S E R 



half, long, refembltng thofe of Veronica agrefi'u. Floiuers 

 monoecious, four-cleft, reddifh, very minute. 



4. S. occidenlalis. American Seipicula. Purfh n. I. (Elo- 

 deacanadenfis; Michaux Boreal-Amer. v. i. 20.) — "Flowers 

 united. Stigmas ligulate, cloven, reflexed. Leaves ternate, 

 linear, acute." — Frequent in ftagnant waters, from Canada 

 to Virginia, flowering in July. Perennial. Flowers white, 

 very fmall and delicate. Leaves when magnified very finely 

 ferrulated. In the early part of the feafon they are, as Mi- 

 chaux defcribes, oblong and obtufe, but at the flowering 

 time long, linear, and acute. Pur/h. 



SERPIGO, in Medicine, irom Jirpere, to creep, is nearly 

 fynonimous with herpes, and fignifies, in the language of the 

 older writers, any fpreading tetter, or excoriation of the 

 lliin. When the tetter is ftationary, according to Foreftus, 

 it is called ;m/>f/if (7 ; but when it fpreads and creeps from 

 one place to another, it is c2\\e&ferpigo. (See Foreft. Obf. 

 Chirurg. lib. ii. obf. 11.) It is the property, however, of 

 many eruptive difeafes to fpread in this manner, though very 

 different in their nature from each other ; whence in the 

 more accurate nomenclature of the prefent day, the term 

 ferpigo is not ufed. It would be applicable, in faft, to dif- 

 eafes of every clafs, puftular, fcaly, papular, and veficular ; 

 to the difeafes called impetigo, lepra, pforiafis, lichen, 

 herpes, eczema, &c. It is, therefore, jultly exploded. 



SERPUCHOV, in Geography, a town of Ruflia, in 

 the government of Mofcow ; 40 miles S. of Mofcow. N. 

 lat. 55". E. long. 37° 2'. 



SERPULA, in Concho!ogy, a genus of the order Tef- 

 tacea, of which the generic charafter is, animal a terebella : 

 (hell univalve, tubular, and generally adhering to other fub- 

 ftances ; often feparated internally by divifions at uncertain 

 diftances. There are about fifty fpecies included in this 

 genus, of which feveral are found in our own country. 



Species. 



Nautiloides. Shell flattifh, minute, confluent, verru- 

 cofe, fpiral, with very thin femilunar internal divifions. It 

 is found in the feas about Norway, adhering to the Madre- 

 pora prolifera, is very minute, brownifh, or white ; of an 

 uncertain figure, fometimes rather oblong, fometimes more 

 orbicular ; the divifions arc parallel, the aperture very 

 narrow. 



Semilunum. The fhell of this is regular, loofe, glabrous. 

 It is found in the Adriatic and Red feas, and fometimes 

 it is obtained foflile. The (hell is fcarcely larger than 

 a grain of fand, while and yellowifti ; the whorls are 

 prefled clofe together ; the aperture is narrow, and com- 

 preffed. 



Pjlanokbis. In this fpecies the fliell is orbicular, regu- 

 lar, flat, equal. It is found adhering to (hells. The (hell 

 refembles a round fcale, and when broken horizontally it 

 exhibits the appearance of a fpire in minute concentric 

 circles. 



Spikillhm. Shell regular, fpiral, orbicular, pellucid, 

 with round gradually decreafing whorls. It inhabits the 

 ocean, on zoophytes, fertularix, and other marine fubllances ; 

 it refembles the next, which is a native of this country, but 

 is much lefs than it. 



* Spirokbis. Shell regular, fpiral, orbicular, the whorls 

 flightly caniculate above and inwardly, and growing gra- 

 dually lefs towards the centre. It inhabits mod feas, ad- 

 hering to fuci and zoophytes. There is a variety ; the 

 fhell is white, without polilh, not complicated, but Jifpofed 

 fingly on the fubilance to which it is attached ; the aperture 

 is circular. 



S E K 



* TnreuETRA. The fliell of this is creeping, flexuous, 

 triangular. It inhabits the ocean, adhering to marine fub- 

 (lanccs. Hones, and the bottoms of (hips ; is from half an 

 inch to an inch long. The (hell is white, pellucid, irregu- 

 larly twift^ed, carinate on the back, fometimes denticulate; 

 with a narrow circular aperture. 



* Intricata. Shell filiform, rough, round, intricately 

 twifted. It inhabits the European and Indian feas, and 

 often on our own coafts, upon (hells. The (hell is of a 

 greenifh-white, a little rugged and coarfe. 



FiLOGRANA. Shell capillary, fafciculate, in branched 

 complications, and cancellate. It inhabits the Mediterra- 

 nean ; is four inches long, and forms a beautiful kind o( 

 network. 



Granuiat.v. The fhell of this is round, fpiral, glo- 

 merate, with elevated ribs on the upper fide. It inhabits 

 the North feas, in large mafl'es, adhering to Hones, (hells, 

 &c. The fliell is white, and tlie fiz? of a coriander 

 feed. 



* Contoutuplicata. The (hell is angular, rugged, and 

 irregularly entwined. It is found in the European and Ame- 

 rican feas, and on our own coal'.s ; is from three tn four inches 

 long ; and fometimes it is as urge as a goofe-quill ; the (hell 

 is white, cinereous, or yello\vi(h-brown ; witliin it is fmooth, 

 tranfverfely ftriate. 



Glomerata. The fliell of this fpecies is round, glo- 

 merate, with decuflate wrinkles. It inhabits the European 

 and Athintic feas, in large matles. The (hell is white, grey, 

 or brownifh ; within it is fmooth. 



LuMBRiCALis. The fliell of this is round, flexuous, with 

 a fpiral acute tip. There are three varieties of this fpecies, 

 which are found in the Atlantic and Indian feas, in large 

 mafles. The (hell is from three to five inches long, tranf- 

 verfely ribbed and longitudinally wrinkled. 



PoLYTHALAMiA. The (hell of this is likewife round, 

 diaphanous, fmooth, (traightifh, with numerous internal di- 

 vifions. It inhabits the Mediterranean and Indian feas, 

 under the fand. The (hell is outwardly white, tranfverfely 

 wrinkled, and annulate; the infide is feparated by imperfo- 

 rated convex and concave divifions, making it appear as if 

 it confided of numerous united tubes. 



Arenaria. Shell jointed, entire, diftinft, flattifli be- 

 neath. It is found in India, and divers parts of the coaft 

 of Africa. It is probably a teredo, hereafter to be de- 

 fcribed. The (hell is white, witli pale brown undulate rays, 

 or whitifli ; the outfide cancellate, within it is fmooth ; fpi- 

 rally twitted : there are about a hundred ftrix, which are 

 fometimes nodulous. 



Anguika. Shell roundilh, fub-fpiral, with a longitu- 

 dinal jointed cleft. It inhabits the Indian ocean ; varies 

 much in figure, being fometimes round and fometimes an- 

 gular ; it is more or lefs flexuous, glabrous or rough, with 

 the joints of the cleft often obiolete. There is a variety of 

 this fpecies. 



♦ Vermicularis. Shell round, tapering, curved, wrinkled. 

 It inhabits the European feas, and is from two to three 

 inches long. The (hell is whitifh, ending in an obtufe point ; 

 the inhabitant is of a bright fcarlet, ivith elegantly feathered 

 tentacula, from the middle of which arifes a trumpet-lhaped 

 tube, and a leffer fimple one. 



Pekis. The (hell of this is round, (Iraight, taper, with 

 a dilated radiate larger extremity ; the di(k is covered with 

 cylindrical pores. This is denominated the watering-pot, 

 It is found chiefly in the Indian ocean. The (hell is white 

 or cinereous, with a faint (hade of red ; fmoothilh, tapering, 

 and open at the fmall end ; the dilated margin at the larger 



end 



