 tide. 



SWING'-BRIDGE, ) A moyeable bridge, 



SWIV'EL-BRIDGE. ) consisting of two 

 parts, which meet midway between the 

 abutments, each turning upon a centre- 

 pivot, to admit the passage of shipping, 

 when required. 



SWIN'GLE, ) A sort of wooden 



SWIN'OLINO KNIFE, /instrument, like a 

 large knife, about two feet long, with one 

 thin edge. Used for cleaning flax of the 

 shives. 



SWING'LING. The process of beating 

 and cleaning flax. 



SWINQ'LINO Tow. The coarse part of 

 flax, separated from the finer by the pro- 

 cesses of swingling and hatcheling. 



SWINQ'-TREE, ) A cross-bar by which 



SWIN'GLE-TREE. / a horse is yoked to a 

 carriage, plough, &c. ; usually three in 

 number when two horses are yoked. 



SWITCH (of a railway). That portion 

 of moveable rails forming the junction of 

 the siding with the main line, which are 

 usually shifted by means of an eccentric 

 movement. The use of switches is to 

 allow a vehicle, engine, or train to be 

 transferred from one line of rails to 

 another. 



SWIV'EL. A kind of ring, or link of a 

 chain, that is capable of being turned 

 round, when jointed to the next by means 

 of a pin or axis, forming a swivel-joint. 

 The term is also used as the name of a 

 small cannon, provided with a similar 

 joint. The swivel is usually fixed on a 

 ship's side, stern, or bow, in such a man- 

 ner as to be turned in every direction. 

 Shot li Ib. 



SWIV'EL-HOOK. A hook that turns in the 

 end of an iron block strap, for the ready 

 taking of the turns out of a tackle. 



SWORD'FISH. The Xiphias gladius, Lin. 

 One of the largest and best fishes of the 

 European seas, frequently attaining the 

 length of 15 feet. It is characterised by 

 the form of the beak, which is horizon- 

 tally flattened and trenchant, like the 

 broad blade of a sword. See XIPHIAS. 



SWORDS OF STATE. There are four 

 swords used at the coronation of a Bri- 

 tish sovereign, (1.) The sword of state; 

 (2.) The sword of mercy; (3.) The sword 

 of spiritual justice; (4). The sword of 

 temporal justice. 



SIC'AMORK, I 1. A species of the ficug or 



SYC'OMORB. ) fig-tree : from rvxor, a 

 fig, and /jM^or, a mulberry, because iti 

 leaves are like those of the mulberry- 

 tree. 2. The name is sometimes impro- 

 perly applied to the Acer majut or mapi*. 



