the rnoiuhj which is placed at one extremity of the 
body, and is furnifhed with crooked teeth. The 
tentacula are in a continual vibratory motion, and 
by that mxans draw fmall animals into it's mouth 
for food. The animal is equally thick in all it's 
parts, and about half an inch in length; the tail is 
trifurcated, or tenninating in three points ; the co- 
lour is a pale flefh, except the tentacula, which 
have a beautiful variety of hues, and form, when 
open, a radiated angular cn-cum.ference, like a beau- 
tiful flower with a fmooth polygonal difc. It 
lodges in little cavities of rocks, and of the larger 
fea-plants of the ftony kind; and is found on the 
co?.fts of the American iflands, of various fpecies, 
differing from each other in fhape, fize, and co- 
lour, in the Linnsan fyftcm, this animal is made 
a genus of the mollufca order of worms, including 
five fpecies : the ftalky, fulcated, ftudded, button, 
and cinque-foil ; all which are found on the coafbs 
of the Britifli ifles. See Anemonies. 
ACUS. A long flender fea-fifli, of which there 
are two fpecies, a larger and a fmaller, common in 
the Mediterranean. It is called by the Venetian 
filhermen bifcia; that is, the viper-fiih. The larger 
fpecies is often a cubit long, and about the thick- 
nefs of a finger; the fnout is long, tubular, and 
only open at the end; the mouth is of a ftrange fi- 
gure, opening upwards at the extremity of tlie 
fnout; and the eyes arc prominent. From the 
head to the anus it is of an hexagonal figure, and 
from the anus to the tail it is fquare : the anus is 
placed nearly in the centre of the body, near v/hich 
is a large longitudinal fifl'ure for the eggs of the fe- 
male. In all thefe refpeds, it bears a ftrong affi- 
nity to the hippocanpus. It has two fins at the 
gills, and another on the back; each of which is ex- 
tremely fmall, and, the laft in particular, is fcarce 
difccrnible, unlefs when the fifh is in aftual mo- 
tion. The tail is a fmall fingle fi.n; thefkin is hard 
and variegated; and the quantity of flefli is fo fmall, 
that the fiih is not regarded as v/orth eating. 
ACUS is likewife ufed by fome authors to fig- 
hify the belone, or paphix ; in Englilh, the gar- 
fifn; and, by fome, the horn-fiili. The two dif- 
tin6l kinds underftood by this indefinite term are 
diftinguifiied by the names of the authors who firft 
noticed them ; the tobacco-pipe fifl^, or that with 
the tubular nofe, being called the Acus of Ariftotle ; 
and the gar-fifli, or that with the horizontal open 
mouth, the Acus of Oppian. This laft is not 
very different in fliape from the former ; being 
long and flender, with a round back, a flat belly, 
a very long nofe or fnout fliarp and pointed, and 
a flat head. Tlie back is of a greenifli colour, and 
the fides and belly are of a filvery white; the head 
is of a blueifa green, and an obfcurcly dotted pur- 
pie line runs along the back; the under-] aw is lon- 
ger than the upper, and both are tliickfet with fliarp 
teeth. It has only one back fin, and a forked tail. 
Bellonius defcribes another fpecies of this fifli, 
confiderably larger than the common one, fcaly, 
and furnifhed with broader teeth; whereas the 
common one has either no fcales, or they are ex- 
tremely minute. The dotted dorfal line, how- 
ever, has been affirmed by fome to be a fingle rov/ 
of fcales, and thefe perfons contend that the fifli 
has no other. 
ADDER. A venomous reptile of the ferpent 
kind, fometimes confounded with the^afp, but 
more ufually known by the name of the viper. 
See Viper. 
The diflinguifliing charafterifliics between the 
adder and the ihake are, that the former is much 
fhorter in proportion to it's bignefs, efpecially be- 
low the vent; that it is marked on the back with 
black lines or fpots, which the fnake v/ants; that 
it's belly is blackifh, and of one colour, whereas 
the fnake is party-coloured, of a pale yellow and 
blue; that it never attains to the fize of a fnake? 
and, laftly, that it is viviparous, whereas the fnake 
is oviparous. 
ADDER, SEA. The Englifti name of a fpe- 
cies of fyngnathus, with a round body, deilitute of 
tail or pe6loral fins. 
ADDER, WATER. A name fometimes ap- 
plied to the natrix. See Natrix. 
ADEL. A name given by fome nations to the 
lavaretus, or albula nobilis. Thefe, indeed, are 
ufually treated of by naturalifts as two different 
kinds of fifh; but Artedi contends that they are 
the fame fpecies, and diftinguiflies them by the 
name of the coregonus with the upper jaw flat, 
and longer than the under, and with fourteen rays 
in the back fin. 
ADMIRABLE. A fpecies of butterfly gene- 
rally frequenting the great flinging nettle, on v/hich 
the female commonly lays her eggs; in doing which 
file flies from one nettle to another, depofiting her 
eggs fingly, one on a leaf, and at fuch diftances 
from each otherj that fometimes her ftore of eggs 
will be extended over feveral fields. Nature pro- 
bably dire£ts her to this mi'-.thod, as a more certain 
fecurity for the prefervation of the fpecies; and 
fo attentive is flie to the fafet}^ of her young brood, 
that flie often fecretes herfelf among the nettles,- 
in order to examine if they are frequented by ants, 
or other creatures deftrudlive to caterpillars, be- 
fore fhe ventures to depofit a Angle egg. 
No fooner is the egg hatched, than the young 
caterpillar, being of a very tender nature, begins 
to feek a place of fecurity ; and to keep itfelf from 
the injuries of the weather, as well as the ichneumon, 
of which it feems to live in conftant apprehenfion. 
It enclofes itfelf in a leaf of the nettle, by drawing 
it's edges together with the fine filken threads ic 
contains; and, being lodged in fecurity, feeds on 
that part of the leaf which is next the ftalk, till 
having confumed the greatefc part of the leaf, it 
fhifts it's {kin, and forfi.kes it's ruined habitation, 
to go in fearck of a place proper for a new one. In 
this manner the caterpillar proceeds, till one leaf is 
no longer able to contain it, when it creeps up to- 
wards the top of the nettle, and fpins itfelf up within 
the leaves, after eating the ftalk almoft through. 
Sometimes, indeed, it may be found drawing the 
tops of two contiguous nettles together; and it of- 
ten happening that fome one nettle which may be 
wanted to compofe the habitation, is at too great a 
diftance, on fuch occafions tiie caterpillar inftinc- 
tivcly confumes the ftalk on the farther fide, that it 
may more readily incline to it's purpofe. 
To find this caterpillar, it is only neceflaryto ex- 
amine fuch nettles as have their tops bending with 
their leaves, and withered. This is done by the 
caterpillar of the Admirable; and, among the dead 
leaves, it's fpinning, and probably the chryftdis, may 
be found, as it feldom begins to work till ready for 
it's transformation, which happens generally about 
the bewinnino; of Auguft. 
The caterpillars aifume various colours: fome 
appearing of a light yellow, or amber colour; and 
others almoft black. The younger caterpillars, how- 
ever, are black, freckled with fmall yellow Ipots. 
When properly fed, the caterpillar generally af- 
fixes itfelf to it's fpinning by means of it's tail, 
and changes to the chrj^flilis, though fometimes it 
may 
