ERO 



ERV 



and order. Natural order of Calamana. 

 C)peroidese, Jussieu. Essential charac- 

 ter : glumes chaffy, imbricate every way; 

 corolla none ; seed one, surrounded with 

 a very long wool. There are six species. 

 These are bog plants, and are nearly alli- 

 ed to the grasses ; they are rarely culti- 

 vated in gardens. 



ER1OSPERMUM, in botany, a genus 

 of the Hvxandria Monogynia class and 

 order. Corolla six-petalled, campanulate, 

 permanent ; filaments dilated at the base ; 

 capsule three-celled ; seeds invested with 

 wool. There are three species. 



ERIOSTEMUM, in botany, a genus of 

 the Decandria Monogynia class and or- 

 der. Calyx five parted ; petals five, ses- 

 sile ; stamina flat, ciliate ; antherae pedi- 

 celled terminal; style from the base of 

 the germ ; capsules five, united, seated 

 on a nectary covered with protuberan- 

 ces; seeds coated. One species, viz. E. 

 australasia. 



ERITHAL1S, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Rubiaceae, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character : corolla five-parted, with 

 the divisions bent back ; calyx pitcher- 

 shaped; berry ten celled, inferior. There 

 are two species, viz. the fruticosa and 

 poly gam a. 



ERMIN. See MUSTELA. 



EHMIN, in heraldry, is always argent 

 and sable, that is, a white field, or fur, 

 with black spots. These spots are not of 

 any determinate number, but may be 

 more or less, at the pleasure of the 

 painter, as the skins are thought not to 

 be naturally so spotted ; but serving for 

 lining the garments of great persons, the 

 furriers were wont, in order to add to 

 their beauty, to sow bits of the black 

 tails of the creatures that produced 

 them upon the white of their skin, to 

 render them the more conspicuous, 

 which alteration was introduced into 

 armoury. 



ERMINE', or cross ermine", is one com- 

 posed of four ermin spots. It is to be ob- 

 served, that the colours in these arms are 

 not to be expressed, because neither this 

 cross nor these arms can be of any other 

 colour but white and black. 



ERNODEA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Essential character : calyx four-parted ; 

 corolla one-petalled, salver-shaped ; berry 

 two-celled ; seeds solitary. There is but 

 one species, viz. E. littoralis, a native of 

 Jamaica. 



ERODIUM, in botany, cranes-bill, a 

 genus of the Monudelphia Pentandria 

 class and order. Natural order of Gsui- 



tiales. Gerania, Jussieu. Calyx five- 

 leaved; corolla five-petalled; nectary 

 five-scales, alternate with the filaments 

 and glands at the b;ise of the stamens ; 

 fruit five-grained, with a spiral beak, 

 bearded on the inside. There are twenty- 

 eight species. 



ERODIUS, in natural history, a genus 

 of insects of the order Coleoptera. An- 

 tennae moniliform ; feelers four, filiform ; 

 body roundish, gibbous, immurginate; 

 thorax transverse; shells closely united, 

 longer than the abdomen ; jaw horny, 

 bifid ; lip horny, emarginate. There are 

 four species. 



EROTEUM, in botany, a genus of the 

 Polyamlria Monogynia class and order. 

 Essential character : calyx five-leaved ; 

 corolla five-petalled; stile trifid ; berry 

 juiceless, three-celled, many-seeded. 

 There are two species, viz. E. thoeides, 

 and E. undulatum, both natives ot Ja- 

 maica. 



ERROR, in law, signifies an error in 

 pleading, or in the process on the judg- 

 ment ; and the writ which is brought for 

 remedy of it is called a writ of error. 

 This is a commission to judges of a su- 

 perior court, by which they are autho- 

 rized to examine the record upon which 

 a judgment was given in an inferior 

 court, and, on such examination, to af- 

 firm or reverse the same according to 

 law. For particulars as to the practice 

 of writs of error, see Tomlin's " Law 

 Dictionary." 



ERUCTATIONS, in medicine, are the 

 effect of flatulent foods, and the crudi- 

 ties thence arising. 



ERUDITION, denotes an extensive ac- 

 quaintance with books, especially such 

 as treat of the belles-lettres. 



ERUPTION. See MEDICINE. 



ERVUM, in botany, a genus of the 

 Diadelphia Decandria class and order. 

 Natural order of Papilionaceae, or Legu- 

 minosze. Essential character : calyx five- 

 parted, the length of the corolla. There 

 are six species ; of which E. lens, flat- 

 seeded tare, or common lentil, is an an- 

 nual plant, and the least of the pulse 

 kind which is cultivated ; it rises with 

 weak stalks a foot and half high, hav- 

 ing pinnate leaves at each joint, compos- 

 ed of- several pairs of narrow leaflets, 

 terminated by a tendril, which supports 

 it by fastening about some other plant ; 

 the flowers come out on short peduncles 

 from the sides of the branches; they are 

 small, of a pale purple colour, and three 

 or four together ; legumes short and flat, 

 containing two or three flat, round seeds. 



