NAT 



277 



NEM 



the brain, cerebri, of the brain), 

 the anterior tubercles of the 

 quadrigeminal bodies of the 

 brain ; the posterior are called 

 the 'testes.' 



natural selection, that process in 

 nature by which the strongest, 

 swiftest, etc., outlive, and take 

 the place of the weaker, etc. ; 

 the preservation of favoured races 

 in the struggle for life ; survival 

 of the fittest. 



nausea, n., ndw'-zhe-a (L. nausea, 

 Gr. nausia, sea-sickness from 

 Gr. naus, a ship), a sensation of 

 sickness, inclining to vomit. 



nautiloid, a., nawtf-il-oyd (Gr. 

 nautilos, a nautilus ; eidos, re- 

 semblance), resembling the shell 

 of the nautilus in shape. 



navel, n., ndv'-el (Ger. navel, Dut. 

 navel, Icel. nabli, the navel), the 

 round depression in the centre of 

 the lower part of the abdomen,, 

 indicating the place of detach- 

 ment of the umbilical cord after 

 birth: navel string, the umbilical 

 cord. 



navicular, a., nav-ik'ul-ar (L. 

 navicula, a little ship from 

 navis, a ship), hollowed or shaped 

 like a boat. 



necrogenous, a., nVk-rddf-en-us 

 (Gr. nekros, dead ; genndo, I 

 produce), applied to cryptogamous 

 parasitic plants which grow upon 

 sickly and dead plants, and 

 accelerate the death of the 

 former. 



necrosis, n., rielc-roz'-is (Gr. nek- 

 rosis, a killing, deadness from 

 nekros, dead), the mortification 

 and death of bone, but also 

 applied to the death of other 

 structures, the dead portions of 

 bone are called 'sequestra'; dry 

 gangrene ; a disease of plants 

 marked by small black spots, 

 followed by decay. 



Nectandra, n., n&k-tand'ra (per- 

 haps Gr. neklos, swimming ; 

 andros, of a male), a genus of 

 trees, Ord. Lauracese : Nec- 



tandra Rodiaei, rdd'-t-e'-i (after 

 Dr. Rodie, a botanist), a tree of 

 British Guiana 60 feet high, yields 

 Bibiru or Bebeeru-bark, the wood 

 used in shipbuilding, etc. , under 

 the name ' Green - heart ' : Nec- 

 tandrine, n., nek-tand'rm, an 

 alkaloid obtained by Dr. Douglas 

 Maclagan along with Bebeerine 

 from its bark : N. puchury, putshf- 

 er-i (native name), a species 

 whose cotyledons are imported 

 from Brazil under the name 

 Puchrim beans or Sassafras 

 nuts. 



nectar,. n., nW-tar (L. nectar, Gr. 

 nehtar, the drink of the gods, 

 honey), the sweet secretions of 

 flowers ; any abnormal part of a 

 flower : nectary, n., nZk'tar-i, 

 nectaries, n. plu., nZk'tdr-tz, 

 those parts of a flower which 

 secrete a honey-like matter : 

 nectariferous, a., -if-er-us (L. 

 (fero, I bear), having or bearing 

 honey-like secretions. 



necto-calyx, n., ne^-td-TcdV-ilcs (Gr. 

 nektds, swimming ; kalux, cup), 

 the swimming bell or disc of a 

 Medusa or Jelly-fish. 



Nelumbonese, n., nel'tim>ldn'Z-e 

 (nelumbo, the Cingalese name), 

 the Water - beans, a Sub - order 

 of plants, Ord. Nymphseacese : 

 Nelumbium, n., nel-urnf-bi-um, a 

 genus of water plants : Nelumbi- 

 um speciosum, spe'shi-oz<um (L. 

 spedosum, full of beauty or dis- 

 play from species, look, view, a 

 sort), a species whose flower is 

 supposed to be the otus figured 

 on Egyptian and Indian monu- 

 ments ; the fruit is said to be the 

 Pythagorean bean ; the sacred 

 bean of India : N. Leichardti, 

 lik-drdf'tl (after Leichardt, the 

 traveller), the sacred bean of N. E. 

 Australia. 



Nematelmia, n., nem'at-Vl'mi-a 

 (Gr. nema, thread ; Tielmins, a 

 worm), the Division of Scolecida, 

 comprising the round - worms, 

 thread- worms, etc. 



