L I T 



L I T 



ffr. iii. p. S6. Bulwer, Artificial Cliangeling, p. 307. and 

 Paiilian, DA. Phvfiqiie, art. Dlgijlion. 



LITHOPHAGUS, or Stone-eater, in i^alural Hif- 

 tory. Under this name Defbois dcfcribes a fmall worm, 

 which deftroys and feeds upon ftones. It is covewd by a 

 fmall, very tender^ and brittle (liell, of afh-grey and grecnifh 

 colour. Tliis fhell is pierced at bo'h cxtren-.ities : the worm 

 evacuates its excrements through one oF the apertures, while 

 the other fervcs for an outlet to the head and legs. Tlie 

 animal itfelf is blacki(h ; its body is compofed of rings with 

 fix feet, three at each fid- ; each foot with two joints. 

 Traces of this worrw are, according to the fame author, 

 fometimes feen in the layers of frhii'his. Its progreflive mo- 

 tion is effetted bv its head, with wh ch it works its way, 

 while the remainder of it> body refts on its feet. It has four 

 jaws, which ferve the purpofes of teeth ; and from its mouth 

 ilTues a thread, of which it conftrufls its fliell. It is fnr- 

 nifhed wi h ten fmall black eye<, ffve on each iide, and dif- 

 pofed in a curved Hne like;i crefcent. This worm undergoes 

 a metainorphofis in its (liell, but it is not yet known what 

 new form it adopts. Defljois adds, that more than forty 

 worms have been feen to iflTue from out the chryfalis : their 

 heads were black, the feet very diilinft, and the, body partly 

 of a yellow and partly of a red colour, iatreille conjec- 

 tures this to be the larva of an infjft belonging to the tinea 

 tribe. 



LITHOPHIL/^., ill Botany, fo called by Dr.' Swartz, 

 being derived from y.Am *i>.o-, a lo-ver of roch, or Jlones, for 

 it is an inhabitant of barren, ftony places. Swartz. Prod. 14. 

 Ind. Ooc. V. 1.47 Schrcb. 784. Willd. Sp. PL v. i. 

 154. Mart. Mill. Dift. V. J. -Clafs ana order, DiarJiia 

 Monogynla. Nat. Ord. Caryophylle'i, Linn. Caryolhylhh 

 affir.e, JnfT. * 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of three lanceolate, acute 

 leaves. Cor. Petals three, ovate-lanceolate, ere£l, meeting 

 together, the length of the ca'.yx-leaves. Neftary of two 

 oppofite leaves, fmallcr than the corolla, carinated, acute, 

 ereft, comprefTed. Stam- Filaments two, awl-(haped, ereCl, 

 from the bafe of the germen, as long as the neftary ; anthers 

 roundifli. Pi^. Germen fuperior, roundifh ; ftyle erect, 

 equal in length to the ftamens ; itigma oblufe, emarginate. 

 Peric. two-celled ? Seeds unknown. 



EflT. Ch. Calyx of three leaves. Corolla of three petals. 

 Nectary of two leaves. 



I. L. mufcoides. Swartz. Ind. Occ. v. r. 48. t. I. — A 

 native of rocks in the defert ifland of Navaza, in the Weftern 

 ocean. — i?oo/ very firmly attached to the rocks. Stems nu- 

 merous, branched, very Hiort, thickjlh. Branches fct with 

 withered, whitifh fcales. Leaves fmall, a'mtitt felTile, nar- 

 rower and embracing the ftem at their bafe, linear, obtufe, 

 <:hannelled, fpreadirg. Florvers crowded tog;e:her, whitilTi, 

 on axillary and terminal llalks ; each flower the fize of a 

 fmall pin's head. The whole plant is extremely minute, 

 fcarcely half an inch high, and the parts of fructification are 

 fo fntall as to require a maguifyuig glafs for examination. 

 Tiiis is the only foecies known. 



LITHOPHOSPHORUS, the ftony fubftances de- 

 fcribed under thi.s name, in the -works of ancient mineralo- 

 gifts, belong partly to a variety of fulphate of barytes (Bo- 

 ronian ftone), partly to fome varieties of flnor fpar ; the 

 name being derived from the property they poffefs of giving 

 out lijrht when fcratchcd, or thrown on burning coals. 



LITKOPHYTA, in the Linnean fyilem of Natural 

 Htjlory, the fourth order of vermes or worms ; being com- 

 pofite animal?, affixed to, and fabricating a fixed calcareous 

 tafe, called coral: this order contains 59 fpecics under four 



genera ; viz. the lulipora, or red tubular coral, madreporat 

 or brain-ftones, millepora, and ccUipora. See G.ikgoma. 



One of the mull remarkable fpecie-i of the fmall lithophyta 

 we have any where an account of, is that defcribed by Mr. 

 Lcwenhoeck, thoutjh wi'hout any ptfi-ticular name, in the 

 Philofophicai Tranfaftions, N~286. p. 1430. 



LITHOPTP.RIS, Stgne-Feun, in Natural Hifloiy, 

 a name gi en by Mr. Lhuyd to fonje of the foffile plants of 

 the fern kind 



LITHOSPERMUM, in Botany, from ?.%{, a J! one, 

 and trT=?r/.K, the feed, alluding to tlie marble-like hardnefs 

 and polifit of that part. Linn. Gen. 74. Sebreb. 91;. 

 Wild. Sp. PL v. 1. 75-1. Mart. Mill. Didt. v 3. Sm. 

 Fl. Brit. 213. Ait. Hort. Kcw. ed 2. v. 1. 2S6. Juff, 

 130. Tourn. t. 5J. Lamarck Illudr. t. 91. Gxrtn. 

 t. 67. - Clafs and order, Pen.'andria Monogynla. Nat. Ord. 

 ylfpcrifolir, Linn. Borraginsa-, Jufi. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, oblong, erefl, in five 

 deep, a\\l-fliaped, acute, keeled, permanent fcgments. Cor. 

 of one petal, funnel-fnaped, as long as tiie calyx ; tube cy- 

 lindrical ; limb' obtufe, ercft, cloven half way down into five 

 fegments ; throat pervious. Stam. Filaments five, very 

 fliort ; anthers oblong, in the mouth oP the corolla. Pifi. 

 Germens four ; ilyle central between them, thread-fnaped, 

 the length of the tube ; (ligma obtufe, cloven. Peric. none,. 

 except the calyx become fpreading, and lodging the feeds, 

 which it exceeds in length, in its cavity. Seeds four, ovate, 

 pointed, hard and fmooth. 



Obf L. difpermum has an inflated calyx, and but two 

 feeds, each, as in the others, of a fingle ctll. 



EfT. Ch. Corolla funnel-ftiaped, its mouth pervious and 

 naked. Calyx in five deep fegments. 



The genera of the order of Ajperifolite have been thought 

 bv fome to have been diftinguiflied with too great minutcncfs 

 by Linnxus. The character of the prefent chiefly differs 

 from Pulmaxaria in the deep divifions of its calyx ; which 

 part, neverthelefs, in fome fpecies of the latter, is very 

 nearly as much divided, \yilldenow has fixteen fpecies of 

 Lkhofpermum, of which three are Britifli, officinale, arven/e, 

 and purpuro-ceruleiim. The flowers are generally blue or 

 whitilli, rarely yellow ; the habit herbaceous, rarely in fome 

 degree Ihrubljy, very hairy or brillly ; root often annual ;■ 

 leaixs fimple, undivided, entire, alternate, almoll univerfally 

 fellile. The following examples may iuffice. 



L. officinale. Common Gromwell, Grey Mill, or Grey 

 Millet. Linn. Sp. PI. 189. Engl. Bot. t. 134. — Seeds 

 even. Corolla fcarce longer than the calyx. Leaves lance- 

 olate, veiny, rather acute. — Native of wafte ground, where 

 the foil is dry, gravelly, or chalky, in various pai-ts of 

 Europe, being perennial, and flowering in May. The- 

 whole hi-rb is of a dull duflcy green, hairy, about two feet 

 high ; the leaves paler beneath, the fiioil and copious hairs 

 of their upper furface each fpringing from a minute white - 

 polifhed tubercle. Flozcers fmall, pale buff-coloured, in 

 leafy fpikes, which are at firll recurved, then eredt. The 

 feeds, two of which only are ufiially perfedted in each calyx, 

 are remarkable for their poliflied pearly whitenefs, though 

 fometimes tinged with broun. Their ilony hardncfs has 

 given occafion to a report of their cflervefcing with vinegar, 

 as if really calcareous, but this appears to be without founda- 

 tion ; as well as their fuppofed utility in calculous com- 

 plaints, which foems to have arifen from the fair.e circum- 

 ilance ; juft asfpottcd or biiltery vegetables were preiumed 

 good for the lungs. 



L. arvenfs. Corn Gromwell, or Baftard -Alkanet. Linn; 



Sp. PI. J 90. Engl. Bot. t. 123. Fl. Dan. t. 4:0. — 



X 2 beeds 



