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times they are of a foft and pulpy nature, fo as to demand 

 the name of ftalks. See Plant, Stalk, and Stem. 



In thefe forts of plants thefali is the moft common fort 

 of trunk or ftem, both among fmall plants of the tree kind, 

 and thofe of the nature of herbs, as producing and fupport- 

 ing the leaves, flowers, and fruit. The name of culm is given 

 to trunks or ftalks of the ftraw or haulm kind, which are 

 peculiar to graffes and grain, and equally bear the leaves, 

 flowers, and produce or fruit. Frond is a term which is 

 conftantly applied to the trunks or ftems of plants of the 

 palm and fern kinds or tribes, which are of a compound na- 

 ture, as being formed of a branch and leaf united or blended 

 together, and not unfrequently the flower and fruit too. 

 The peduncle is a term fignifying that fort of trunk or 

 flowering-ftalk which rifes fometimes from the root, but 

 more commonly from the branches, raifmg or elevating the 

 flowers and fruit, but not the leaves. The petiole is a term 

 implying that fort of trunk or leaf-ftalk which bears the 

 leaves only, and not the flowers. 



The tttmfcape is a name which is applied to herbaceous 

 naked ftems or trunks which ferve to elevate and raife up 

 the fruftification only, as in thofe of the hyacinth and daf- 

 fodil kinds. 



The term Jlipes is applied to that fort of trunk or ftem 

 which is fomid in fome kinds of flefliy plants, fuch as 

 thofe of the common mufiiroom, and others of the fungus 

 tribe. See thefe terms refpedlively. 



Trunk is therefore a term which has a very extenfive appli- 

 cation in the cultivation of garden vegetables of the culinary 

 and flowery ornamental kinds, as well as in planting, to 

 trees of the timber and other forts, as is more fully (hewn 

 and explained in fpeaking of Jlalk, Jlcm, timber, and tree. 

 See thefe heads. 



Trunk, in Canals, denotes a wooden culvert fometimes 

 made under canals. 



Trunk and Valve, is a trunk of wood laid through the 

 bottom of the bank of a canal, by which water can be let 

 out of the canal, by drawing of the valve at its inner end. 



Trunk, in Mining, is a ftrek or ftrakes [q. d. ftream) 

 with a very fmall ftream or dribble of water, to wafh the 

 (lime of tin or copper ore, by which the lighter earthy parts 

 are carried off with the water. The operation is called 

 trunking the Jlimcs. 



Trunk is alfo popularly ufcd for the fnout of an ele- 

 phant, by naturnlifts called the probofcis. 



Trunk, in Natural Hijlory, a pointed, hollow, ilender, 

 and oblong body ; joined to the fore-part of the heads 

 of many infefts, and ferving them for fucking the blood 

 or juices of the animals, or vegetables, on which they 

 feed. 



The trunks of flies ferve for diftinguifhing many genera 

 of thofe little animals, from their dlff^erent form and other 

 accidents. Some of thefe are a tube formed all of one 

 fimple piece, and others compofed of feveral fhorter pieces, 

 nicely joined together : fome are thin and as it were (helly, 

 others thick and flelhy ; thofe of fome flies are terminated 

 by a fort of broad foot, or by a fort of thick lips ; and 

 thofe of others have no lips, or at leaft no fenfible ones ; 

 and others are made in form of a fpindle hollowed at the 

 end. 



It is often neceffary to have recourfe to the microfcope, 

 to diftinguifti with nicety and exaftnefs between thefe. 



Without the affiftance of glalTes, however, it is eafy to 

 diftinguifli among the flies of different genera, three dif- 

 ferent manners of carrying this organ when in a ftate of 

 ina&ion. Many flies have trunks which they can Shorten, 

 when they are not ufing them ; thefe are fixed in the fore- 



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part of the creature's head, where there is a cavity dedinecl 

 to receive them when they are not in ufe. In many fpecics, 

 this cavity is no more than a mere finus, or hole, in the 

 fore-part of the head ; but in others it is more nicely con- 

 trived, the anterior part of the head lengthening itfelf, and 

 forming a kind of arched vault for its reception. Other 

 flics hive trunks which in the lime of inaftion are turned, 

 or loiii-nvhat folded from above downwards : the trunks of 

 be?s are of this kind. 



There are others alfo, which have their trunks contained 

 entirely in a fort of cafe, where they lie ftraight at length, 

 without being either turned or folded ; but they are able to 

 inchne them in any direftion, in regard to the j)ofition of 

 their legs : of this kind are the trunks of the cicadx, 

 gnats, &c. 



Among the butterfly clafs, a great number are fumilhed 

 with a trunk ; but there are alfo a great number that have 

 it not : the fly of the filk-worm, and many, as well larger 

 as fmaller kinds, are without this organ. Thofe fpecies 

 which have it, (hew it to the firft view ; it is placed in the 

 middle of the head, direftly between the two eyes. And 

 though in feveral fpecies it is very long, yet it takes up 

 even in thefe but very little room : when it is not in ufe, it is 

 always rolled up in a fpiral form, in the manner of the 

 fpring of a watch ; and even the ftiorteft of them are thus 

 turned as well as the longeft. 



There are among the butterflies, fome which never fettle 

 upon any thing, but are eternally upon the wing, in the 

 manner of fwallows : thefe feed on the wing as thofe birds 

 do. We often fee them buzzing about a flower in the 

 manner of a bee, and in that cafe they fuftain themfelves ir. 

 the air with their wings, while they unrol their trunk, and 

 thruft its extremity into the flower, to fuck from its bottom 

 the honey-dew, which is the common food of them, of the 

 bees, and of many otlier infefts. It has been much dif- 

 puted, among the curious obfervers of nature, whether the 

 trunk be originally compofed of two parts, or two trunks 

 laid clofe to another ; or whether it were owing to its flender 

 ftrufture, that it was eafily fplit by breaking its parts. 



Mr. Bonani was of the firft opinion, and Mr. Riget 

 agreed with him at firft, but he afterwards became of the 

 contrary fentiment ; and thought that they really broke in 

 this fplitting, being originally only one ; but Reaumur has 

 determined the queftion in favour of Bonani : having by 

 repeated obfervations, found them compofed of two paral- 

 lel trunks, nicely and evenly laid fidewife together. 



The aftion of the trunk in fucking is eafily feen on 

 giving a piece of fugar to a butterfly that has been kept 

 without food for fome days, after its being produced out 

 of the chryfalis ; many of the fpecies will in this cafe feed 

 on the fugar in the fame manner that they would on 

 the juices of flowers, and will (hew that the ufe of their 

 rolhng up their trunk at times, is the fwallowing what they 

 have received into it. The trunks of the feveral fpecies of 

 butterflies are as different in colour as in (hape : fome are 

 black, others reddifh, many of a chefnut colour ; fome are 

 alfo of a pale brown, and fome of a beautiful yellow ; many 

 of them alfo are hairy on the under fide, and many are 

 fmooth. The thicker trunks are always (horter than the 

 flat ones, and have only one canal. Reaumur, Hift. Inf. 

 vol.i, p. 287. 293. 309. 



Trunk of Gnats, the inftrument by means of which the 

 gnat ftrikes the flelh, and fucks the blood from animal 

 bodies. 



This is a machine well worth an attentive ohfervatior. 

 As fine and fmall as this inftrument appears, it is nevorthe- 

 lefs of 3 very complex ftrufture. The piercer, or more pro- 

 perly 



