YOU 



744 



WAD 



VOL'CME. 1. The apparent space occu- 

 pied by a body : bulk. 2. A book. 



VOLUNTARY. Relating to the will. 

 Some of the animal functions are volun- 

 tary, or dependent on the will ; others are 

 involuntary, or independent of the will. 

 In music, an extemporary performance on 

 the organ. 



VOLC'TA. A genus of Gasteropods. 

 Order Pcctinibranchiata ; family Eucci- 

 noida. The genus was established byLin- 

 na'us. From it Brugueir first separated 

 O2iva,and the remainder was afterwards 

 separated into five genera by Lamarck ; 

 they are Volt aria, Valuta, Marginella, 

 Mitra, and Canellaria. 



VOI.'CTE, from toh-o, to roll. In archi- 

 tecture, a spiral scroll, which forms the 

 principal characteristic of the Ionic and 

 composite capitals. 



VOL'VA, for valva. In botany, the cur- 

 tain, wrapper, or covering of the fungus 

 tribe of plants. It is of a membraneous 

 texture, conceals the parts of fructifica- 

 tion, and in due time bursts forth and 

 forms a ring upon the stalk. 

 VOL'VOX. A genusof globular animalcules. 

 To the presence of some of the species 

 stagnant waters owe their green colour. 



VOL'VULUS, Lat., from volvo, to roll up. 

 Convolution. A term in medicine syno- 

 nymous with iliac passion. Applied to a 

 vomiting of bilious and fecal matter, in 

 consequence of obstruction of the intesti- 

 nal canal. 



VO'MER, Lat. for ploughshare. The name 

 B*ren by anatomists to the slender thin 

 bone which separates the nostrils from 

 each other. 



VOMITO'RIA, Lat., from romo. In an- 

 tient architecture, the openings of gates, 

 and doors of the theatres, and amphithe- 

 atres, which give ingress and egress to 

 the public. 



VOR'TEX, Lat., from terto. An eddy or 

 whirlpool ; a body of water running ra- 

 pidly round, and concave within the 

 circle of motion, towards the centre. 

 Also a whirlwind. In the Cartesian phi- 

 losophy, a system or collection of particles 

 of matter, moving the same way, and 

 round the same axis. 



VORTICEL', ) A microscopic animal- 



VORTICEI/LA. I cule, which derives its 

 name from its being provided with vibra- 

 tile organs, by the rotatory action of which 

 they produce around them little whirl- 

 pools, into which are drawn any particles 

 of food within reach. 



VO'TIVE MEDALS. In numismatics, such 

 medals as were struck in grateful comme- 

 moration of some auspicious event. Votive 

 medals of several of the Roman emperors 

 are still preserved. 



Vor CH'ER. In late, (1.) a witness ; (2.) 

 one called in to make good his warranty 

 of title : more coirectly a voucht* ; (3.) a 



document which serves to vouch the truth 

 of accounts ; (4.) the tenant in a writ of 

 right ; sometimes written vouchor. 



VOUSSO'IRS. In architecture, vault-stones, 

 or those which immediately form the arch 

 of a bridge, vault, &c., and are cut some- 

 what in the shape of a truncated pyramid. 

 Their undersides form the intrados or 

 soffit. The middle voussoir is called the 

 keystone. 



VOW'EL. In grammar, a letter which 

 can be uttered by itself, as, a, e, i,o, u. 



VCL'CAS. In Latin mythology, the god of 

 fire, and the divinity who presided over 

 the working of metals, answering to the 

 Hepha?stus of the Greeks. He was the 

 son of Jupiter and Juno, and the husband 

 of Venus. In sculpture, he is represented 

 as bearded, with a hammer and pincers, 

 and a pointed cap, but not lame as the 

 poets describe him. 



VCLCAX'IC THE'ORT, of the earth. See 

 PLITTOSIC THEORY. 



Vr I/GATE. An ancient translation of 

 the Bible, rendered almost verbatim from 

 the Septuagint, for the use of the Latins, 

 soon after their conversion to Christi- 

 anity. It is called also the Old Italic, or 

 Vulgar Latin Bible, and is the only ver- 

 sion acknowledged to be authentic by the 

 Church of Rome. 



VCL'PES (Lat.), a fox. A subgenerie 

 name, distinguishing the foxss from the 

 doss and jackals. See CAMS. 



VI-L'TL-R (Latin), a vulture. A genus 

 of accipitrine birds, placed among the 

 Diurnal by Cuvier. The vultures are a 

 cowardly genus, feeding oftener on car- 

 rion than living prey. Their strength and 

 their talons do not correspond in power 

 with their size, and they must make more 

 use of their beak than their claws. The 

 most known species are the Condor of 

 South America, famous for exaggerated 

 reports of its size, though it is really the 

 largest flying animal ; the Turkey-buz- 

 zard ; the Urubu, or Carrion Crow ; and 

 the Laemmergeyer, which last is the 

 largest bird of prey on the eastern con- 

 tinent. 



w. 



"W", a letter found only in the alphabets 

 of modern languages. It is formed of the 

 letter V doubled, and is identical with U 

 in the Latin, and in the early form of the 

 English language. When it commences 

 a syllable it is a consonant, and a vowel 

 in all other positions. 



WACKE'. A massive mineral, interme- 

 diate between indurate clay and basalt, 

 and included among the trap-rocks. The 

 tcacM of the Germans, from whom we 

 have borrowed the term, is a soft earth 

 variety of basalt. 



WAD, ) A provincial name of plum- 



\VAJ>D. j bago, in Cumberland, and of 



