HY M 
chilus Elatus of Linnaeus. The bill of this fpecies 
is of the common ftru6lure and colour; the creft 
or crov/n, which is of a fine red or flame-colour, 
polTeHcs the luftre of the ruby ; the throat refembles 
burnidied gold, changing in fome pofitions to an 
emerald green ; the body, and die coverts of the 
wings, are of an obfcure brownifli olive hue, the 
quills inclining a little to purple ; the tail-feathers 
are of a cinnamon tinge, with black tips; the lower 
belly, and the coverts beneath the tail, are of the 
fam.e colour with the tail; and a white line crofles 
the middle of the belly- This beautiful little 
bird, vv'hich is a native of Guiana, was firil de- 
fcribed by Edwards. 
HuMMiNG-BiRD, Green; the Trochilus Mel- 
lifugus of Linnasus. The bill of this bird is long, 
black, and flender; the head, neck, and whole 
body, are of a lively green colour, blucifh and 
glofly on the upper fide; the coverts of the wings 
are fomewhat yellowifh; the quills are of a brown- 
ifh purple hue; the tail is a dark blue; and the legs 
and feet are black. 
HUSO. A large fifli of the fturgeon or acci- 
penfer kind, without tubercles, caught in the Da- 
nube, Borifthenes, and other large rivers. It is fur- 
niflied with a very long fnout, under which there 
are either four or eight beards ; and it has one dorfal 
fin placed near the tail, and two pair under the 
belly. In it's general fliape, it bears a pretty 
ftrong refemblance to the pike; it's back is black, 
and it's belly yellow; it has thirteen dorfal and 
forty-three caudal fcales ; and is fupplied with car- 
tilages inftead of bones. This fifh fometimes grows 
to the length of twenty-four feet, and frequently 
weighs four hundred pounds. It is a gregarious 
animal, fwimming always in fhoals; and is caught 
in great abundance about the months of Odrober 
and November. It's flefh is not much efleemed; 
but the fifh itfelf is extremely valuable on account 
of the drug called ifinglafs, and that luxury known 
by the name of caviar; which are both prepared 
from it. See Isinglass Fish. 
HYt^INA; the Canis Hysna of Linnsus. 
This animal, which belongs to the dog kind, is 
about the fize of the wolf, and refembles that crea- 
ture in the fhape of it's head and body: however, 
the head is fomewhat broader, and lefs pointed; 
and the ears are longer. The hair on the body 
is long, coarfe, rough, of an afh-colour, and 
marked with long black flripes from the back 
dov/nwards; and the neck is furnifhed with an up- 
right mane. The tail is very thick of hair, fome- 
times plain, and at others barred with black; and 
immediately under it, above the anus, there is an 
opening into a kind of glandular porch, v/hich fe- 
parates a fubftance of the confiftence, though not 
of the odour, of civet: and this aperture probably 
gave rife to the erroneous opinion of the ancients, 
who afferted, that the Hysna was every year alter- 
nately male and female. 
This creature, which is more favage and un- 
traftable than any other quadruped, is continually 
in a ftate of rage or rapacity; ever growling, ex- 
cept when receiving it's food: it's eyes then glif- 
ten, the bridles of it's back are erefted, and it's 
teeth appear; all giving it a moft frightful afpeft, 
which is ftill farther heightened by it's dreadful 
howling, that fometimes refembles the voice of a 
human creature in diftrefs ; and hence the ancients 
have amufed us with fabulous accounts of it's 
counterfeiting thofe accents purpofely to attra<Lt 
H Y M 
the riotice of unwary {-ravellers, and then to de- 
flroy tliem. 
The Hyjena, indeed, in proportion to it's fize, 
is the moil terrible of all quadrupeds : nor does it's 
courage fidl fhort of it's ferocity; k defends itfelf 
againfl the lion, is a match for the panther, and 
frequently vanquifhes the ounce; However, it is 
an obfcure and folitary animal; and chiefly inha- 
bits Afiatic Turkey, Syria, Ferfia, and Barbary, It 
refides either in the caverns 'of mountains, in the 
clifts of rocks, or in fubterrancoiis dens which it 
has formed for itfelf. Though taken ever fo 
young, it feems utterly incapable of being tamed ; 
it is ferocious without generofity, and cruel from 
innate principle. Like the jackall, it violates the 
repofitories of the dead, and greedily feafls on the 
putrid contents of the grave. Like it, too, if preys 
on the flocks and herds; and, when deflitute of 
other food, will eat the roots of plants, and the 
tender fhoots of palm-trees. 
When the fuperftitious Arabs kill a Hysena, 
they carefully bury the head, lefl: it fhould be ap- 
plied to magical purpofes, as the neck was of old 
by the ThefTalian enchantrefs. Nor is it at all 
wonderful that an ignorant Arab iliould attribute 
to the remains of this animal a fupernatural power, 
when even the moft enlightened among the ancients 
believed that it changed it's fcx; and that it had a 
power of charming the fhepherds, and, as it were, 
of rivetting them to the very fpots v/hcre they flood. 
Some likewife have reported, that this creature 
changed the colour of it's hair at will; others, that 
a flone was found in one of it's eyes, which, when 
put under a man's tongue, endued him with tlie 
gift of prophecy; fome, that it's neck was defti- 
tute of joints; and others, that it's very fliadow re- 
ftrained dogs from barking. Such are the abfur- 
dities which have been propagated concerning this 
formidable animal; and fuch probably have ori- 
ginated from the ferocity of it's nature, and the 
principle of fear in the human breaft, which always 
conjures up imaginary terrors, and adds horror to 
what is only dreadful. 
_ Hy^na, Spotted. This fpecies, which inha- 
bits Guinea, Ethiopia, and the Cape of Good 
Hope, pofTefTes the nature and qualities of the 
common Hyjena, but is confiderably larger and 
flronger. The head is large and flat ; the whifkers 
are extremely long; the mane is fhort and black; 
the hair on the body is fhort and finooth ; and the 
ears, which are fhort and pointed^ are internally 
cinereous, and externally black. The face is 
black; the body and limbs are of a reddifh brown 
hue, and marked with diftinft round black fpots ; 
the hind-legs are barred tranfverfely v^ith blacky 
and the tail is fhort, black, and hairy. 
HYDRA. See Natrix. 
HYDROCHiERIS. The Linna;an term for 
a fpecies of the hog genus found in Surinam. See 
Capybara. 
HYDROCORAX. A name given by fome 
authors to the Corvus Indicus. 
HYMENOPTERA. In the Linn^an fyftem, 
an order of infefts having four membranaceou:; 
wings; and the tails of the females being furnifhed 
with ftings, which in fome are ufed for inftillinf^ 
poifon, and in others merely for piercing the bark 
and leaves of trees, in order to depofit their eggs. 
To this clafs belong ten genera, the cynips, len- 
thredo, firex, ichneumon, fphex, chryfis, vefpa, 
apis, formica, and mutilla, comprehending a con- 
5 F jiderabk 
