AST 
AsTERiAS, Minute. The Minute Afterias has 
a circular body, and i^ provided with five very long 
and flender rough rays, 
AsTERiAS, Lizard. The Lizard Afterias is fo 
called from the fimilitude of it's rays to the tail of 
a lizard; being fmooth, flender, fcaled, jointed, and 
white. 
AsTERiAS, Beaded. The Beaded Afterias is 
pentangular and indented ; fmooth above the aper- 
ture, and five-pointed below. Between the bafes 
of the refpC'ftive ravs, which are jointed, taper, and 
very rough on the fides, there is a fmall globular 
bead. 
AsTERiAS, Ctnouefoil. The Cinquefoil Afte- 
rias, which carries it's name in it's figure, is regu- 
larly cinquefoil ; and is furniftied with very flender 
Tdys, which are rough on the edges, and marked 
with green both above and below. 
AsTERiAS, Pied. The Pied Afterias has a cir- 
cular body, with ten radiated ftreaks : the extre- 
mities are in the form of a lozenge ; and the rays 
are hifpid, and annukted with red. 
Asterias, Javelin. The Javelin Afterias has 
a pentagonal and indented body, of a deep brown, 
mil ked with ten ftreaks of a reddifh hue; five of 
which are extremely flender, and terminate in 
points refembling javelins. 
AsTERiAS, Radiated. The Radiated Afterias 
is diftinguiftied by a round body, with ftreaks iffu- 
ing from it's centre, alternately broad and narrov/; 
having five flender and hifpid rays. 
Asterias, Indented. The Indented Aft"erias 
has a circular body, marked with five equidiftant 
indentations, which penetrate deep into the fides ; 
five light-coloured ftreaks ilTue from the centre; 
and the rays are rough and fl^ender. 
Asterias, Black. The Black Afterias is dif- 
tinguifn-d by the colour of it's body, from which it 
receives it's name, and five radiating ftreaks of white; 
the rays are rough, and of an olive colour, but tef- 
felated with deeper fnad^s. 
Asterias, Bifid. The Bifid Afterias has ten 
flender rays, befet with tendrils on their fides ; and 
the mouth is furrounded with fliort rays refembling 
threads. 
Asterias, Ten-rayed. The Ten-rayed Afte- 
rias is furnifhed with ten very flender rays, having 
a great nurr/ber of long beards on their fides ; and 
the body is minute, and encircled beneath with ten 
fmall filiform radiations. 
Asterias, Twelve-rayed. The Twelve-rayed 
Afterias contains twelve broad and finely reticu- 
lated rays, rendered hifpid, with fafciculated pa- 
pillje on the fuperior part; and, on the inferior, it 
is red and hirfure. Trie <sicitnx. naturaiifb, accord- 
ing to Ariftotle, gave the n..:mes cf After, and Stella 
Marina, to this fpecies of Afterias, from their re- 
femblance to the piftured form of the ilars of Hea- 
ven; and they alio ridiculoufiy f ncied them pof- 
feflTed of fo much heat, as to be capable of confum- 
inq; whatever came in conta£t with them. 
. Asterias, Arborescent. The Arborefcent 
Afterias is furnifhed wiih five rays ifiliing from an 
angular body; v/hich are fubdivided into innume- 
rous ramifications, grov/ing more flender as they ap- 
proach the extremities. This fpecies is by far the 
moft curious of the whole genus : it is frequently 
caught on the coafts of Scotland; and it has fome- 
times been met with on the Cbrnifli fliores. 
ASTRILD. A name given to a particular 
Ijiecies of the loxia. 
ASTURIS. A name ufed by Ray, and fome 
ATT 
other naturalifts, to exprefs the accipiter palumba^ 
rius, or gofliawk. 
ASYLUS. A term by which fome naturalifts 
denote the gad-fly. 
ATHERINE. A name given by Rondeletiusj 
and fome other naturalifts, to the hepfetus, or an-, 
guella, a fmall fifli common on the fhores of the 
Mediterranean. Bellonius, however, appropriates 
it to a very different genus. 
In the Linnaean fyftem, the Atherine falls under 
the order of abdom.inales, and comprehends two 
fpecies; viz. the hepfetus, and the menidia. The 
former, which is very common in the fea near 
Southampton, is there called a fm.elt; and the fea- 
fon of it's higheft perfeftion is from the beginning 
of March to the end of May, or the beginning of ' 
June, when it ufually fpawns. It never quits thofe 
parts of the fea, and may be conftantly caught, ex- 
cept during a very hard froft. It is not, however, 
entirely confined to this fpot ; but is Ibmet; mes found 
on other coafts of this ifland. It meafures about 
four inches and a half in length ; the back is ftraight, 
and furniflied with two fins; the belly is fomev/hat 
protuberant; and the tail is confiderably forked. 
This fifh is of a filvery colour tinged with yellow, 
femipellucid, and covered with fcales : the fide-line 
is ftraight; and below it there is a row of fmall 
black fpots. The latter fpecies of the Atherine is 
found in the frefli-waters of Carolina, and is called 
by Garden the filver-fifh. 
ATINGA GUACU MUCU. A Brazilian 
bird, about the fize of a thiaifli. The head is large; 
thebill, whichisof a greenifli yellow colour, is fome- 
what hooked; the eyps, which are fanguine, have 
black pupils; and the tail .which is remarkably long, 
confrfts of about ten feathers, fome of the lower 
ones being fnortefi:, but others, as v/ell as all die 
upper ones, full nine inches. The head, neck, 
back, wings, and tail, have brown, or rather foot- 
coloured feathers, which are darkeft in the tail; 
where, likewife, eveiy feather, for about half an 
inch, is white and red, divided with fhades of black. 
The throat, breafc, belly, and thighs, are cinereous ; 
and, on the head, there are -long feathers, which the 
bird is capable of eredling, fo as to appear like two 
horns. T'he legs, which are afh-coioured, are of 
a moderate length ; and the feet liave each four 
toes, diipofed after the ufual manner. Willughby, 
from^ the fimilarity of fize, the conformation of the 
bill, and other refemblances, ePceemsitof the thrufh 
kind; but feme otlier naturalifts have referred it 
to the ftarling tribe. 
ATRICAPILLA. The name of a fir.all bird, 
commonly called the black cap ; defcribed by fome 
authors under the appellation of ficedula fycaiis, or 
midancholyphus ; and, by the Italians, under that 
of caponegro. 
ATRICILLA. A fpecies of the laurus. 
ATTAGEN. A very beautiful bird, defcribed 
by Aldrovandus; and called by the Italians Fran- 
colini, or Free Fowl, becaufe the vulgar are re- 
ftrifted from taking it. The Attagen, as well in 
fize as in the entire conformation of it's body, re- 
fembles the pheafant. It has a ftiort black billj 
crooked at the end; a fine creft of yellow feathers, 
variegated with black and white fpots, is eredled 
on the top of it's head ; tiie eyes, which are black, 
have yellow irides; and the eyebrows, like thofe 
of the heathcock, are compofed of naked fcariet- 
coloured flcin. Under the bill, and in the begin- 
ning of the throat, hangs a tuft or beard of fine fea- 
thers; the neck, v/hich is long and rather flender, 
is 
