D I O 
brown, tinged with red; the greater quill-fcathers 
Are dufky, and the interior webs of the lefiTer are 
white; the belly is cinereous, mixed with a filvery 
white and a tinge of red; the wings are fmall; and 
the legs, which are a dufky green, are placed fo 
far behind, that the bird walks with difficulty, and 
very feldom attempts to fly: however, it meets 
with fafety in diving; which a£l it performs with 
great velocity, and poffeffes the faculty of remain- 
ing a confiderable time under water. This fowl, 
which fubfifts principally on filh and aquatic plants, 
forms it's nell on the banks of rivers and lakes in 
the water, without any faftening, fo that it floats in 
the ftream. It lays five or fix eggs of a white co- 
lour, which the bird always covers after quitting 
it's habitation. Notwithftanding the rifing of the 
water into the neft keeps the eggs conftantly wet, 
the natural warmth of the animal brings on a fer- 
mentation in the vegetables; which being a full 
foot in thicknefs, make a comfortably warm bed, 
that aflifts the dam in hatching; her brood. 
DIDELPHIS. The Linnjean name for the 
animal called by other writers philander. In the 
above celebrated naturalift's fyftem of zoology, 
this creature is alfo a difbindt genus of animals of 
the order of ferae, and clals of mammalia ; the dil- 
tinguifhing characters of which are, that they have 
ten upper fore-teeth, and eight lower, the two inter- 
mediate ones being very lliort; that the laniarii are 
long, and the molares denticulated; and that they 
have alfo a fmall bag or pouch under the belly. 
See Opossum. 
DIEBEL. An appellation given by Kentman 
and others to the capito or chub. It is properly 
a fpecies of the cyprinus. See Capito and Cy- 
PRINUS. 
DIODON. A very curious genus of fifhes, 
havihg a very deep body, which appears as if am- 
putated in the middle. The mouth is fmall ; and 
there are only two teeth in each jaw. Rondoletius 
has given this clafs of fifhes the fynonym of orthra- 
gorifcus, probably confidering it as the fame which 
Pliny intended by that name; but the account 
left by that naturalift is fo fhort, that it is difficult 
to determine to what fifh it is to be referred. 
DioDON, Oblong. This fpecies, called alfo the 
fun-fifh, grows to a vaft fize. That defcribed by 
Salvian weighed upwards of one hundred pounds; 
and Dr. Borlafe mentions one caught at Plymouth 
in I734> which was five hundred weight. The Ob- 
long Diodon, in fhape, bears fome refemblance to 
the bream, or to fome deep fifh cut off in the mid- 
dle. The mouth, which is very fmall, contains 
only two broad teeth in each jaw, having fharp 
edges; the eyes are fmall, and before each there 
is a fmall femilunar aperture ; the peftoral fins are 
very minute; the dorlal and anal fins are elevated, 
and placed at the extremity of the body; and the 
tail, which is narrow, fills all the abrupt fpace be- 
tween thofe two fins. The back is dufky, and 
mottled ; the belly is filvery ; and between the eyes 
and the pefloral fins there are certain ftreaks which 
point downwards. The (km, which is deftitute 
of fcales, when boiled, turns to a glutinous jelly 
refembling cold boiled ftarch ; and, on being applied 
to paper or leather, anfwers all the purpofes of glue. 
This creature lives on Ihell-fi.fn ; and it's flelh is 
fo unufually rank, as to be totally unfit for food. 
Diodon, Short. This fpecies differs from the 
former in the fhortnefs and deepnefs of it's body; 
in the back and anal fins being higher; and in the 
L-iperrure to the gills not being femilunar, but oval. 
D 1 S 
It was caught ofi^ Penzance, and is mentioned by 
Dr. Borlafe in his Natural Hiftory of Cornwall. 
However, though it is fometimes found on the 
weflrern coafts of this kingdom, it is more fre- 
quently fo in the warmer climates of Europe. 
Diodon, Globe. The length of this fifh is 
about one foot feven inches; and the whole cir- 
cumference, when diftended, is two feet fix. The 
form of the body is ufually oblong; but when the 
creature is alarmed, it poflefllr's the power of in- 
flating it's belly to a globular fhape of great fize. 
Nature feems to have endued the Globe Diodon 
with this property as a defence againft fifli of 
prey, as they are thereby prevented from laying 
hold of it with facility, and are likewife terrified by 
the vaft numbers of fpines with which that part is 
armed, and which it is capable of erefting at plea- 
fure. The niouth is fmall; the irides are white, 
tinged with red; and the back, from the head to 
the tail, is almoft ftraight, and of a rich blue co- ' 
lour. The dorfal fin is placed low on the back, 
the anal being oppofite; the tail is nearly divided 
by an angular projeftion in the middle; and there 
are no ventral fins. The tail and fins are brown ; 
and the l)elly and fides are white, corrugated, and 
befet with an infinite number of fmall Jfharp fpines 
adhering to the {\<m by four procefies. 
Tills fpecies is common to Europe and Ame- 
rica; but only one fingle fpecimen ivas been difco- 
vered in our feas, and that near Penzance in Corn- 
wall. 
DIOMEDE BIRD. A fowl of the web-footed 
kind; having a flender beak, hooked at the end; 
and it's hinder toe being unconnedled with the 
membrane which unites the reft. It is of the lize 
of the comm.on hen, but it's neck and legs are 
much longer. It's colour is dufky, and fomewha'c 
browniih; and under the belly there is a fmall por- 
tion of white. Tlie beak is a fine red; and in 
fome yellowifh, with a black tip. It is found in 
the Infula Diomedia, now called Tremiti, in the 
Adriatic Sea ; and is faid to be peculiar to that 
ifland. 
DIOMEDIA. The Diomedia, in the Lin- 
nfean fyftem, forms a genus of anferes, with a 
ftraight bill ; the upper miandible being hooked at 
the extremity, and the lov/er trvincated. It in- 
cludes the albatrofs and Magellanic goofe. 
DIPPER. A genus of ftiells of a fuboval 
figure, linooth, furniflied v/ith an oblong aperture, 
and having one end a little convoluted. The in- 
clofed animal is a Aug. See Bulla. 
DIPSAS. A fpecies of ferpent, the bite of 
which is of fo malignant a nature, as to produce a 
mortal thirft; from which circumftance this rep- 
tile has received it's name. It is found in Africa, 
and fome other countries. 
DIPTERA. An order of infe<5ts having only- 
two wings; under each of which there is aftyle or 
oblong body, terminated by a protuberance or 
head called a balancer. The appellation is de- 
rived from Dis, Two ; and Pteron, a Wing. 
DISCOIDES FIBULA. A genus of the echi- 
nodermata, or fea hedge-hogs ; the periphery of 
the bafe of which is exactly round, and the body 
of a convexo-concave figure. The principal fpe- 
cies of this genus is the fubuclus ; which has fome- 
times a rofaccous top, the lines being very neat 
and elegant ; at other times, a plain and frnooth 
top; fometimes it is entirely covered with very 
minute and fmall ftriae; and fometimes it is much 
more deprelTed tiian at others. 
DIVER. 
