L I M 



L I M 



forwards till it Ctme to the projefting anglf, from wlitnce, 

 without attariptiiig to fix itfelf by its fore parts to any 

 tiling, it became viiibly fiifpcndcd hy a thread from its tail. 

 'When it had dt.'fcendod two feet, the colonel took it up by 

 the thread, and carried it to a dillant room ; but trying to 

 fix it afrefli, in order more accurately to obferve its profrrefs, 

 the tliread broke. He chcn put it on a frame about four 

 feet from the gronnd ; in a few minutes it was again fuf- 

 pended, and obferving by his watch, it defccndcd at the 

 rate of th'-cc inches and a half in a minute." After re- 

 peated trials, tlie colonel, by means of glafTes, was enabled 

 to afcertain that the fecretion, of which the thread was 

 formed, \»a.s wliolly from the under parts, and not from the 

 back and lides, both of which appeared nearly dry, nor 

 did it proceed from any orifice in the tail. This creature 

 .feemj quite feiiiible of its abilities, for it extended itfelf 

 from the bottom of the frame, with its head downwards, 

 till the tail became fufpended ; and it was by means of an 

 undulating motion of die belly that the flow of the vifcous 

 fecretion was produced towards the tail, but in doing this 

 the belly was contracted, being furnidied with numerons 

 tranfverrc rvgtc ; at the fame time the body and tcntacula 

 were fully extended, indicating no alarm whatever ; the 

 head was occafionally moved from fide to^fide, which gave 

 ieveral turns to the right or left, as the centre of gravity 

 lay ; but as it as frequently turned one way as the other, 

 the thread was not in the leall twilled. The thread, on 

 firil leaving the tail, was five times as broad as it wa? at the 

 eighth of an inch diftant therefrom, but afterwards feemed 

 of an equal fize, and confiderably fmaller than the fineft 

 human hair. When a portion of this thread was placed 

 under a microfcope, it appeared contrafted ; it was pel- 

 lucid and elallic. By anotlicr writer on this fubjeft we 

 are told, that by the application of the microfcope, the 

 flimy humour will be feen to come out infcnfibly from the 

 jjlandnlar pore« of the flvin, like clear and minute points ; 

 thele, by continuing a gentie prefTure on the flcin, will be- 

 come fmall drops, and in the end form a confidcrable col- 

 ledion of matter. It may be alfo obfcrvcd, that colonel 

 Montague found feveral individuals of this variety that he 

 could not induce to fpin, and, as if fenfiblc of their inability 

 fo to do, readily turned back when approaching the pro- 

 jected edge ; while others at once let themfelves down 

 without hefitation ; fo that it might be known by their 

 motion, when near the brink of the precipice, whether 

 they were endued with the facuhy or not. After thefe ani- 

 mals have fpun for i'omc time, their fpinning power fecnis 

 to be for a while loll, but in all thofc on which experiments 

 ihave been made, it has been recovered again by keeping 

 them for a few hourr, among wet mols. 



The fifth variety above-mentioned, or that with fcattered 

 black fpecks, is found in gardens, paltures, and groves, from 

 May till the end of the year, and is the animal which has been 

 recommended to be fwallowcd by confumptive perfons. It 

 is about half an inch in length, and when touched it ilicks 

 to the fingers as if dead. 



CiNxrcs. This fpccies is yellowifli, with a cinereous 

 belt on the fhield and body ; it is commonly found in groves, 

 and is about two inches long ; body v/ithout fpots, and be- 

 neath it is white, 



Marcinatcs, This is cinereous ; (hield with a duflcy 

 ftreak on each fide : the body is of a pale blneifh colour ; 

 it is found on the beech ; back with a white ridge, each 

 Jide of which is blueifii-a(h ; abdomen fometimes fpotted 

 black. 



iifiiiCLiAXUS. Brown, with black dots on tlie fliield 



and lines on the body ; it inhrtbits garden* in Denmark and 

 Germany ; it is an inch and a half long. 



AuitliUS. Yellow, immaculate, vvith black feelers; it 

 inhabits the groves of Denmark and Norway, is about half 

 an inch long. The body beneath is white, with a black 

 line between the feelers. 



Fu.scus. Tliis is of a reddift hue, with a bbckifh lateral 

 line and back. 



Tenkllus. Greonifli, with black head and feelers ; is 

 found, early in the fpring, in hollows of woods filled with 

 dry leaves ; about an inch long ; the fliield whitifn with a 

 yellowifli call. 



Lan'ckoi.atu.s. Linear-lanceolate and very fliarp at 

 each end ; the margin furroundcd with a membranaceous 

 border ; without tentacula or feelers ; found on the coall 

 of Cornwall. 



Ll.M.AX Mariniis, in Zoology, a name gfvcn by fome to 

 the Upparls, or, as it is commonly termed in Engllih, the 

 fea-Jnail, caught in plenty at the months of rivers in York- 

 iliire, and fome other places. See Cvi.iNDliU.s. 



1..IMAY, in Geography, a town of France, in the depart^ 

 ment of the Seine and Oife, and chief place of a canton, in 

 the diilricl of Mantes ; fituated on the Seine, oppofite to 

 Mantes. The place contains 1520, and the canton 9881 

 inhabitants, on a territory of Ij7-t kiliometres, in 17 com- 

 munes. 



LIMB, in Anatomy, is ufed to denote certain parts of 

 the human body, proceeding from the trunk. See E.k- 



TREMITIKS. 



The limbs, as well as the life of a man, arc of fuch high 

 value in the eflimation of the law of England, that it par- 

 dons even homicide, if committed fe defcmkndo, or in order 

 to preferve them. 



l..iMB.'^, ylmputatioii nf, in Surgery. See Amputation'. 

 LiMR.s, Ari'ificted. Under this denomination, furgical wri- 

 ters fpeak of the various machines and contrivances which 

 have been invented for fupplying the place, and in fome 

 meafure executing the office, cf limbs which are naturally 

 impcrfcft or wanting, or which have been amputated, or 

 othcrwile lofl. Anciently, it was as much the duty of the 

 fnrgeon to provide his patient witli a wooden leg after am- 

 putation, as to cut off the member, which endangered life 

 and could not be prefcrvcd. At prelent, however, the 

 bufinefs of furnilhing artificial limbs is left almoil entirely to 

 the mechanic, though it cannot be denied, that the atten- 

 tion of a judicious furgeon will often be well befiowcd in 

 taking care, that the preffure of fiieh machines is contrived 

 to fall as little as puitible upon that part of a f*ump which 

 is moll tender, stid inclined to ulcerate. The end of a thigh- 

 Ihimp, indeed, can ill bear the cflecls of preflure, and in 

 this cafe, it is ufual to mr.ke the thigh part of the wooden 

 member in the form of a conical box, which is calculated 

 to receive the flump, and at the fame time not allow the end 

 of the bone to meet with any material refinance below. 

 The preffure partly falls on the fides of the remaining por- 

 tion of the thigh, and partly on the pelvis, round which a 

 flrap proceeds from the upper part of the machine. The 

 makers of artificial limbs in this metropolis, however, have 

 in general brought their bufinefs to great perftction, and 

 fuch patients as can afford it, may be accommodated with 

 contrivances, which, v.'ithout being heavy and cumberfome, 

 bear a great refcmblance to tiie natural limb. Artificial 

 hands and arms may alfo be procured, which have moveable 

 fingers, and by the ingenuity of the nicchanifm, may be 

 made to perform many little uleful offices in grafping and 

 holding things. 



LiWBS, Dl/locatkiu cj\ See LuiLAXiON. 



LiMBSa 



