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740 



VIA 



M! point is that point immediately over 

 the head of the observer : it is the zenith. 

 The vertical circle is a great circle passing 

 through the zenith and nadir. The meri- 

 dian of any place is a vertical circle, and 

 these vertical circles are termed azimuths. 

 The prime vertical is likewise a great 

 circle of the sphere, perpendicular to the 

 horizon, and passing through the zenith 

 and the east and west points. In perspec- 

 tive, the vertical plane is a plane perpen- 

 dicular to the geometrical plane, passing 

 through the eye and cutting the perspec- 

 tive plane at right angles. 



VERTICEL'LUS. A ring for organsof any 

 kind placed round a stem upon the same 

 plane, called also a v-horl. 



VZR'TICIL, Lat. verticilhtm. A whorl. 

 The botanical name of a species of inflo- 

 rescence in which the flowers surround 

 the stem in a sort of ring. 



VERTICILLA'TX. The 42nd of the Lin- 

 nnean natural orders of plants, including 

 those whose flowers grow in the form of 

 a whorl (verticillus] round the main stem, 

 as the mint. 



VERTICIL'LATE, Lat. rerticillatus, 

 whorled. Growing in rings or whorls. See 

 VERTICIL. 



VESA'NI.I, Lat. pi. of resania, madness. 

 An order of diseases in the class Xeurosis, 

 comprising those in which the judgment 

 is impaired, without coma or pyrexia. 



VES'ICATORY, Lat. vesicatorius. Having 

 the property when applied to the skin of 

 raising a bladder (vesica], by causing a 

 fluid to collect between the cuticle and 

 cutis: blistering. 



VES'ICLE, Lat. vesicula, dim. of vesica, a 

 bladder. An elevation of the cuticle of 

 an organised body, like a little bladder. 



VES'PA, a wasp. A genus of hymenop- 

 terous insects, belonging to the family 

 Diloptera, Cuv. Some of the vesparise 

 form communities, composed of three 

 sorts of individuals, males, females, and 

 neuters ; the females and neuters are 

 armed with an extremely powerful and 

 venomous sting. All the larvae and 

 nymphs which cannot complete their 

 metamorphosis before the month of No- 

 vember, are put to death and dragged 

 from their cells by the neuters or la- 

 bourers. These last perish along with the 

 males on the approach of winter. Some 

 of the females survive, and become the 

 founders of new colonies. "Wasps feed on 

 insects, viands of various sorts, fruit, &c. 

 Their habitations differ according to the 

 species. 



VES'PER. Hesperus. The evening star. 

 The planet Venus when eastward of the 

 sun, and consequently setting after him. 



VES'PERS. In the Romish church, that 

 part of the service which is rehearsed in 

 the afternoon, answering to our evening 

 prayer*. 



VEsrERTii/io. The bat. A genus ol 

 mammalia: order Carnaria: family Chei- 

 roptera. The arms, forearms, and fingers 

 of the bats are excessively lengthened 

 forming, with the membrane that occu- 

 pies their intervals, true wings, possess- 

 ing even a greater extent of surface than 

 those of birds, and consequently enabling 

 the animal to fly very high, and with 

 great rapidity. The genus is numerous, 

 and offers many subdivisions, as Pteropus, 

 Bris., of which there are numerous spe- 

 cies, found throughout the south of Asia ; 

 Molossui, 2foctilio, Vampirus, &c.,&c., dis- 

 tinguished by the absence or presence ol 

 a tail, &c. 



VZS'TA. 1. In mythology, a goddess ol 

 fire among the Romans, the daughter 01 

 Rhea and Saturn, and sister of Ceres and 



Juno. 2. In astronomy, a small planet. 



discovered by Dr. Olbers, in 1807. It re- 

 volves round the sun in 3 years and 68 

 days, and has the appearance of a star ol 

 the eighth magnitude. 



VES'TAL VIRGINS. The six virgin priest- 

 esses of the goddess Vesta. 



VES'TIBTLE, Lat. eestibulnm. 1. A porch, 

 2. In anatomy, a cavity of the inter- 

 nal ear, between the cochlea and semi- 

 circular canals. 



VEST'MENTS, or VZS'TCRES. Articles of 

 dress or ornament worn by Roman Ca- 

 tholic priests during divine service. 



VES'TRT, Lat. vestiarium. 1. A room 

 appendant to a church, in which the 

 sacerdotal garments and consecrated 



things are reposited. 2. A parochial 



assembly, commonly convened in the 

 vestry. 



VE'TERAN, Lat. vetus, old. An ancient 

 Roman soldier, who had passed the legal 

 age of military service, forty-six, or, in 

 later times, who have served in twenty - 

 five campaigns. 



VE'TO. I forbid : a prohibition. The 

 sovereign has a veto upon every act of 

 parliament. The General Assembly of 

 the Church of Scotland passed a veto act, 

 by virtue of which they pretend to have 

 given power to congregations to prohibit 

 the introduction of ministers presented 

 by patrons. It has, however, been found 

 that the assembly had no power to make 

 such an act. 



VEX'IL, Lat. rerillum. A standard ap- 

 plied to designate the upper large petal 

 of a papilionaceous flower. 



VEXILLA'RII. Veteran troops in the 

 Roman army. 



VEXIL'LUM, or STAN'DARD. In botany, 

 the upper petal of a papilionaceous 

 corolla. 



VI'ABLE. A term adopted from the 

 French, to signify that the organisation 

 of a ftus is sufficiently developed to 

 sustain independent life. 



VI'ADCCT, from wo, a way, and duco, to 



