FED 



PEE 



tial flower, if it has one, is styled the pro- 

 per flower-stalk,- or " pedicellus." 



PKDICULAR1S, in botany, Imtse-wort, 

 or rc,l-ruitle t a yxmis of I he Didynamia An- 

 giospermia class and order Natural or- 

 der of Personatze. Pediculares, Jussieu. 

 Essential character: calyx five-cleft; 

 capsule two-celled, mucronate, oblique ; 

 seeds coated. There are nineteen species. 

 PEUICULUS, in botany, a foot-stalk, 

 so culled by former botanists ; but Lin- 

 nxus has substituted, in its stead, " pe- 

 trolus," for the foot-stalk of the leaves; 

 and " pedunculus," for the foot-stalk of 

 the flowers. 



P ED ic in, us, in natural history, ihelotise, 

 a genus of insects, of the order Aptera. 

 Generic character : mouth with a retrac- 

 tile, recurved sucker, without proboscis ; 

 no feelers ; antennae as long- as the thorax; 

 two eyes ; abdomen depressed ; legs six, 

 formed for running. These live by ex- 

 tracting animal juices ; the larva; and pu- 

 pae are six-footed, and nimble, resem- 

 bling the perfect insect. There are be- 

 tween seventy and eighty species : of 

 these some infest the bodies of quadru- 

 peds, others of birds, and some even of in- 

 sects themselves. P. humanus, or com- 

 mon louse, is distinguished by its pale, 

 livid colour, and lobated, oval abdomen. 

 It is produced from a small oval egg, po- 

 pularly called by the name of a nit, which 

 is fastened or agglutinated by its' smaller 

 end to the hair on which it is deposited : 

 from this egg proceeds the insect, com- 

 plete in all its parts, and only different 

 from the parent animal in its smaller size. 

 When examined by the microscope, it is 

 seen that the trunk, or proboscis, which 

 is generally concealed in its sheath or 

 tube, is of a very sharp form, and is fur- 

 nished towards the upper part with a few 

 reversed aculei or prickles ; the eyes are 

 large, smooth, and black ; the stomach 

 and intestines afford a very distinct view 

 of the peristaltic motion ; the legs are 

 each terminated by a double claw, not very 

 much unlike that of a lobster, but of a sharp- 

 er form; and the whole animal is every 

 where covered by a strong granulated 

 skin. Few insects are more prolific than 

 the louse. It is said, that in about eight 

 weeks a louse might see five thousand of 

 its own descendants. 



Each species of animal has a species of 

 louse peculiar to itself, and sometimes 

 more than one species, but the same is 

 not to be found on two distinct animals. 

 It is a fact well worthy of remark, that 

 the louse of the negro is specifically dis- 

 tinct from that of the white man, 



PEDIMENT, in architecture, is a kind 

 of low pinnacle, serving to crown an or- 

 donnance, or finish a frontispiece, and is 

 placed as an ornament over gates, doors, 

 windows, niches, altars, 8cc. being ordina- 

 rily of a triangular form, but sometimes 

 forming an arch of a circle. 



PEDOMETER. See PERAMBULA- 

 TOR. 



PEDUNCULUS, in botany, the foot- 

 stalk of a flower, or head of flowers : the 

 pedunculus elevates the flower and fruit 

 only, without the leaves ; the petiolus, or 

 leaf-stalk, supports the leaves only, with- 

 out the ttower or fruit. Flower-stalks 

 have different epithets, from the place 

 which they occupy on the plant. When 

 they proceed from the root, they are term- 

 ed radicles ; when from the stem, tiunk- 

 stalks ; and when from the branch, 

 branch-stalks. They sometimes afford 

 excellent characters in discriminating the 

 species : an example is found in a spe- 

 cies of the globe amaranth, which is dis- 

 tinguished by its flower-stalks being fur- 

 nished with two leaves that are placed 

 opposite, and immediately under each 

 head of flowers. 



PEEK, in sea-language, is a word used 

 in various senses: thus, the anchor is 

 said to be a-peek, when the ship, being 

 about to weigh, comes over her anchor in 

 such a manner, that the cable hangs per- 

 pendicularly betwixt the hawse and the 

 anchor. To heave a-peek, is to bring the 

 peek so as that the anchor may hang 

 a-peek. A ship is said to ride a-peek, 

 when, lying with her main and tore yards 

 hoisted up, one end of* her yards is 

 brought down to the shrouds, and the 

 other raised up an end, which is chiefly 

 done when she lies in rivers, lest other 

 ships falling foul of the yards should 

 break them. Riding a-broad peak, de- 

 notes much the same, excepting that 

 the yards are only raised to half the 

 height. 



PEER, in general, signifies an equal, or 

 one of the same rank and station : hence, 

 in the acts of some councils, we find these 

 words, with the consent of our peers, bi- 

 shops, abbots, &c. Afterwards the same 

 term was applied to the vassals or tenants 

 of the same lord, who were called peers, 

 because they were all equal in condition, 

 and obliged to serve and attend iiim in 

 his courts ; and peers in fiefs, because 

 they all held fiefs of the same lord. The 

 term peers is now applied to those who 

 are impannelled in an inquest upon a per- 

 son, for convicting or acquitting him ot 



