woo 



and bring the land fooner into the ftate of » thick fet 

 fward, the produftive matrix of corn-crops. 

 WooD-Lari, in Ornithology. See f/ood-LARK. 

 WooD-Layir, in jlgricuUure, a term ufed to fignify the 

 young oak or other timber plants which are laid down into 

 hedges, among the white thorn or other plants ufed m fences. 

 See Hedge. 



Wood of Life, in Botany. See Guaiacum. 

 WooD-Lofi, in Ship-Bullding, a piece of elm, clolely 

 filled and (heathed with copper, in the throating or fcore ot 

 the pintle, near the load-water-line ; fo that when the rud- 

 der is hung, and the wood-lock nailed in its place, it cannot 

 rife, becaufe the latter butts againll the underfide of the 

 brace and butt of the fcore. 



WooD-Loufe. See Millepedes. 



WooD-Meil, a coarfe, hairy kind of ftufF, made of Ice- 

 land wool, with which the (hip-carpenters, in fome of his 

 raajefty's yards, line the ports of (hips of war. 



WooD-Mite, in Natural Hljlory, the name of a little ani- 

 mal frequently made the fubjeft of microfcopical obferva- 

 tions, and by fome called the tuood-loufe ; though that lefs 

 properly, as there is another larger animal generally known 

 by that name. 



The wood-mite is in (hape and colour very like a loufe, 

 and is frequently found running very nimbly, but always by 

 ftarts and jumps, on old books and rotten wood. The eyes 

 of this creature are of a fine gold colour, and can be thruft. 

 out or drawn in at pleafure ; and when examined by the 

 microfcope the periftaltic motion of the guts is feen very 

 diftinftly, and beautifully ; and what is more wonderful, 

 there is obferved a very diftinft and regular motion in the 

 brain. 



This probably is the fame animal with the pediculus pul- 

 fatorius, defcribed by Dr. Derham, as one of the death 

 watches. Baker's Microfcope, p. 185. 



Wood-Mot, certain foreft -officers appointed to take care 

 of the king's woods. 



V^oon-Mote, the ancient name of that foreft-court, now 

 called the court of attachment. 



WooD-Pecier, in Ornithology, the EngUfh name of fome 

 fpecies of picus. 



The green wood-pecker, picus viriJtj of Linnaeus, called 

 alfo the rain-fowl and pluviahs avis, weighs about fix ounces 

 and a half, is thirteen inches long, and twenty and a half 

 broad ; the bill is dulky, triangular, and near two inches 

 long ; the crown of the head is crimfon, fpotted with 

 black ; the eyes are furrounded with black, beneath which 

 the males have a crimfon mark ; the back, neck, and lefler 

 coverts of the wings, are green ; the rump of a pale yellow ; 

 the greater quill-feathers are duflcy, fpotted on each fide 

 with white ; the tail confifts of ten itiff feathers with black 

 tips, and barred alternately with dudcy and deep green ; 

 the whole hinder part of the body is of a very pale greeu ; 

 the thigh and vent are marked with dufky lines ; the legs 

 and feet all of a cinereous green. 



The greater-fpotted wood-pecker, pi::us major of Linnaeus, 

 called alfo vjittuall, weighs two ounces three-fourths, is nine 

 inches long, and fixteen broad ; the bill is one inch and a 

 quarter long, of a black horn colour ; the irides are red ; 

 the forehead is of a pale buff colour ; the crown of the 

 head of a glofly black ; the hind part marked with a rich 

 deep crimfon fpot ; the cheeks white, bounded beneath by 

 a black bar palling from the corner of the mouth, and fur- 

 rounding the hind part of the head ; the neck is encircled 

 V'lth a black colour ; the throat and breaft are of a yellowifh- 

 vhite J the vent-feathers of a light crimfon ; the back, rum^, 



WOO 



and coverts of the tail, and leffer coverts of the wings, are 

 black ; the fcapular feathers and coverts, adjoining to them, 

 are white ; the quill-feathers black, elegantly marked on 

 each web with round white fpots : tlie four middle feathers 

 of the tail are black ; the next tipt with yellow ; the bot- 

 tom of the two outmoft black, the upper parts a dirty 

 white ; the exterior feather marked on each fide with two 

 black fpots ; the next with two on the inner web, and one 

 on the other ; the legs are of a lead colour. The female 

 wants the crimfon fpot on the head. This fpecies is much 

 more uncommon than the preceding ; and keeps altogether 

 in the woods. 



The middle wood-pecker, or picus mediut of LinnKus, 

 agrees with the preceding in fize and colours, except that 

 the crown of the head in this is of a rich crimfon ; the 

 crown of the head in the male of the fornr.rr being black, 

 and the crimfon in form of a bar on the hind part. 



The lefler-fpotted wood-pecker, picus minor of Linnaeus, 

 is alfo called hickiuall, and has all the characters and aftions 

 of the greater kind, but is more rare. Pennant. 

 WooV'Pigeon. See Ririg-Dovv:. 



WooB-Pka Court, is a court held twice a year in the 

 foreft of Clun, in Shropfhire, for determining all matters 

 relating to wood, and the feeding of cattle there. Perhaps 

 it was originally the fame with wood-mote court. 



WoOD-Pucerons, in Natural Hijlory, a name given by M. 

 Reaumur to a fmall fpc ^ of infeA of the puceron kind, 

 of a greyifh colour, and diftinguifhed by its two hollow 

 horns on the hinder part of its body. 



Thefe animals very much refemble, both in fhape and 

 fize, the pucerons of the alder ; but as thofe live always on 

 the furface of the ftalk, thefe make their way deep into the 

 wood of a tree. 



M. Reaumur found large quantities of thefe lodged at 

 a confiderable depth in the wood of fome elms, after they 

 were cut down ; the pafTages, by which they had made their 

 way in, were not to be found ; but they were lodged in 

 large and long holes, of the diameter of a goofe-quill, > 

 and running many inches along the tree in a longitudinal' I 

 direftion. 



All the pucerons found in thofe places appear to be 

 females, and none have wings ; they all have vail numbers i 

 of young ones of different degrees of maturity within them, I 

 and thefe may be forced out with preffing their bodies. 

 Reaum. Hift. Infeft. vol. vi. 



WooD-Roof, or Wood-ruffe, in Botany. See Asi'ERULA. 



The leaves and roots dried have been efteemed aperient 



and diuretic ; and recommended in obftruftions of the liver, | 



and thence fuppofed efficacious in the jaundice : but they t 



are now difufed. 



'Woon-Sage. See Sage. 



"WooB-Soot, in Agriculture, a fubftance of the foot kind, | 

 which has been found highly beneficial as a manure in cafes 

 of cold clayey or ftiff loamy foils or lands, when in either 

 the ftate of pafture or in that of tillage for grain, or other 

 arable crops. 



It is ftated to be ufed in thefe proportions on different 

 forts of land. On light loams, when for pafture, from 

 twenty-two to twenty-four bufhels on the acre ; when for 

 barley, from thirty-three to thirty-four ; for turnips, from 

 thirty -three to tliirty-fix. 



On chalky loams, when for pafture, from twenty -three to 

 twenty-fix buffiels on the acre ; when for turnips, from 

 thirty -three to thirty-eight ; for barley, from thirty-five to 

 forty. 



On ftrong loams, when for pafture, from twenty-two to 



twenty- 



