ROT 



ROT 



its beak and legs are black. It is common in many parts 

 of Germany. See Glareola Na-via. 



ROTLESREUT, in Geography, a town of Germany, 

 in the principality of Culmbach ; 5 miles S.E. of Culm- 

 bach. 



ROTMEINSDORF, a town of the duchy of Wurz- 

 burg ; 2 miles E. of Ebern. 



ROTNEBY, or Ronneey, a fea-port town of Sweden, 

 near a river of the fame name, which runs into the Baltic. 

 It has iome trade, a harbour, medicinal fprings, and feveral 

 manufactures. The inhabitants are free of Carlfcrona ; 

 9 miles W. of it. 



ROTOLO, an Egyptian weight of twelve ounces, each 

 ounce confiiling of twelve drachms, and each drachm of 

 fixteen carats. See Rottolo. 



ROTONDO, Rotundo, in Architeaure, a popular 

 term for any building that is round both within and without- 

 fide, whether it be a church, hall, a faloon, a veftibule, or 

 the like. 



The moil celebrated rotondo of antiquity is the Pantheon 

 at Rome, dedicated to Cybele, and all the gods, by 

 Agrippa, fon-in-law of Auguftus ; but fince confetrated 

 by pope Boniface IV. to the Virgin, and all the faints, 

 under the title of Sta. Maria della Rotondo. 



The chapel of the Efcurial, which is the burying-place 

 of the kings of Spain, is alfo a rotondo ; and, in imitation of 

 that of Rome, is alfo called Pantheon. 



Rotondo, in Geography, a town of Naples, in the pro- 

 vince of Bafilicata ; 6 miles S.S.E. of Turfi. 



ROTROU, John de, in Biography, a French dramatic 

 writer, was born, in 1609, of an ancient family at Dreux. 

 He diilinguilhed himfelf by a great facility in compoiing 

 dramatic pieces, both in tragedy and comedy. In this line 

 of literature he was fo far fuperior to his predeceffors, that 

 he is denominated by Voltaire " the founder of the theatre." 

 He was patronized by cardinal Richelieu, and Corneille 

 ufed to call him his father. He was always a needy man, 

 and wrote molt of his pieces under the prefiure of immediate 

 uecefiity, fo that he never had an opportunity of giving a 

 finifh to them. At length, however, he was enabled to 

 purchafe the office of lieutenant-particular of his native place, 

 where he conftantly refided. A peftilential diforder break- 

 ing out, and making great ravages at Dreux, he was in- 

 treated by his brother to quit that town, and come to 

 Paris ; but his reply {hewed that he was refolved to remain 

 on the fpot where his duty placed him. In one of his let- 

 ters he faid, " At the moment I am writing, the bell is 

 tolling for the twenty-fecond death this day : my turn will 

 come when it pleafes God." He died in a very fhort time 

 after this, in the 41ft year of his age. Of his numerous 

 plays, the bell are " Ch'ofroes," "Antigone," and-" Wen- 

 ceflaus." The latter was revived by Marmontel, and Vol- 

 taire fpeaks of feveral parts of it in the higheit terms. 



ROTSCHOWALM, in Geography, a fea-port of 

 Ruflia, kl the government of Viborg, fituated on the north 

 coalt of the gulf of Finland, on the borders of Sweden, 

 formed by feveral iflands, fortified with forts and re- 

 doubts. 



ROTSCHWENTZEL, in Ornithology, the name of a 

 bird deforibed by Gefner, and fome other authors, and 

 feeming to be the fame with our rulicilla, or red-ftart. See 

 Motacilla Phxnicurus. 



ROTSIMPA, in Ichthyology, a name given by the 

 Swedes to a foecies of cottus, called by Joniton and Schon- 

 veldt fcorpius marinas. It is different from the fcorpxna of 

 the generality of writers, and is of the cottus kind. It is 

 diftinguillxd by Artedi under the name of the J'mooth cottus, 



with many thorns upon the head, and with the upper jaw 

 fomewhat longer than the under one. See Cottus Scor- 

 pius. 



ROTSUSTA, in Geography, a river of Walachia, which 

 runs into the Podrus, 5 miles N.W. of Strehaja. 



ROTTBOLLIA, in Botany, io named by the younger 

 Linnaeus, after Dr. Chriltian Friis Rottbbll, Profeflbr of 

 Botany, as well as of Anatomy, in the univerlity of Copen- 

 hagen, who died in 1797, aged 70. He is particularly dil- 

 tinguiflied by his defcriptions and figures of new or rare 

 plants, a thin folio, publilhed in 1773, with 21 very neat 

 and accurate plates. As this volume contains only plants 

 of the order of Calamar'u, it is ufuallv quoted Rottboll's Gra- 

 inina, or Grades, though that appellation is not prccifely 

 correct. The fame writer has publilhed feveral botanical 

 treatifes beiides, either in the form of univerlity eflays, or 

 in the Medical Tranfadlions of Copenhagen. — Linn. ill. 

 Nov. Graminum Genera, 23, with a figure. Suppl. 13. 

 Schreb. 721. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 1. 463. Mart. Mill. Dift. 

 v. 4. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 1. 175. Sm. Fl. Brit. 151. 

 Prodr. Fl. Grace. Sibth. v. 1. 71. Brown Prodr. Nov. 

 Holl. v. I. 206. JufT. 31. Lamarck Illullr. t. 48. — 

 Clafs and order, Triandria Digynia. Nat Old. Gramina, 

 Linn. Jufi. 



Gen. Ch. Common Receptacle cylindrical, thread- fhaped, 

 jointed, with an oblong excavation on one or two fides of 

 each joint, at the bottom. Cal. Glume lateral, fixed, 

 fimple or divided, clofing the hollows of each joint, and 

 containing one or two florets. Cor. Glume concealed by 

 the calyx, of one or two membranous unawned valves. 

 Stam. (in each floret) Filaments three, capillary ; anthers 

 linear, forked at each end, hanging out of the floret. Pijl. 

 (in one floret only of each joint) Germen oblong, abrupt, 

 convex at one fide, concave at the other ; ftyles two, capil- 

 lary ; Itigmas feathery, prominent. Pcric. none, except 

 the hollow of each finally feparated joint, clofed with the 

 calyx. Seed folitary, the fhape of the germen. 



E(T. Ch. Calyx fixed, nearly fingle-llowered, fimple or 

 divided. Flowers alternate, on a jointed common ilalk. 



Obf. The genera which our learned friend Mr. Brown 

 has feparated from Rottbollia will be found mentioned under 

 ths articles He.marthria, Lepturus, Ophiurus, and 

 Microciiloa. The lalt we conceive to be the moft dif- 

 tindt. We (hall here take the genus Rottbollia as it Hands 

 in Linnaeus and Willdenow, and have drawn up the generic 

 character accordingly. 



1. R. incurvata. Sea Hard-grafs. Linn. Suppl. 114. 

 Willd. n. v. Ait. n. 1. Fl. Brit. n. 1. Fl. Grsec. t. 91. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 760. Knapp. Gram. t. 103. H. Dan. 

 t. 938. (Aegilops incurvata; Linn. Sp. PI. 1490.) — 

 Spike round, awl-fliaped, incurved. Glume of tiie calyx 

 awl-fhapcd, clofe-prefled, deeply divided. Stipula very 

 Inort, abrupt. — Native of the fandy fea-coafts of Europe. 

 A fmall annual grafs, flowering in Augult. The root eon- 

 filts of numerous long capillary fibres. Stems numerous, de- 

 cumbent at the bafe, from three inches to a foot long, 

 branched, jointed, leafy, round, (lender, very (mooth. 

 Leaves linear, acute, narrow, rough on the upper furface 

 and edges ; their Jheaths a little fvvclling, fmooth, (Iriatcd, 

 fhorter than the leaves, each crowned with a Ihort blunt 



Jlipula. Spikes folitary at the end of each branch, rigid, 

 long ard (lender, more or lefs curved. Calyx fpreading 

 whilft in full bloom. Florets folitary, perfect, all fertile. 



2. R. filiformis. Thread-fliaped Hard-grafs. Roth. 

 Catal. v. I. 21. Nardus gangitis ; Herb. Luin. ( Gra- 

 men junceum nodolum minimum capillare ; Barel. Ic. 

 t. 117. f. I.) — Spike thread-fhaped, flightly comprefied, 



5 eredL 



