ASC 
one is loofe. It is a native of the Ifland Trenniti, 
in the Adriatic Sea; and is generally conjectured 
to be the avis diomedis of antiquity. 
AHU, or KARA. A bird of the penguin or 
hawk kind. It is larger than a duck; it's head, 
neck, and back, are black; it's bill is long, ftraightj 
black, and fliarp; it's legs are black, with a caft 
of red ; it has three black toes ; and is web-footed. 
Great numbers of thefe birds are found on the 
jocky iflands of Kamtfchatka. The inhabitants 
kill them for the fake of their flefh, though tough 
and ill-tailed ; but more for their fkins, of which 
they make themfelves garments. The eggs of the 
Aru are ef^reemed a great delicacy. 
ASCARIDES. A clafs of worms of a flender 
filiform body, attenuated at each end; and ranged 
by Linnseus among the vermes inteftinre. Thefe 
worms are chiefly found in the inteftinum reftum 
of children; are frequently voided vnth the f$5ces; 
and occafion a perpetual motion in the inteftines, 
and an intolerable itching. 
The Afcarides, however, are not fo dangerous 
as many other worms ; but, for feveral reafons, they 
are more difficult to be expelled : their fituation is 
fo remiote from the ftomach, that medicines gene- 
rally lofe their effefts before they can reach them ; 
they are lodged in a vifcous humour, which repels 
and prevents the operation of applications; and 
they fometimics alcend into the caecum, where they 
remain entrenched in perfeft fecurity. 
Afcarides is alfo a name ufed by Reaumur to de- 
note a jbrt of fmall worms, or maggots, bred from 
the eggs of winged anim.als ; and which, burying 
themfelves betv^/een the m.em.branes of the leaves 
of plants, confume the parenchymatous fubfliance. 
Small as thefe Afcarides in general are, they ne- 
verthelefs exhibit the proper chara6ters by which 
they may be reduced to regular clafTes : thofe which 
derive their origin from, tlie eq-o-s of butterflies are 
truly and properly caterpillars in miniature; the 
maggots from flies form a fecond clafs ; and the 
Afcarides of beetles, which change to hexapode 
worms, a third. 
With refpedl to the minute caterpillars, fome 
are furnilhed with fixteen feet, while others have 
only fourteen ; fome are perfeftly fmooth and equal 
all over the body, while others have a number of 
rings or annular diviflojis like the larger caterpil- 
lar. Their feveral changes, liowever, before they 
arrive at the fly fcate, are the fame with thole of the 
common filk-worm, and other fpecies of large ca- 
terpillars. The Afcarides of the parent butterfly are 
depofited fingly, only one being placed on each leaf; 
for the fmall caterpillar is of a folitary nature. Thefe 
eggs are fo minute as to be fcarcely perceptible: 
Reaumur, hov/ever, not only difcovered them lying 
on the leaves of plants, but alfo traced them to their 
time of hatching. This accurate obferver took 
notice that the caterpillar never enjoys the light, 
or free air: for, as foon as it is hatched, it eats it's 
way through the integuments of the leaf; and, un- 
der the cover of it's fhell, buries itfelf among the 
parenchymatous matter, from whence it never flirs 
till it arrives at it's winged flrate. 
The worms hatched from the eggs of flies make 
their way as fpeedily into the fubftance of the leaf 
as the minute caterpillars : but the latter eat their way 
through the leaf with their teeth ; while the formicr 
continue ftriking their heads forcibly againft it till 
they compleat a perforation large enough to admit 
their whole bodies, when they feed on the paren- 
chyma of the leaf, in the fume manner as the cater- 
ASP 
pillars, till they finally change into their cliryfalxs 
fl:ate within the covert of the membrane of the leaf. 
The laft kind of Afcarides, which eventually be^ 
com.e beetles, make their way into the fubfl:ance of 
the leaf after the fame manner as the preceding; 
and, when they have fed on it's parenchyma and 
juices throughout their ftated time, they fometimes 
change in the covering of the membrane, and at 
others com.e out of their holes, as if preferring the 
furface of the leaf for that purpofe. 
ASCHIA. Another namie for the grayling. 
ASCIDIA. A genus of worms belonging to the 
mollufca clafs in the Linnsan fyftem of arrange- 
ments and comprehending fix fpecies. The body, 
which is brown, is fixed to afheil, rock, orfomx other 
hard ilibflance; and it is furnifhed with two aper- 
tures ; one on the fummit, and the other fomewhat 
lower, forming a fliea'ch. The extremities are gene- 
rally fcabrous ; the middle part being fmootJi, and 
the lower flat. Animals of this genus poffefs the 
faculty of fquirting out the water they have im- 
bibed. 
ASELLUS. The claffical name for a genus 
of fiili including the cod and the whiting; and of 
vvhich naturalifcs enuiTierate feveral fpecies. 
ASILUS. A name given by fome naturaliflis 
to the luteola, or regulus non crifl:atus; an ex- 
tremely linall bird, which commonly frequents 
wiiiov/-trees. 
ASILUS. The clafllcal name of a genus of in- 
fers belonging to the diptera of Linnaeus, and 
comprehending feven teen fpecies. 
This genus, Vvhich comprehends the hornet- fly 
or wafp-fly, has thefe chara6leriftics : the infeft is 
bipennated; and has a fliyle, or oblong body, ter- 
minated by a protuberance, called a balancer, un- 
der each wing: the head is furniflied with a fnout 
or beak of a fubulated figure, which is very fliarp 
at the extremity. 
Some naturaliflis have befl:ov/ed on tliefe infe<5ls 
the appellations of mufcas crabroniformes, mufcse 
rapaces, and mufcae vefpiformes. 
ASINUS PISCIS. A nam.e fometimes given 
to the Ecglefinus, or common haddock, called alio 
onos. 
ASIO. A name by v.'hich Aldrovandus, and 
other naturalills, exprefs the otus, or leflTer-horned 
owl. 
ASKER. A provincial appellation for the wa- 
ter-nev/t, or eft. 
ASOTUS. A fpecies ot" the filurus. 
ASP. A fpecies of venomous ferpent, the bite 
of which is faid to occafion a foeedy, but gentle 
death; on which account Cleopatra put a period to 
her exiflence by the application of thefe reptiles to 
her bofom, when victory declared againft Mark 
Anthony at the battle of A6lium. 
The Afp is frequently mentioned by ancient 
hiPcorians; but their defcriptions are fo vague and 
uncertain, that it is difficult to determine v/hat 
knov/n fpecies may at prefent be fo called. The 
word is undoubtedly derived from Afpis, a Shield ; 
becaufe the creature lies convolved in a circle, in 
the centre of v/hich it exerts or raifes it's head like 
the umbo of a buckler. 
Some authors defciibe ti e Afp as being about 
the fize of a common fnake; except that the back 
is broader, and the neck capable of avail inflation 
when the creature is incenfed. It's teeth are alfo faid 
to be exceedingly long, and to ftand out of it's 
inouth like thofe of a boar; but this v/e may fairly 
ailcrt to l?e fabulous, though mentioned by fevei-al 
naturaliHs. 
