A U R 



and well mixed ; the eye of the flower large, round, and of a 

 good vdite or yellow, with the tube or neck not too wide. 

 Such flovvers as war.t any of thcfe properties are conilantly 

 rejedtod by experienced florifts; and as the varieties evciy 

 year increafe from focds, the bad ones are turned out to 

 make room for fuch as are good. The proptr time for 

 fowing the feed is commonly about Angnil; b;it a month 

 or two later will aiifwer the pnrpofe. The moll: proper foil 

 for it is a good light, frefli, fandy mould, mixed with very 

 rotten farm-yard dung, or well rotted dung irom the bottom 

 of old hot beds. The manner of propagating thefe flowers, 

 when thus obtained, is by offsets or Hips, taken from the old 

 roots in April, when th.c flowers are in full blow. As thofe 

 plants which have ilronr fingle heads always produce the 

 largell clullers of flowers, the curious floriils pnli off the off- 

 fets, as foon as it can be done with f.ifety to the plant, in 

 order to encourage them to flower itronger. But in order 

 to have them to flower in the greatell perteition, they 

 fhould be prefervcd from too much wtt in winter, and have 

 free air, and not too much fun. And in the beginning of 

 February, if the weather be mild, the earth in tlie auricula 

 pots fliould be taken off as far as it can be v.ilhout dilturb- 

 jng the roots, and fuch as is new and frefh laid in its place. 

 The pots mull then be well covered vvitli mats in the night 

 to defend tlicm from froils while the plants are buJduig. 

 When the llalks begin to become long, they fliould be de- 

 feuded from ha!ly rains, but not kept too much under cover, 

 as it is apt to draw up the ftalks too long, and make them 

 weak. Thev (liould likewife be watered frequently, a little 

 at a tirne, care being taken that none of the water fall-i on 

 the plant. When the flosvcrs begin to open, the pots 

 fnould be removed to ftages, formed v»'ith flielves, one above 

 another, placed under cover, but open to the morning fun, 

 and flieltered from the mid-day fun. They may remain in 

 this fitualion till their flowering is over, and then be fet out 

 to have the benefit of the rains and free air, for the ripening 

 of their feeds, which (hould be carefully preferved and fpread 

 en paper to dry before they are put u; . 



Auricula, in Natural Htjlory, a fpecies of LuCEr- 

 -K ARIA, of a fliape refembling a flaflc, with a round neck; 

 the lower part is veiy large, and encircled with eight tufts 

 cf tentacular or feelers. Fabr. Groen. Miill. calls this fpecies 

 holothuria lagenam referens tentaculis ottonis fafciculatis. 

 It inhabits the Greenland feas, adheres firmly to the leaves 

 of the largeft ulvx, and rarely moves; feeds on marine in- 

 fcfts, particularly on onifci, and is about an inch and a half 

 in lengLh. The body is black or reddilh, and fonietimcs, 

 thougfr rarely, chefnut, glofl'ed with gold ; the mouth is 

 white ; the tufts of tentaculx on the body black, vrith 

 Tphite tips. 



Auricula Judtt, or Jew^s ear, a kind of fungus or 

 mufhroom, fomcwhat refembling, in figure, a human ear. 



It grows on old elder-trees, the tree on which, as fbme 

 pretend, Judas hanged himfcif; and hence, they think, the 

 name is derived. 



This fungus fteeped in water, and applied to the eyes, is 

 faid to free them of inflammations; but its chief ufe is under 

 the form of a gargle in decottions, againll iuflammations of 

 the throat, or fwelling of the tonfils. 



AURICULA Al'cearhtm. See Alvearium. 

 Auricula, primus mufculus, in Anatomy, the name given 

 by Fallopius to the attoUens aur'iculam. He alfo calls the 

 rdrahcnics auriculani the fccundus mufculus. 



AURICULAM Relrahens. See Retrahens. 

 AURICULAR, fomcthing that relates to the ears. 

 Thus we fay, an auricalar witnefs,^ auritit lejl'ti, a ivitnefs 



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AuRictTLAR Confejfion, is that made in the ear pri- 

 vately. 



Auricular Medicines, are fuch as are fuitcd to the cure 

 of dilieniper^ of tlie car. 



AURICUL.-^RIA, in Botany. See Hr.nYOTis. 



AuRicuLARiA, in Concholo'yy, a fpecies ijf Helix, or 

 frefh-water fnail, tound in flagnant waters in Europe. This 

 fh.ll is imperforate, obtnfcly-ovate, with a fiiort and acute 

 fpire, and capacious aperture. Linn. Faun. Suec. Miill. 

 Zool. Dan. Do:iov. Brit. Shells, S:c. It is a very thin and 

 brittle fhell, rather pellucid, and of a horny or whitilli 

 colour; length from lialf an inch to an inch and a quarter, 

 and eafdy known by the verv ventricofe appearance or the 

 firll whori. 



AuRicuLARiA, in Entomology, a fpccits of Forticula, 

 that is perfetlly known in England by the name of common 

 ear-w'ig, or ear-piercer, from an opinion generally prevalent 

 that it creeps into the ears, and thence into the brain, of 

 people who inadvertently lie down to fleep in fields, gardens, 

 and other places which thofe creatures inhabit. It is fpeci- 

 fically dillinguiflied from other infecls of the fame genus by 

 having the wing-cafes white, and fourteen joints in the an- 

 tenna. Lifter calls it fcarabius fubrufus Cauda furcataj 

 and Frifch vermis auricularius. 



The ear-wig is a very deftrufiive crenturej both in the 

 orchard and flower-garden, and efpecially to wall-fruit, car- 

 nations, and rofes. In order to prevent the miichief attend- 

 ing them, it is ufual to erect ilands fnpporting bafons of 

 water, or to hang the hollow claws of crabs or lobflers, to- 

 bacco-pipes, &c. on flicks in diftereuts parts of the garden, 

 for them to creep into in the day-time, in order to catch 

 and deflroy them. Reeds open at both ends, and placed 

 among the branches of fruit-trees, are alfo a good trap for 

 them, as they crowd into their open channels, and iray be 

 eafily coUefted, and thrown into a tub of water. 



That the ear-wig or eai-piercer will creep into the ears of 

 fuch as (Icep in the open air, in thofe places where they 

 inhabit, cannot be denied; but thofe who are acquainted 

 with the anatomy of the head, aflTert that it is inipoflible it 

 can ever enter the brain, becaufe, fay they, there is no open 

 communication between the ear and the brain, and the jaws 

 of the inleft are too weak to efieft one. In France the 

 fame prejudice prevails againft this creature, arnong the 

 lower orders of people, as in England ; and, as with us, it is 

 called from that circumftance the ear-piercer (perce-oreille). 

 Its mofl formidable weapon, in their opinion, is the pair of 

 forceps at the extremity of the body, a character peculiar to 

 the genus, and not to this particular fpecies. " Cell cette 

 armure," fays Dtgeer, " qui a fait donner a ces infeftes le 

 nom de forficula, ct en frangois Ic nom redoufable de percc- 

 oreille, parce qu'on f'efl imagine que cet infette f'intrcdufoit 

 dans les oreilles, que de la il penetroit dans le cerveau & 

 faifoit pcrir. Ceux qui f9avaut I'anv.comie, cc^nnoilTent I'im- 

 poffibihte d'une parciUe iniroduccion dans Tinterieur du 

 crane, attendu qu'il n'y a point d'ouverturc qui y commu- 

 nique; mais la frayeur de quelqu'un, a qui un de ces infefles 

 fera par hafard cntre dans la conduit de I'oreille, aura pu 

 donner lieu a cette fable, &c." 



The ufe of the forceps, with which the ear-wig is fur- 

 nifhed, is to defend itK'V againfl other fmall infefts, and 

 when touched it never fails to difplay them in a threatening 

 poflure, by turning up tix ext-imity of its abdomen. The 

 lai-va differs very little from the complete infect, and runs 

 with great agility. 



AUR lCULARISv^Wu(7o/-,in^«a/o»;_y. See Abductop,. 



The finger next tiie little finger is alfo called auri- 



cularis, by the Greeks sutit)!;, becaufi ufcd in picking tiie ea?. 



AURICU' 



