A M E 
■ A M M 
llamus and vigognas, except diat it's legs are 
^horter and thicker, and it's muzzle fuller and flat- 
ter, and formed more like the human face. In 
Peru, the place of it's nativity, it is reckoned 
among the beafts of burden, and is capable of car- 
rying about a hundred weight. The Peruvians 
make fluffs, ropes, and bags, of it's wool, and va- 
rious mechanical inftruments of it's bones. 
ALPHESTES. A fifh called by fome c'mx- 
dus, approaching nearly to the turdus or wraffe 
kind; but the rays or nerves of it's back-fins are 
prickly down to the very tail, whereas the turdus 
has only the anterior rays of that fin prickly, the 
reft being fmooth. It is a fmall fifh, and is ahvays 
caught about the ftiores, and among the rocks. It's 
back is purple; it's fides and belly are yellowifli; and 
it's mouth is fmall, and furniflaed with thick and 
flefhy lips. 
ALTAVELA. A fiat cartilaginous fifli of the 
aquila marina fpecies; but having it's wings, or 
more properly it's fides, thin, flat, broad, andob- 
tufe, towards their extreme parts. From the 
fl:rong refemblance thefe flat fides bear to wings, 
the fifliermen have adopted a notion that this fifla 
can fly. The flelh is folid and well-flavoured, 
and generally fells at a very high rate. It is caught 
on the fhores of the Mediterranean, and is fre- 
quently expofed to fale in the Italian markets. 
ALUCO. A name by which fome naturalifts 
have difliinguiflied the common white owl; or, as 
we ufually call it, the barn or church-owl. 
ALUNGU. A Malabar word ufed to exprefs 
an animal refembling a lizard, except at the head 
and tail, which are both pointed. It is nearly fix 
feet long, and two broad; and is unqueftionably 
a fpecies of the manis of Linnaeus, belonging to 
the tribe of ant-eaters which are deftitute of teeth, 
but are furniflied with long, round tongues, widi 
which they collect the ants. 
AMADAVADE. A curious little biixl about 
the fize of the crefted wren, having a bill like a 
chaffinch, and fpurs like a lark. The bill is a 
beautiful red, except on the upper part of the 
upper chap, where it is black in the middle; the 
upper part of the body is brown; the rump is 
of a dark red ; and the prime feathers of the wings 
are black; as are alio thofe of the tail, wliich are 
longeft in the middle, and gradually flope to the 
fides. The prime and covert feathers of the 
wings are marked with feveral fmall white fpots, 
and the breaft and belly with larger blade ones. 
AMALOZQUE. An appellation under which 
Nieremberg defcribes a large Mexican bird. It 
frequents lakes and rivers, though not furniflied 
with webbed feet, one of the common cliaraclcrif- 
tics of aquatic birds. The breaft, belly, and the 
under-part of the wings, are white; the tail is, va- 
riegated with black and yellow ; and two black 
circles, a finger's breadth afunder, furround the 
neck and breaft. The beak is very long and Ren- 
der ; and the infefts common to marfhy places are 
it's ufual food. 
AMEIVA. A Brazilian fpecies of lizard re- 
fembling the taraguira, but having a double tail. 
Such is the account Marcgrave gives us of this 
animal; but Ray veryjudiciouflyqueftions the fa6t, 
and feems to doubt whether there is any fucli fpe- 
cies in nature. Probably what Marcgrave obferved 
was only an accidental variety of the taraguira, or 
fome other common lizard; or perhaps it's peculi- 
arities originated from fome external injury, or may 
be afcribed to a lufus naturae. 
AMEPJCAN SEA SUN CROWN. A name 
given to a marine infe6l, becauie of the -refem- 
blance it bears to the corona fblis. A particular 
defcription of this animal was given by 13r. Peyi- 
fonnel in the Philofophical Tranla6bions of 1758. 
That gentleman, however, could not acquaint us 
with it's modes of life, or v/hat it's mechanifm was; 
not being able, from his own confcflion, to dii^ 
tinguifh a mouth, or any vifcera, nor any other pro- 
bable organ by which it could receive nourifh- 
ment. 
AMERICIMA. A Brazilian fpecies of lizard, 
of very finall dimenfions, fcai cely meafuring more 
than three fingers breadth in length, and of the 
thicknefs of a fwan's quill. It's body exhibits a 
fquare appearance; it's whole back is covered 
with deep, grey fcales; it's head, legs, and fides, 
with brov/n ones ; and it's tail v/ith blue : all which 
are extremely glofly and fiTiaoth to the touch. 
It's feet are very little thicker than hog's briftles; 
and it is generally efreemed venoir.ous. 
AMMOCCETUS. A name given by Gefner, 
and fome other naturalifls,, to tlie ammodytes or 
l:uid-eei, called alfo tobianus by Schoneveldt. 
AMMODYTES. A genus of fifh, the cha- 
rafters of which, according to Artedi, are the fub- 
I'cquent. The branchioflege memibrane contains 
on each fide feven bones; but thefe, however, are 
in a great meafu.re concealed by the lamina of the 
broncliia ; the head is compreffed ; the body is ob - 
long and flender, nearly cylindrical, but a little 
comprelTetl, and deftitute of belly fins. This fifli 
is of the malacopterygious, or foft-finned kind. 
The other charafters of the fpecies enumerated 
by Artedi, are thefe: the lower-jaw is largeft; the 
lateral lines are double, or tv/o on each fide; the 
peftoral fins have each twelve rays; the back-fin 
has fifty-four; that of the anus has twenty-eight; 
.the tail is bifid, and has fifteen long rays ; the mouth 
is deftitute of teeth ; and the anus is nearer the tail 
than the head. To diis fifh the inhabitants of 
Great Britain give die name of the fand-eel. It is 
commonly found at about half a foot deep under the 
land, when the tide ebbs ; and is caught with iron 
hooks, with which the fifliemien pLill it out. The 
name is derived from Aminos, Sand; and Dytes, 
a Diver; exprefling a quality peculiar to this ani- 
mal, that of diving into or hiding itfelf in the 
find. This genus is referred to the order of 
apodes in the Linnasan iyftem. 
AMMODYTES. A fpecies of ferpent called 
alfo the ferpens cornutus. It is nearly the fize of 
the viper, and is of a yeliov/ifh or fand-colour. 
It's head refembles that of the viper, except that 
it's jaws are wider: and in the upper part it has 
a kind of wart, like an excrefcence, fuppofed to 
reprefent a horn; whence it's appellation of fer- 
pens cornutus, or the horned ferpent. It is found 
in Lybia, and in fome parts of Italy; where it is 
called the amm.odytes, or fand-fnake, from it's 
fand-like colour, as well as from it's quality of 
fometimes running under the fand. 
AMMODYTES OF CEYLON. A very 
large and dangerous fpecies of ferpent ; it's mouth 
being furniflied with a great number of very fharp 
teeth. The eyes are large and fparkling; and the 
forehead is covered with fmall round fcales of va- 
rious colours; fome yellow, otliers red, and the reft: 
variegated with red and black: the body, both 
above and below, is of a whitifli afh-colour; and 
on the back are angular 'rpo^s variegated v/ith v/hite 
and brown. The fcales on the upper part of the 
body 
