ADO 



tolli'AeJ in a head, no ftyles, ami acuto reflL-x fligmas : no 

 pericaipliim ;■ an oblong, ipikcd ivcxptacle : the- fcala are 

 linmerous, invgiilar, angular, gibbous at the bafc, reflex at 

 the top, a little pioniineiit and naked. To this genus be- 

 long fix Ipeeies ; vix. the tejik-.nlis, or tall, the aiilumtinlis, 

 or eonimon, the vfnialis, or fpring, the apemiitui, the nipcifis, 

 -ind the •vt-fuiltnria., or lilillev mluu'is. I'lie iirit is by Ibme 

 botanilb united to the feeond, although Dr. Smith ftpavatis 

 them ; it is a native ot the fouthein conntries of Europe, 

 where it grows among corn : and a variety of it is men- 

 tioned by tome authors. T-he fecond grows in Kent, near 

 the river Mcdway, between Rocheller and MaidlKine, in 

 iields town with wheat ; and the flowers aiv brought in 

 great quantities to London, where they are told under the 

 name ot lyd morocco. It is alfo found in Norfolk, Gloueef- 

 tcrfliire, about l^oiidon, and about Dublin. It is annual, 

 and flowers from May to Oi^tober. The fpring ttilunh, 

 whieh is near akin to the apennine, fo that La Marck 

 xonliden; it as a variety of the othei-, is a native of 

 Switzerland, Pruflia, and various parts of Germany, where 

 the root is often uled tor the true black hellebore. The fourth 

 is found wild in the Apennines, and in Siberia. The fifth 

 ifpecies is found wild near the Cape of Good Hope. The 

 'iixth is alio a Cape plant, and ui'ed by the Africans for 

 raifing blitUrs. There is another fpccies recorded in the 

 Supplement of the younger Linnaeus, there named Adunu 

 fd]a,z.\\^ eonhdered as the daughter of x\\ii Adonis capcnfis. 



The two lirll fpecies are annual, and thrive bell in a light 

 foil : the feeds (liould be fowu in autumn, fome in a warm, 

 ■Rud others in a fliady iltuation, that they may continue 

 longer in flower : they will not bear being tranfplantcd. 

 The third and fourth arc perennial, and the feeds fliould be 

 fown in Augull, foon after they ripen : the ground Ihould 

 be kept clear from weeds, and in diy weather, watered ; 

 and in the autumn of the fecond year they fliould be tranf- 

 jilanted into the fituation where they are to remain. Tliey 

 may be increafed by parting the roots, cither in autumn or 

 fpring. They are hardy and fliowy, and therefore defirable 

 plants for a garden. The Cape fpecies muft be managed as 

 other plants from that comitry. iSlartyn's Miller. Gmelin 

 ^■eckons eight fpecies, adding to thofe already enumerated 

 the mhnata, which he fuggefl:s not to be dilHndl from the 

 mttumnal'is, and the Jliimmca, with oftopetalous flowers, haiiy 

 calyx, and cylindric fruit. 



Adonis, in Entomology, a fpecies of papilio, with entire 



cxrulean wings, a black marginal ridge, underneath clne- 



- reous, with numerous ocelli ; of which the latter liave a 



white central fpot. The larva is green, with dorfal lines of 



yellow fpols. It is found in Auilria. 



Adonis, in Ancient Geography, a river of Phanicia, rifing 

 ill Mount Libanus or Lebanon, and falling into the fea at 

 Bvblo..;, now Gibylf.. The Turks call this river Obrak'im 

 Biilfd. Maundrell, in his Journey, p. 34, 35, confirms the 

 opinion of Lueian (Oper. torn. iii. p. 456. Ed. Reitzii) 

 concerning the red colour of this river. At certain feafons 

 of the year, efpecially aliout the feall of Adonis, it is of a 

 bloody colour, which the heathens attributed to a kind of 

 fympathy in tlic river for the death of Adonis, who was 

 killed bv a wild boar in the mountain, out of which this 

 ftream rifes. The water was ftained, fays Maundrell, to a 

 fui-prihng rednels, and as we obferved in travelling had dit- 

 eoloured the fea for a eonfiderable diifance into a reddifli 

 h.ie, occafioncd, without doubt, by a fort of minium, or red 

 earth, waflied into the river by the violence of the rain, and 

 not by any llain from the blood of Adonis. This reddith 

 ringe of the ftreams of water is not a Angular phenomenon. 

 Pococke (voir. i. p. \<)'-)\ informs us, that when the i-iver 



ADO 



Nile I," riling, its waters become red, and fomrtimes green. 

 The lame fad is eontinned by Mailitt, and Volney (TraveU 

 in Syria, vol. ii. p. 203.) relat-.^ tiiat at Tyre there is a 

 well, whieh commonly alTords excellent water, but berinntJ 

 troubled in Scptemlnr, and continues for tome days tiiU of 

 reddifli clay. This iVafoiv is obferved as a feftival by the in- 

 habitants, who come in crouds to the well, and pour into it 

 a bucket of fea-water, which they fay, has tlie virtue of rc- 

 iloring the clearnefs of the fpring. An ingenious writer fuf;- 

 gells, that the magicians of Egypt (Exod. vii. 22.) might, 

 by their cncluuuuients, have repeated tome of the praciieei 

 to whieh thty were aceutloired at the folemnity of the 

 bleeding Adonis ; and if this war, done at tiie feall of Adonij, 

 they might perfuade Pharaoh, that the mir.icle was wroujrht 

 in favour of .\donis. Fragments in an Appendix to Calmct'* 

 Dift. vol. ii. pt. I. p. JO. 



The river Adonis, according to Mr. Brj-ant (Myth. 

 vol. i. p. 36(').) is the fame with Eridanos \ and the oir- 

 cumllance of the change of the colour of its waters, and the 

 death of Adcmis or Thniuuz, which was fuppofed to be thi; 

 occaiiou of it, are pathetically defcribed by Milton in the 

 following lines of his Paradife loil, B. i. v. 445. 



" Thamniu/ came next behind, 



Whofe annual wound in Lebanon allur'd 

 The Syrian damfels to lumeiit his fate 

 In amorous ditties all a fummer's day : 

 AVhile fmooth Adorns from his native rock 

 Rau pui-ple to the fea ; luppos'd with blood 

 Of Thanimu'/. yearly wounded." 



AoONis is the name of a river of Africa, which riles i)t 

 the mountains fouth-well of Tetuaii, and falls into the fea 

 between Arzilla and Tangier. 



Adoxis, the name of a city iu Thrace, called Enosi?;. 



Adonis, in Ichthyology, the name ot a fmall iilh of tlur 

 anguilliform kind, of a eylindric fliape, and about iix ii'ciies 

 long ; it is of a gold colour, mixed with a greenifli hue in 

 fome parts, and iu others with a ledditli. It has on each 

 fide a white llraight line running from the gills to the tail. 

 Its gills are remarkably fmall, and many have hence fup- 

 pofed that it had none. It is remarkable for fleeping oti 

 the furface of the water, and near the thores ; and Rondele- 

 tius affirms, that he has feen them fleeping upon diy rocks. 

 Mr. Ray fuipecls this fifli, which is alfo called exocoetus, 

 to be the fame with the rxocoKTus of BcUonius, or the 

 Gattorugine. The adonis of Bellonius is the Blennius 

 galerita of the Linnxan fyftem. 



Adonis, in Mythology, -AhezwtMwl youth, the fon of Ciny- 

 ras, an Affyrian, who founded the city of Paphos, in the 

 ifland of Cyprus. Venus, it is faid, was enamoured of him 

 from his infancy, and conimitted the care of his education 

 to Proferpine, wlio ixTufed to deliver him when he was de- 

 manded by Venus. The dlfpute was decided by Jupiter* 

 by decreeing that he fliould be one third of the year with 

 Proferpine, another third with ^"enu9, and the laft third at 

 his own difpofal ; but Adonis, captivated by tiie charms of 

 Venus, fpent two-thirds of his time with Iki-. Diana, it is 

 faid, took oflence, and fent a wild boar to deftroy him. 

 Others fay, that Adonis was the fon of Cinyras by his 

 daughter Myrrha ; that he was difmiiTed for conceahsent 

 to the mountains, and nurfed by the nymphs; that Venu# 

 fell in love with him, and admitted him to her embraces ; 

 that Mars, being jealous, transformed himfdf into a wild 

 boar, and flew the beautiful youth : that \'enu5 followed 

 him to the (hades, and obtained the coufent of Profei-pine, 

 that he fliould be half the year with her, and half the year 

 with Proferpine ; and that Venus, triumphing in her fuc- 

 cefs, appointed a fellival to be celebrated ip commciBoration 

 Hht of 



