PEC 
PEL 
run wild in the woods, has often been feen to herd 
among a drove of Pecaries, but never to breed 
from them. They may therefore be confidered 
as two diftindl creatures : the hog is the larger and 
more, ufeful animal; the Pecary is more feeble 
and local : the hog fubfifts in moft climates of 
the world, and in almoft every climate ; the Pe- 
cary is a native of the warmer regions of South 
America only, and cannot fubfift in ours with- 
out Ihelter and afliftance. It is, however, ex- 
tremely probable that we could readily propagate 
the breed of this quadruped; and that, in two or 
three generations, it might be familiarized to our 
climate; but as it is in every refpe<5t inferior to 
the hog, it would be needlefs to admit a new do- 
meftic, whofe fervices are better fupplied in the 
old. 
PECORA. In the Linnsan fyftem of zoo- 
logy, a clalTical term expreflive of a whole order 
6f quadrupeds: the diftinguifhing charaders of 
which are; that the creatures have cutting-teeth 
in their under jav^s, but none in their upper; that 
they have no canini; but five molares each way. 
Linnjeus enumerates fix genera of this order; 
namely, the camel; mofchus; cervus, or ftag; the 
capra, or goat; the ovis, or fheep; and the bos, or 
ox; including collectively thirty-five fpecies. 
PECTEN. A genus of fliell-fifh : the cha- 
racters of which are; that the fliell is bivalve, 
fhutting clofe in all parts, of a flatted lhape, 
flriated after the manner of a comb, and often au- 
riculated, fometimes femi-auriculated, and fome- 
times not at all auriculated. There are alfo fome 
fpecies elate, though they are generally deprefied. 
This genus received the appellation of Pecfhen 
from the longitudinal ftriae with which the fur- 
face of the fliell is covered, which refemble the 
teeth of a comb. According to the general cha- 
racters of this fliell, it will be readily appre- 
hended, that under the denomination PeCten, 
cockles, as well as fcallops, are intended to be 
included. 
Though the having ears is the common mark 
of difl:in£tion between the PeCtens and cockles, 
(which lafl; are ufually dcflritute of any) yet the 
genera are not fo difliinCt as fome have imagined: 
for there are fliells allowed to be PeCtens or fcal- 
lops, which have yet no ears; and others univer- 
jddly allowed to be cockles, which neverthelefs are 
furniflied with ears. From this appears the error 
of Lift:er, who made thefe two difl:in6t genera ; and 
gave the ears, and equal convexity of both fiiells, 
as their principal charadlers. 
Conchologifl:s in general have made the genus 
of cockles very extenfive ; but all the fuppofed 
fpecies may be aptly admitted into the genus of 
the cordiformis or heart-fiiell, and the PeCtens. 
Hence, if this eft:ablifliment of the genus of the 
PeCten is allowed, the fpecies are to be enume- 
rated under feveral difl:ind: heads. Thus, fome 
PeCtens are auriculated on both fides, of which 
there are feventeen fpecies; of Pcftens which are 
fem.i-auriculatcd, there are fix fpecies j and of 
thofe without ears, there are feven fpecies. 
The Pedlens poflTefs the power of fpinning or 
forming threads, like themufcle; but their tex- 
ture is much ftiorter and coarfer than that of the 
mufcle; nor can the threads be fabricated into 
any fort of work, like thofe of the pinna marina. 
The ufe of the threads which the Pedten fpins, 
is to fix the creature to any contiguous body, 
whether it be a ftone, a piece of coral, or ano- 
ther fliell: all thefe threads proceed, as in the 
mufcle, from one common trunk ; in thofe fliells 
which are furniflied with ears, they make ihe'ir way 
out a little below that ear ; in the others, it feems 
they iflTue out on each fide. As a proof that this 
fifli pofl^eflTes the faculty of fixing itfelf at pleafure 
to any folld body by means of thefe threads, the 
fcallops are often foundtofled on thofe rockswhere 
there were none the day before; and yet thefe are 
fixed by their threads as firmly as thofe which 
have remained a confiderable time in their place. 
PEDETICHE. An appellation given by 
fome Greek writers to the chamois goat, the crea- 
ture whofe {km afiords the chamois or fliammy 
leather. See Goat, Chamois. 
PEDICULUS. The claflical name of the 
loufe. See Louse. 
PEDO. An appellation given by fome natu- 
ralifi:s to the tipula, or father-long-legs ; called by 
others gruina, or the crane-fly. 
PEGASUS. An appellation by which natura- 
lift:'s cxprcfs a genus of the amphibia nantes: the 
characters of which are; that the mouth is furniflied 
with a retractile probofcis; that the upper jaw is 
denticulated ; that the fnout is linear, and enfi- 
form; that the opening of the gills is before the 
peCtoral fins ; that the body is articulated by bony 
joints ; and that the ventral fins are abdominal. 
There are three fpecies of this genus, all inhabi- 
tants of the Indian ocean. 
PEGORELLA. A name by which fome au- 
thors exprefs a fifli of the truttaceous kind, caught 
in the Mediterranean, and more ufually called 
callarias. 
PEKAN. A North American animal of the 
weafel kind, refembling the martin in fliape; 
about one foot feven inches long from nofe to 
tail, the tail meafuring eleven inches more. The 
whiflcers are long and ftrong; the ears are a little 
pointed ; the hair on the head, back, and belly, is 
cinereous at the root, of a bright bay at the ends, 
and very foft and glofly. The fides are tinged 
with grey; the legs and tail are black; the toes 
are covered with thick hair above and below ; and 
between the fore-legs there is a white fpot. 
PELj^IAS. An appellation given by the an- 
cients to that fpecies of pigeon now known by 
the name of the livia, and faflTorolla. It is of a 
grey colour, with fome variegations of green and 
purple ; and is of a very fmall fize. 
PELAGIiE. A term ufed to exprefs fuch 
fea-fliells and fiflies as are hardly ever found near 
the fliores ; but always refide in the deep, or in 
thofe parts of the bottom of the fea which are very 
remote from land. 
PELAGIA. An appellation ufually given by 
Pliny, and other ancient naturaliflis, to the pur- 
pura. 
PELAMYS. A name by which the ancients 
exprefled the young brood of the thynnus, or 
tunny-fifli, at a certain age and fize: however, 
later writers have appropriated the word to the 
name of a difl:inCl fpecies of fifli of the genus 
known by the appellation farda, and Pelamys 
farda. This fifli is fliaped like the tunny ; but 
it's flcin is fmooth, and entirely free from fcales, 
except about the gill-fins ; and it's teeth are large, 
long, and crooked. Thefe are the only external 
marks by which it may be difl:inguiflied from the 
young brood of the tunny; but the hardnefs of 
it's flefli forms a certain criterion. 
PELAMYS VERA. An appellation given 
by 
