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tdote againft poifon and the plague ; and even in the time of 

 Homer was valued on the fame account. It was then 

 ftamped as at prefent, and none but priefts were allowed to 

 handle it. Severe punifhments were alfo inflifted on thofe 

 who prefumed to dig for it at any other but the ftated 

 period. The geological pofition of this mineral is un- 

 known. See FuLLERs'-£arM, and Lemnian Earth. 



SPHRAGIS, the feal-ftone, a name given by fome 

 authors to the fingle joints of the afteriae, when found loofe, 

 not joined into a column. See ^•xw.-Stoiie. 



Sphragis is alfo ufed by fome of the old Greek na- 

 turalifts, to exprefs the fpots on the back and fides of a 

 panther. 



The llcin of this creature is of a pale colour, and thefe 

 fpots are all dark and round, and look like fo many regular 

 impreffions of a feal, whence the name fphragis. 



The Romans called any thing that was variegated in this 

 manner pantherina ; and we meet with the plirafe men/a pan- 

 thermit, ufed to exprefs tables found of fome wood, which 

 was variegated with round fpots, in the manner of thofe 

 fphrages on the back of the panther. 



SPHYGMICA, in Medicine, a term ufed by fome for 

 that part of the judgment of a phyfician, which regards the 

 differences of the a-(pvy^x,:, or pulfe. 



SPHYR.(ENA, in Ichthyology, a name by which fome 

 authors have called the fuHis, or lucitis marinus, the fea- 

 pike. 



Sphyr/i;n.i Altera, a name given by Appian, and fome 

 other of the old Greek writers, to the cfox, or common 

 pike. 



SPICA, in Botany and Vegetable Phyjiology, a fpike, is 

 a mode of inflorefcence, very general in the natural order of 

 Orchideiz, and frequent among many other tribes of plants. 

 It is compofed of feveral flowers, ranged along a common 

 flower-ftalk, without any partial ones, each individual 

 flower being fcfTile. The fpike is generally ereft at the 

 time the flowers expand, and the latter are lefs crowded 

 than in a Racemus. See tliat article, ar.d Inflorescence. 



Spica Bandage, in Surgery, is a kind of bandage thus 

 called from its interfeftions, which are fuppofed to rcfemble 

 an ear of corn. It is either fimple or double. The fimple 

 fpica, applied to the clavicle, when fraftuved near the flioul- 

 der, confifts of a fimple band, about five elh long, and three 

 fingers breadth, rolled up either with one or with two head?. 

 The double fpica, which is ufed when the oiia humeri of 

 each arm are diflocated, is a band about feven or eight ells 

 long, and three or four fingers breadth, rolled up with two 

 heads : the middle is fixed under the axilla, and the two 

 heads crofs each other upon the fhoulder, and go over the 

 bread and back to the oppofite axilla; here they crofs 

 again, and then rife up over the other Ihoulder as before, 

 from whence they go acrofs the brealt, and back again to 

 the left axilla, where they began, forming an X, by tra- 

 verfing each other upon the ilernum and back. See Ban- 

 dage. 



Spica Virginis, a ftar of the firft magnitude in the con- 

 ftellation Virtro. 



SPICCAtO, Ital., diftinft, detached, feparated, in 

 Mujie, as if half the note were cut off by a re(t. This term 

 is nearly of the fame fignification as fciolto and Jlaccalo ; ex- 

 cept that, on the violin, when fpiccato is written over or 

 under a group of notes, they are to be touched lightly with 

 the vibration of one bow ; and fciolto and Itaccato paffages 

 and movements require a ftrong bow to every note. 



SPICE, any kind of aromatic drug, that has hot and 

 pungent qualities : fuch are pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cin- 

 namon, and cloves. Some alfo apply the word to divers 



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other medicinal drugs brought firom the Eaft ; as fenna, 



callia, frankincenfe. Sec. See each under its proper article. 



Spice, ylll. See Pimento. 



&VICY.- Wood, in Botany, a fpecies of Laurut ; which fee. 



Spices, Garbler of. See Garbler. 



SPICHEROEG, in Geography, a fmall ifland in the 

 German fea, near the coall of Friefland. S. lat. 53° 43'. 

 E. long. 7° 32'. 



SPICULUM, in Roman Antiquity, a kind of weapon 

 which fome will have to be the fame with the hafta, or 

 fparus. 



SPIDER, in Entomology, is the trivial name by which 

 the large genus Aranea is generally known : under that 

 term we promifed to give an account of the fpecies in their 

 alphabetical order ; this, from a change in the plan, having 

 been negleAed, we (hall take the opportunity which the 

 wordjplder affords, of enumerating thofe fpecies in as brief 

 a manner as the fubjeft will allow. We (hall, however, be 

 under the neceflity of giving in this place the generic cha- 

 rafter, which is as follows : Mov.th with fhort horny jaws, 

 the lip rounded at the tip ; two feelers, incurved, jointed 

 and very fliarp at the end ; thofe of the male are clavate ; 

 they have no antennx, generally eight eyes, but fometimes 

 only fix. Eight legs ; the abdomen is ovate, villous, fur- 

 nifhed at the tip with textorial papillx. 



Much intereiling matter on the fubjeft of fpiders will be 

 found in the article Aranea ; here it may be obferved, that 

 in ever)' ftage of their exiftence, thefe animals prey with the 

 utmoll ferocity upon all other infetts that they can over- 

 come, and even upon one another : from the papilla; at the 

 end of the abdomen, they throw out at pleafure a number 

 of fine threads, which they unite in various ways, for the pur- 

 pofe of entangling their prey. They every year caft off 

 their old {[<w, which is performed by fufpending themfelves 

 in fome folitary corner, and creeping out of it. The 

 younger ones have the power of flight, and in the autumn 

 mount in the air to a great height ; to perform which, they 

 probably afcend fome lofty eminence, and are wafted about 

 by the winds, filling the atmofphere with their fine threads. 

 The fpider is infefted by the Jphex and ichneumon ; which 

 fee refpeftively. 



Gmehn has enumerated more than a hundred and twenty 

 fpecies of this genus, which are feparated into diftinft fec- 

 tions, according to the number and pofition of their eyes. 



Species. 



A. Eyes placed \\\\ 



* Extensa. Abdomen long, filvery-greenifh ; legs lon- 

 gitudinally extended. This fpecies is found chiefly in the 

 woods of this country, and other parts of Europe. The 

 head, thorax, and legs, are reddifli ; the abdomen is greenilh 

 down the back ; the firft pair of legs very long ; the third 

 very fhort. 



Pallens. Pale teflaceous ; mandibles ferruginous, with 

 black claws. It inhabits the American iflands. 



Lobata. Abdomen ovate, lobed, white, with double 

 brown lines at the tip. It inhabits the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



Longimana. Ferruginous ; abdomen long, cylindrical, 

 brown. It inhabits Jamaica. The fore-legs very long, 

 hence its fpecific name ; third pair very (hort. 



Regia. Villous, cinereous, with a yellow band on the 

 front ; the legs are fpinous. It inhabits Tranquebar, and 

 is large. 



Virescens. Green, with a black cylindrical abdomen ; 

 the fore-legs very long. It inhabits Zealand. 



Cancki- 



