U R C 



U R C 



ccflbry mnrgin elevated, contraAed, pale, minutely crenate. 

 — Found on expofed rocks and ftones, in various parts of 

 Europe. On the fmooth flints fcattercd over the downs of 

 Suflex this fpecies appears in its greateft perfection ; fomc- 

 times having a fine radiating marginal fringe, by which the 

 cruil extends itfelf ; the central part being occupied, fre- 

 quently to the breadth of two or three inches, witli crowded, 

 angular, elevated, convex warts, of a grey or browniih hue. 

 Thefe are lefs dillinft, and more pohfhed, towards the cir- 

 cumference, where they vanifh into a thin, dilated, infe- 

 parable border, often more granulated than fibrous, except 

 where the flint is broltcn and poliflied. Each of the perfed 

 warts bears one, rarelv more than one, fmall, irregular, 

 concive JhielJ, whofe dirtc is blackifh, fomewhat glaucous, 

 internally reddifh-brown, encompaffed by a pale, roughifh, 

 raifed margin, which looks as if it had become vifible by 

 rubbing. When the plant has its fringed edge, it is the 

 [/. fimbriata of Acharius, now juftly reduced by that in- 

 telligent author to his own glhbofa. 



\].cinerea. A fli -coloured Urctolaria. Ach. Syn. n. 1 1. 

 Meth. 143. (Lichen cinereus ; Linn. Mant. 132. Weft- 

 ring Lich. V. I. 247. t. 18. Ach. Prodr. 32. Verrucaria 

 ocellata ; Hoffm. PI. Lich. v. i. 92. t. 20. f. 2.) — Cruft 

 grey, rugged and cracked, with a black border. Shields 

 black, funk, flightly concave ; at length elevated along 



with their prominent, thickifh, entire, acceffory margins 



Common on large ftones, rocks, and fcattered flints. Few 

 Lichens have been lefs underftood, nor would Linnaeiis's 

 fpecific name have been changed, probably, if botaniils had 

 been able to afcortain, with any certainty, what he intended 

 by it. His herbarium gives no information on this fnbjeft ; 

 but we rely with confidence on the tradition of his Swedifti 

 pupils. The general appearance of this fpecies is like a bad 

 imperfeft ftate of Hudfon's Lichen ater, but the latter is 

 not an Urceolana. The crujl is thin and infcparable ; its 

 edge, when crowded and condenfed, narrow and black ; but 

 when allowed to fpread on fmooth flints, it is more dilated, 

 zoned, and greenifli, not fibrous. The central part fwells 

 into fmall, irregular, grey knobs, and at lengtli cracks. 

 The copious Jhiehli are cither folitary or cluftered, Imall, 

 black, with the decided acceflory border of this genus, 

 growing more and more above the common level. Accord- 

 ing to the experiments of Mr. Weftring, this fpecies affords 

 very fine rich (hades of orange, or red-brown, for dyeing 

 filk. Acharius indicates four varieties, chiefly delcribed by 

 himfelf, which we have liad no opportunity of comparing. 



U. fcrupofa. Powdery Spherical Urccolaria. Ach. 

 Syn. n. 13. Meth. 147. (Lichen fcrupofus ; Schrcb. 

 Lipf. 133. HolI'm. Enum. 41. t. 6. f. I. Dickf. Crypt, 

 fafc. I. II. Engl. Uot. t. 266. Lichenoides cruftaceum 

 et leprofura, fcutellis nigricantibus majoribus et minoribus, 

 varietas ,5; Dill. Mufc. 133. t. iS. f. 15, 0- Patelhria 

 fcrupola ; Hofl'm. PI. Lich. v. i. 54. t. 11. f. 2.) — Cruft 

 corrugated, greyifh-white, granulated, mealy. Shields 

 nearly fplierical, black, witli a tumid, inflexed, narrow- 

 moutlied, linely crenate acceflory border. — Frequent on dry 

 chalky heatiis, and on brick walls, fometimcs on rocks, or 

 fprcading over decayed molfes. The rnijl is tliick and 

 chalkv, moftly cream-coloured, or greyifli ; very wliite wlien 

 dry, almoll covered with the crowded globular warts, each of 

 which lodges a blackifli, or (lightly glaucous, hollow JhieU, 

 of the fame (hapc. Lichen imjircffus, .'\eli. Prodr. 104. 

 {Patellaria mufcorum ; Hodm. PI. Lich. v. i. 93. t. 21. 

 f. I.) is acknowledged to be a variety ot this, whole cruft 

 affumes a leafy appearance from other plants which it over- 

 runs. 



Vol. XXXVll. 



U. diacapfis, Ach. Syn. n. ly. (Liohen diacapfis ; 

 Engl. Bot. t. 1954.) is furelya ZmVfaof Aciiarius, having 

 nothing of an accelTory border to the (hields. 



U. calcarea. Chalky Urceolaria. Ach. Syn. n. 16. 

 Meth. 142. t. 4. f. I. (Lichen calcareus ; Linn. Fl. 

 Suec. ed. 2. 407. L. cinereus ; Engl. Bot. t. 820. Ver- 

 rucaria contorta ; Hoftm. PI. Lich. v. i. 97. t. 22. 

 f. I — 4.) — Cruft limited, finely cracked, fomewhat pow- 

 dery, very white ; at length greyi(h. Shields minute, irre- 

 gular, concave, greyi(h-black, with a thin edge, and a 

 flightly prominent accelTory border. — Found on calcareous 

 rocks and wrought ftones. The plant of Englifh Botany 

 forms broad confpicuous infcparable patches, on grey-marble 

 tomb-ftonep, in the country church-yards of Norfolk and 

 Suffolk. Dr. Acharius determines it to be the Lichen cal- 

 careus of Linnaeus, to whofe defcription and remarks it well 

 anfwers, efpecially where he fays that it is a fure indication 

 of calcareous ftones, and proves very troublefome to the decy- 

 pherers of runic infcriptions. The cruJl is extremely hard and 

 folid. The form of \\\ejhielch is fcarcely ever exactly circular. 

 Whether U. Hoffmanni, Ach. Meth. 145, Lichen rupicola, 

 Hoffm. Enum. 23. t. 6. f. 3, be the fame fpecies, or 

 whether the eight other varieties, adopted by Acharius 

 chiefly from Florke in the Berlin Magazine for 181 i, be- 

 long to it, we are equally, at leaft, in doubt with himfelf. 

 Patellaria multipunda, Hoftm. PI. Lich. t. 63. f. 1 — 3, we 

 now agree with Acharius in leparating from the prefent 

 fpecies. He makes it a variety of Lecidea alho-cxrulefcens, 

 Ach. Syn. 29, which is Dicklon's Lichen pruinatus ; but 

 we prefume here to exprefs our doubts. 



U. compunaa. Many-dotted Urceolaria. Sm. in Ach. 

 Meth. 143. Syn. n. 19. — Cruft continued, very thin, 

 fmooth, greyifli-white. Shields numerous, crowded, mi- 

 nute, concave, black, white-edged, with a tumid accelTory 

 border. — Found by the late Mr. Chrift. Smith, on the bark 

 of trees in Amboyna. The criijl appears to be divided into 

 telTellatcd portions, but thefe are rather cracks in the bark, 

 to which its thin uninterrupted fubftance exaftly conforms. 

 Each portion contains innumerable cavities, as if made with 

 the point of a needle, every one of which lodges a minute 

 blacki(h hollow di(k, whofe proper margin, unconnefted 

 with the accelTory one, is contraAed, and very pale, almoft 

 white. We can alTure our worthy friend Acharius, who 

 has relied on the writer of this for the prefent curious 

 fpecies, that, notwithttanding his doubts, nothing can be 

 more unlike U. calcarea. 



U. cfculcnta. Eatable Urceolaria. Ach. Syn. n. 20. — 

 " Crult tartareous, thick, rugged and warty, grcyilh. 

 Receptacles wart-like, with a hollow dilk." — Native of the 

 chalky hills, of the deferts of Tartary. The cruJl is eat- 

 able ! Acharius appears never to have fecn a Ipecimen, 

 and he is not certain of the genus. He quotes no au- 

 thority. 



URCEOLUS, in Ecchfiafu-al Writers. See A(ju.E- 



MAXILIS. 



Uhceolus, in Mythology, a fmall vafe of brafs, lilver, 

 earth, or foine other material, which had a llraight neck, 

 and wide mouth, much after the falhion of the burettes, or 

 cryllal bottles in which they jint the wine and water iifed in 

 the facrifiee of the mafs, which the inferior minifters carried 

 for waffling the prieft's hands. They are often to be lound 

 upon antiipie monuments, in the hands of their minifttrs. 



URCESA, in yfncieni Geography, a town of Hifpania 

 Cilerior, belonging to the Celtiberi. 



U RCEUS, in ytnliijiiily, the name of a meafure of liquids, 



wiiich in diflerent pLices was of dilfercnt capacity ; ilsi moA 



3 S ufaal 



