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L A N 
L A V 
the amount of three per cent, stock to be 
transferred tor 10/. per annum tax was 
3b6/. 13,?. 4 d. for redemption, or 400/. for 
purchase. 
This scheme was adopted with the view of 
facilitating the raising of money on loan, b) 
absorbing a large quantity of iloating stock, 
and thus raising the current price ; while at 
the same time it would be attended with an 
increase of revenue. This at least was the 
avowed object of the measure, which it was 
estimated would be the means of redeeming 
or takingoutof’ihe market about 80,000,000/. 
of stock ; the advantages offered by it were 
however, by no means such as to induce a 
general approval ot it, many persons subject 
to the tax dec ined redeeming it, and but 
few were inclined to become purchasers. The 
per.od first limited was several times extend- 
ed, but the plan succeeded very imperfectly, 
and on the 1st February, 1803, the otal 
amount of 3 per cent, stock, which had been 
transferred lor the redemption of land tax, 
was only 21,794,307/. 17.?. 3d. 
LANERLA, a genus of the hexandria mo- 
nogynia class and order. The corolla is su- 
perior, woolly ; the caps, three-ceiled. There 
is one species, a herb of the Cape. 
LAN GAYA, a genus of serpents : the ge- 
neric character is, abdominal plates; caudal 
rings ; terminal scales. 
Langaya nasuta, snouted langaya. The 
genus langaya, consisting of a single species 
only, differs from all the rest of the serpent 
tribe in having the upper part or beginning of 
the tail marked into complete rings or cir- 
cular divisions resembling those on the body 
of the amphisbena, while the extreme or ter- 
minal part is covered with small scales, as in 
the genus anguis. 
f he langaya nasuta, or long-snouted lan- 
gaya, is in length about two feet eight inches, 
and its greatest diameter about seven lines: 
the head is covered with large scales, but the 
snout, which is extremely long and sharp, 
projecting to a considerable distance beyond 
the lower jaw, is covered with very small 
scales; the teeth, in shape and disposition, 
resemble those of a viper. The natives of 
Madagascar are said to hold the langaya in 
great dread, considering it as a highly poison- 
ous serpent. 
LANGUED, in heraldry, expresses such 
animals whose tongue appearing out of the 
mouth, is borne of a different colour from 
that of the body. 
LAN I US, the shrike, or butcher-bird; a 
genus belonging to the order of accipitres, 
the characters of which are these: the beak is 
somewhat straight, with a tooth on each side 
towards the apex, and naked at the base; 
and the tongue is lacerated. 
1. The'excubitor, great cinereous shrike, 
or greater butcher-bird, is in length 10 inches. 
T he plumage on the upper parts is of a pale 
ash-colour; the under, white; through the 
eyes there is a black stripe; the scapulars are 
white; the base of the greater quills is white, 
the rest black. 1 he method of killing its 
prey is singular, and its manner of devouring 
it not less extraordinary: small birds it will 
seize by the throat, and strangle ; and which 
probably is the reason the Germans also call 
this bird wurchangel, or the suffocating angel. 
It feeds on small birds, young nestlings, 
beetles, and caterpillars. When it lias killed 
VOL. II. 
the prey, it fixes them on some thorn, and 
when thus spitted, pulls them to pieces with 
its bill. When confined in a cage, they will 
often treat their food in much the same man- 
ner, sticking it against the wires before they 
devour it. T li is bird inhabits many parts 
of Europe and North America. r j he fe- 
male makes its nest with heath and moss, 
lining it with wool and gossamer, and lays 
six eggs, about as big as those of a thrush, of 
a dull olive-green, spotted at the thickest end 
with black. In spring and summer it imitates 
the voices of other birds, by way of decoying 
them within reach, that it may destroy them ; 
but beyond this the natural note is the same 
throughout all seasons. In countries where 
they are plenty, the husbandm n value them, 
on supposition of their deslro} ing rats, mice, 
and other vermin. They are supposed to live 
live or six years; and are often trained up for 
catching small birds in Russia. 
2. The collurio, or lesser butcher-bird, is 
seven inches and a half in length. '1 Ins bird 
is much more common than the former spe- 
cies. Mr. Latham suspects its being a bird 
of passage, never having seen it in winter. It 
lays six white eggs, marked with a rufous 
browm circle towards the large end. The nest 
is generally in a hedge or low bush, near 
which, it is said, no small bird chooses to 
build ; for it not only feeds on insects, but also 
on the young of other birds in the nest, taking 
hold of them by the neck, and strangling 
them, beginning to eat them first at the brain 
and eyes. It is fonder of grasshoppers and 
beetles than of other insects, which it eats bv 
morsels, and when satisfied, sticks the re- 
mainder on a thorn: when kept in a cage, it 
does the same against the wires of it, like the 
former species. 
3. The infaustus, or rock shrike, is in length 
seven inches and three quarters. The bill is 
about an inch long, and blackish ; the head 
and neck are of a dark ash-colour, marked 
with small rufous spots; the upper part of the 
back is a dark brown; the lower much paler, 
inclining to ash, especially towards the tail; 
the quills and wing-coverts are dusky, with 
pale margins; the breast, and under parts of the 
body, are orange, marked with small spots, 
some white and others brown. This species 
is met w ith in many parts of Europe, from 
Italy on the one hand, to Russia on the 
other; and is found in some parts of Germa- 
ny, the Alpine mountains, those of Tyrol, and 
such-like placed. The manners of this bird 
seem disputed. It lias an agreeable note of 
its own, approaching to that of the hedge 
sparrow ; and will afso learn to imitate that 
ot others. It makes the nest among the 
holes of the rocks, &c. hiding it with great 
art; and lays three or four eggs, feeding the 
young with worms and insects, on which it 
also feeds itself. It may be taken young from 
the nest, and brought up as the nightingale. 
4. The faustus, or white-wreathed shrike, 
is about the size of a common thrush, its 
bill is pale ; the upper parts of the body are 
grey; the under ferruginous; from the eyes 
to the hind head there passes a whitish line, 
composed of numerous white feathers, ren- 
dering it truly characteristic; the wings are 
rounded; the quills brownish, with grey 
edges, which are crossed with numerous 
slender brown lines; the tail is rounded, 
brown, and crossed with numerous bars of 
4 9 
ga.nt species inhabits China, where it is known 
by the name of whomnu-j. It may be observ- 
ed, among others, in Chinese paper-hang- 
ings, where the white line seems to encom- 
pass the back part of the head like a wreath. 
5. The tyrannus, or tyrant shrike, is about 
the size of a thrush. Its bill is a blackish 
brown, beset with bristles at the base; the 
hides are browm; the upper parts of the plu- 
mage grey brown ; the under white ; the 
brea t inclines to ash-colour; the head is 
blackish on the upper part; the base of the 
feathers on that part in the male is orange, 
but seldom visible except it erects the lea- 
thers, when there appears a streak of orange 
down the middle ot the crown. It inhabits 
Virginia. There is a variety which inhabits 
St. Domingo and Jamaica. '1 hese birds 
are called tit i ri, pipiri, or quiquiri, from their 
cry, which resembles those words. All au- 
thors agree in the manners of these birds, 
which are ferocious to a great degree while 
the hen is sitting; no bird whatever dare ap- 
proach their nest; they will attack the first 
w hich comes near, w ithout reserve, and usu- 
ally come off conquerors. 
Many species of this genus are found in 
Cayenne, and other hot countries, as the 
lamus varius. See Plate Nat. Ilist. fig. 240. 
LANNIERS, or Lanniarbs, in a ship, 
are small ropes reeved into the dead-nian’s- 
eyes of all §hrowds, either to slacken them or 
to set them taw t; the stays of all masts are 
also set tawt by larmiers. . 
LANTANA, or IxdianSage, a genus 
of the angiospermia order, in the didynamia 
class of plants, and in the natural method 
ranking under the 40th order, personata*. 
The calyx is indistinctly quadridentated ; the 
stigma broken, and turned back like a hoof; 
the fruit is a plum with a -bilocular kernel. 
There are 19 species, consisting of shrubby 
exotics from Africa and America for the 
greenhouse or stove, growing to the height 
ot a yard or two, and adorned with oblong, 
oval, and roundish simple leaves, with mono- 
petalous, tubular, four-parted flowers of dif- 
ferent colours. They may be propagated 
either by seeds or cuttings. ] . r l he camara, 
or wild sage, is remarkable for the beauty of 
its flowers, which are yellow, tinged with red. 
2. The involucrata, or sea-side sage, has small 
ash-coloured leaves and a most agreeable 
smell. They are both natives of the West 
Indies, the former growing wild among the 
bushes, and the latter being found near 'the 
sea. Their leaves, particularly those of the 
sea-side sage, are used by the black people 
in teas for colds and complaints of the sto- 
mach. ' 3. The aculeata is a beautiful stove 
plant, remarkable for its flowers changing 
from yellow to red. bee Plate Nat. Hist. iff. 
243. 
LANTERN, Magic, an optic machine, 
whereby little painted images are represented 
so much magnified, as to be accounted the 
effect of magic by the ignorant. See Optics. 
Lantern. See Architecture. 
LAPIDARY . r j here are various machines 
employed in the cutting of precious stones, 
according to the quality: the diamond, which 
is extremely hard, is cut on a wheel of soft 
steel, turned by a mill, with diamond-dust, 
tempered with olive-oil, which also serves to 
polish it. 
The Oriental ruby, sapphire, and topaz, arc- 
