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SPRUCE, EJence of, a fluid extrad, prepared by coc- 

 tion of the twigs of the wild pme or Scotch fir. See PiNUS 

 Sylveftris. 



SpRUCE-5«r, a beverage made of the effence of Ipruce, 

 fermented with fugar or molofles and water. 



Spruce, in Gengraphy, a fmall American lake of New 

 Hampfhire, near Chefterfield. 



Spruce Crak, an American creek, which winds its 

 courfe through tlie marfhes from the mouth of Pifcataqua 

 river five or fix miles to Kittery, in York county, Maine. 



SPRUNT, in Rural Economy, a term figuifying a fteep 

 road, or one on which there is much difficulty in paffing 

 with teams, and which requires great exertion in them. 



SPRY, in Agriculture, a name fometimes applied to the 

 flat broom which is ufed with the calling (hovel, in the 

 operation of cleaning grain, for fweeping off the chaffy ma- 

 terials that coUeft in the work. 



Spry Harbour, in Geography, a bay on the fouth-eafl: 

 coaft of Nova Scotia. N. lat. 44° 42'. W. long. 62° 40'. 



SPUD, in Agriculture, 3 tool or implement of the fork 

 fort, with three broad prongs of confiderable ftrength, 

 which is ufeful for feveral different purpofes. See Hop. 



SPUDING, the praftice or operation of digging over 

 the hop-giounds, by means of the fpud, in different dif- 

 trifts. This fort of work fhould always be fully, care- 

 fully, and expeditioufly performed, as a great deal of the 

 fuccefs of the crops depends upon thefe circumftances. 

 See Hop. 



SPULLERS of Tarn, in our Old Writers, perfons that 

 work at the fpole, or wheel. It alfo denotes triers of yarn, 

 to fee if it be well fpun, and fit for the loom. 



SPUN-Hay, in the Military Art, hay twilled in ropes, 

 Tery hard, for an expedition in the winter time ; each 

 trooper carrying as much as he can behind him. 



SPUNGE, or Sponge, Spongia, in Natural Hi/lory, a 

 kind of marine fubftance, found adhering to rocks, (hells, 

 fee. under cover of the fea-water, or on the fides of the 

 rocks about the (hore. See ISpongia. 



The ancients dillingui(hed two kinds, male and female : 

 but the moderns make only one kind ; which, however, 

 they diftinguifh, with regard to its texture, into coarfe 

 and ^ne. 



Naturalilts have been embarraffed in all ages, whether to 

 range fpunge in the animal, mineral, or vegetable family. 

 Some would have it a concretion formed of the fea-mud ; 

 others have commonly fuppofed it to be a vegetable pro- 

 duftion : but it is now allowed to be, like the corallines, of 

 animal origin ; being the fabric and habitation of fome 

 fpecies of worm or polype. 



Dr. Peyffonel has aAually difcovered and defcribed the 

 worms that form four different fpecies of fpunges, without 

 having it in their power to dilate and contraft them, as fome 

 naturalifts have fuppofed ; the fpunges being altogether in- 

 animate bodies, and infenfible to the touch, or to any motion 

 of the fea, or any other accident, and formed by the juice 

 or flaver which is dcpofited by the worms that inhabit them. 

 Phil. Tranf. vol. 1. art. 78. p. 590, &c. 



_Mr. Ellis, to whofe obfervations on produflions of this 

 kind the public are much indebted, informs us, that if we 

 carefully examine a fmall part of one of thofe fpunges, 

 whofe ramifications are large and diftintl, in the microfcope, 

 we (hall find that they rife from many fmall tubes : thefe, as 

 they extend themfelves upwards, fond outfide branches in 

 various direAions, which inofculate, and, uniting thus with 

 each other, form a compound reticulation quite through the 

 infide of the whole mafs. In viewing the extremities of the 

 upper or aft fliooti, we may perceive fmall openings at the 



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end of their fibres ; and as vre trace thefe fibres back from 

 the opening downwards, we fee a foft whitilh fubftance, 

 which fills the internal hollow part of all the ramifications 

 through the whole fpunge ; which ramifications have much 

 the appearance of tranfparent catgut of an amber colour, 

 and are, without doubt, the lodgments of animals of a par- 

 ticular clafs. For though wc cannot dillingui(h cither 

 veficles, or cells, or difcover any other kind of organization, 

 than that of a hollow tube varioufly infleAed, and wrought 

 together into a mxiltitude of agreeable forms, fome branched 

 like corals, fome expanded like a fungus, fome rifiiig up 

 ftraight like a column ; others broad at top, with a narrow 

 bafe, and hollow like a funnel, with regular cavities, en- 

 trances, or apertures, which are nearly alike in all fpungee 

 of the fame fpecies ; yet, from many obvious refemblances 

 to divers other claffes of fea produftions, which are found 

 to be of animal conftruftion, and from the chemical analyfes 

 of fpunges in general, tliere feems fufficient reafon far re- 

 ferring them to the clafs of animal produftions. Ellis's 

 Nat. Hift. of Corallines, &c. p. 78. 



Spunge, or Sponge, in Chemf/lry and the Materia Medica, 

 is the fpongia ojirinalii, for an account of which, fee 

 Spongia. This fpecies of fpunge is found chiefly in the 

 Mediterranean and Red feas. 



On fome of the iflands of the Archipelago, the inha- 

 bitants are trained from their infancy to dive for fpunges, 

 which are generally found attached to the bottom of the 

 rocks. This fubftance, formerly fuppofed to be of a vege- 

 table nature, but determined by the obfervations of Mr. 

 Ellis (fee Phil. Tranf. vol. Iv.) to be of animal origin, has 

 been, not long ago, examined by Mr. Hatchett, in the 

 courfe of his valuable experiments on the component parti 

 of animal membrane. (See Phil. Tranf. vol. xc. p. 352, 

 &c.) The fpunges particularly examined by this ingenious 

 chemift, are the S. cancellata, S. oculata, S. infundibuli- 

 formis, S. palmata, and S. officinalis. When the fpunges 

 had been immerfed in nitric acid (diluted with three meafurea 

 of diftilled water) during fourteen or fixteen days, the acid 

 became pale yellow, and was changed to an orange colour, 

 by the addition of pure ammonia. After this procefs the 

 fpunges became more or lefs tranfparent, and were con- 

 fiderably foftened. In this ftate, if they were touched with 

 ammonia, the part thus touched affamed a deep orange 

 colour, inclining to a browni(h-red ; and when much foft- 

 ened by the acid, (if afterwards immerfed in ammonia,) 

 they were completely diffolved, and formed a deep orange- 

 coloured folution. When digefted with boibng diftilled 

 water, the fpunges afforded a portion of animal jelly or 

 gelatin (fee Gelatin), which was precipitated by infufion 

 of oak-bark. In confequence of their lofs of gelatin, which 

 was imparted to the water, the fpunges became lefs flexible, 

 and more rigid ; and the remaining part, when dry, 

 crumbled between the fingers ; or, when moift, was torn 

 eafily, like vvetted paper. From thefe properties it ap- 

 pears, that fpunges only differ from the horny ftems of the 

 gorgonia;, and from the antipathes, by being of a finer and 

 more clofelv woven texture ; and this is particularly obferv- 

 able by comparing the coarfe fpunges (fuch as S. cancellata) 

 with the finely reticulated parts of certain gorgonise, efpe- 

 cially the gorgonia flabelliim, when diverted of the external 

 membrane. When the fpunge, either in its natural ftate, 

 or efpecially when its gelatin has been extraCled by long 

 boiling with water, is boiled with lixivium of caullic potafh, 

 it is completely diffolved in it, and forms an animal foap. 

 Spunge, when heated in a clofe vcffel, gives out an am- 

 moniacal fetid fmoke, and is reduced to a black charcoal, 

 which, after incineration, leave* a fmall quantity of com^ 



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