V A G 



tills canal, may always be fafely extirpated either with a 

 knife or a ligature. Richter's Anfangfgr. der Wundarzney- 

 kunft, b. 7. Vierte Kapitel. 



Vagina Fcmorh Tcnfor, in Anatomy, a name given by 

 Albinus to a mufcle in the thigh, called by others the mem- 

 hranofus, and the mvfculus fafcitt lata ; and by feme mufculus 

 Aponeuroticus ; which fee. 



Vaginte Uteri Sphinder. See GENERATION. 



Vagina Follorum, in Botany and Vegetable Phyjiology, 

 the {lieath of the leaves, (fee Leaf and Sheath,) moft 

 peculiarly obfervable in graffes, and their allies, confifts of 

 that part of the leaf vphich is below thejlipula, by which it 

 is crowned. The Vagina embraces the ftem, or ftraw, 

 more or lefs clofely. Its infide is ufually quite fmooth, and 

 pohfhed, while the outfide is generally ribbed, rough, or 

 hairy, though commonly lefs fo than the leaf itfelf. The 

 pubefcence in fome inftances is directed contrariwife to that 

 of the leaf. In moft graffes, particularly the corn tribe, 

 the flieaths of one or two of the uppermoft leaves are much 

 dilated, ferving the important purpofe of protection to the 

 young panicle or fpike oi Jloiuers. A fmgular theory re- 

 fpefting the caufe of fmut in grain was, many years fmce, 

 publifhed by the Rev. Henry Bryant, of Heydon, Norfolk. 

 (See Smut.) The mifchief was, by this writer, attributed 

 to an accidental lightnefs in the fummit of the llieath of the 

 leaf, by wliich the young ear was, in a manner, ftrangled ; 

 an hypothefis totally infufficicnt to account for the pheno- 

 menon. 



The term "vagina is, in like manner, applied to the lower 

 part of the foliage of the Crocus, the Snow-drop, and 

 various ftenilefs plants related to one or the other, in which 

 the leaf tapers down into a fort of iheathing/oo/^^///-. But 

 it is erroneoudy exemplified by profeffor.Willdenow, in his 

 Principles of Botany, by the genus Polygonum, whofe cy- 

 lindrical membrane, attached to the inner fide of eachybo/- 

 Jlalk, and furrounding tlie ftem above every joint, is a real 

 (heathing Stipula, fee that term ; the footltalk being in- 

 terpofed between it and the leaf. So in Spermacoce, and 

 other plants of the extenfive and various order of Rubiacex, 

 the membranous intrafoliaceous_y?ipK/a muft not be taken for 

 a vagina, though it be connefted, ever fo clofely, with the 

 footftalks at each fide ; becaufe the analogy of moft plants 

 of that order fliew it to be a real Jlipula, which from its 

 fituation, and the varieties in its form, ftrufture and afpeft, 

 is of peculiar botanical importance. 



VAGINALIS GuL/E, in Anatomy, the mufcular ftra- 

 tum furrounding the mucous membrane of the oefophagus. 

 See Deglutition. 



Vaginalis Tejlis, the ferous membrane furrounding the 

 tefticle, and forming the bag, in \vhich it is included. There 

 is alfo a covering, compofed of condenfed cellular mem- 

 brane and the fibres of the cremafter, which furrounds the 

 fpermatic cord and the teftis with its membranes. This is 

 called tunica vaginalis communis. See Generation. 



Vaginalis, in Ornithology, a genus of the order Grallas 

 of birds, of which there is one fpecies, I'iz. the V. alba, or 

 white fheath-bill of Latham. Found in New Zealand, and 

 other iflands of the Southern ocean. 



VAGINARIA, in Botany, named from vagina, a 

 fheath ; becaufe the ftem is clothed with leaflefs ftieaths. 

 Purlh 58. Tliis genus is adopted by Purfh from Perfoon, 

 and its diftinftive charafter confifts in the feed being fur- 

 bounded at the bafe with three fcales, and three intermediate 

 briftles. One or the other of chefe parts doubtlefs origi- 

 nates in the ihrsejlamens. The Jligmas, moreover, are faid 

 to be three. 



The only fpecies mentioned by Purlh is F- Ricbardt. 



\' A H 



(Fuirena fcirpoidea ; Michaux Boreal. -Amer. v. i. 3S. t. - ) 

 — ■« Stem leaflefs, ftieathed. Spike ovate, moftly iolkary. 

 Scales lanceolate-fpatulate."— Native of inundated fields, 

 from Georgia to Florida. Perennial. Purjl,. The afpedt 

 of the plant is like a Restio ; fee that article, Fuikena, 

 and SciRPus. When we advert to the many different ap- 

 pearances of thefe fcales, or briftles, in different fpecies of 

 the laft-named genus, and even their abfence in fome, we 

 hefitate to admit the Vaginaria, without examining one 

 fpecies at leaft, or being informed of any others on which it 

 is founded. 



VAGIOW, in Geography, a town on the W. coaft of 

 the ifland of Celebes. 



VAGLIANO, a town of Italy, in Friuli ; 10 miles 

 W. of Udina. 



VAGNEY, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Vofges ; 4 miles E. of Remiremont. 



VAGNIACIS, in Ancient Geography, a place of Great 

 Britain, marked in the 2d Iter of Antonine, between Novi- 

 omagus, fituated, according to Camden, Gale, and Horfley, 

 at Woodcote near Croydon and Durobrivx or Rochefter ; 

 and fiippofed to be Northfleet. 



VAGOS, in Geography, a town of Portugal, in the pro- 

 vince of Beira, near the Atlantic coaft ; 6 miles S. of Bra- 

 gan9a Nova. 



VAGRAM, a town of tlie archbifhopric of Salzburg; 

 6 miles 3. of Salzburg. 



VAGRANTS, m Law. See Vagabond. 

 VAGSKOI, UsT, in Geography, a town of RuiTia, in 

 the government of Archangel, at the union of the rivers 

 Vaga and Dwina ; 20 miles N.N.W. of Schenkurfk. 



VAGUM, in Anatomy, a name given to the eighth pair 

 of nerves of the medulla oblongata, called the par vagum, 

 becaufe difperfed to divers parts of the body. See Nervous 

 Syjlem. 



Vagum, in Ancient Geography, a promontory fituated, ac- 

 cording to Ptolemy, on the eaftern coaft of the ifle of 

 Corfica. 



V AG\5S, m Geography. See WaAG. 

 VAHALIS, or Vachalis, Wahal, in Ancient Geography^ 

 a name given to the left branch of the Rhine, after its fepa- 

 ration at its entrance into the country of the Batavi, wliich 

 afterwards joined the Meufe. The territory between thefe 

 rivers was denominated " Infula Batavorum." 



VAHAN, in Hindoo Mythology, is the general name of 

 the different vehicles by which their gods and goddeffes are 

 conveyed. The goddeffes are ufually feen accommodated 

 with the vehicles of their lords ; being indeed, as is declared, 

 the fame. We will here notice fuch vehicles as are appro- 

 priated to the different deities. Brahma, being a perfonifi- 

 cation of the earth, or matter, and remotely participant alfo 

 in reprefenting humidity, rides the fcmi-aquatic bird, the 

 fluggifh fwan or goofe, called Hahnfa : his confort Sarafw.ati, 

 goddefs of harmony and arrangement, is fometimes feen 

 mounted on a fpecies of heron. See Saraswati and 

 Siva. 



Vijlmu, the confervator, is the air ; and he, like his bro- 

 ther Jupiter of Greece, cleaves his own element on a tower- 

 ing eagle, which the Hindoos call by feveral names ; among 

 them Garuda and Superna. 



Siva, the changing or deftroying power, is a perfonifica- 

 tion of fire ; he alfo correfponds in charafter with fome of 

 the Jupiters of the Weft, and rides a white bull, called 

 Nandi. His fakti or confort, Parvati, is often feen turret- 

 crowned, in a car drawn by tigers or lions. Virgil's de- 

 fcription of Cybele apphes equally to the mountain-goddefs 

 Pwvati. ,, . , 



