O R I 
O R N 
the key-frame, so that when the outer end is 
pushed down by drawing back the bolt P, fig. 
7, the other will raise the key-frame : the bolt 
O is then at liberty to be drawn back ; and 
the piece N can be set, and fixed at another 
notch, which causes the organ to play another 
tune, by moving the barrel along a small dis- 
tance, which brings a fresh set of pins under 
the keys, which are differently disposed. By 
the arrangement of the bolts as above, the 
barrel can never be moved without first 
fitting up the keys, so that there is no danger 
i of breaking the keys of pins in the barrel. 
The pannels ol' the organ are slid into 
grooves cut in the four uprights of the frame. 
ORJB'ASIA, a genus of the monogynia 
order, in the pentandria class of plants , and 
in the natural method ranking under the 
forty-seventh order, stellatie. J he Corolla is 
small, tubulated, and monopetalous. lire 
pericarpium is a globular 'berry, grooved 
longitudinally ; is cjuinqueloculat, and con- 
tains one seed. Of this there are six species, 
i all natives of the wanner parts of America, 
viz. 1. Officinalis: the natives of Guiana 
make infusions of the leaves, and give them 
in cases of spasmodic asthma. 2. Racemosa. 
3. Yiolaceal. 4. Lutea. 5. Paniculata. 6. 
Longiflora. 
ORIC H ALCU M. See Zinc. 
ORIGANUM, origan’/, or marjoram, a 
genus of the gymnospermia order, in the 
didynarnia class of plants, and in the natural 
method ranking under the forty-second order, 
verticillatae. There is a strobilus or cone 
collecting the calcyes together. The prin- 
cipal species are, two hardy perennials and 
: an annual for the open ground, and live per- 
ennials tor the greenhouse: viz. 1. The 
| vulgare, or wild pot-marjoram. 2. The he- 
> racleoticum, or winter sweet-marjoram, 
i These are finely-scented aromatics, excellent 
for culinary purposes, particularly for broths, 
Soups, &c. they have likewise merit for me- 
dical uses, and for giving fragrance to oint- 
ments ; so that the plants are proper both 
for kitchen and physic gardens, and may 
also be employed in the pleasure-ground as 
plants of variety. 3. The marjorana, or an- 
nual sweet-marjoram, is an aromatic of the 
highest fragrance, is admirable for kitchen 
use, and excellent for nosegays. It is often 
called knotted marjoram, from the flowers 
growing in close, knotted-like heads. The 
following mostly assume an undershrubby 
growth ; frequently with abiding stalks, if 
they shelter here in winter : 4. The dictain- 
nus or dittany of Crete. 5. The sipyleum, 
or origanum of mount Sipvlus. 6. The ere- 
ticum, or Cretan origany. 7. The smyr- 
nxum, or Smyrna origany. 8. The aegypti- 
hcum, or Egyptian origany. There are four 
other species. 
ORIGENISTS, in church-history, a 
Christian sect in the fourth century, so call- 
ed from their drawing their opinions from 
the writings of Origen. The origenists main- 
tained, that the souls of men had a pre- 
existent state, that they were holy intelli- 
gences, and had sinned in heaven before the 
body was created : that Christ is only the 
son of God bv adoption. 
. ORIGINAL, in the court of king’s bench, 
•the usual original writ issued in the actions, 
as for action of trespass upon the case. And 
this court does not issue originals in actions 
O R I 
of debt, covenant, ar account, he. whereas 
the court of common-pleas proceeds by •ori- 
ginal in all kinds of actions ; but to arrest 
and sue a party to outlawry, it is used in 
both cases. See Impey’s B. U. and C. B. 
ORIOLUS, oriole, in ornithology, a germs 
belonging to the order of pica?. The bill in 
this genus is straight, conic, very sharp-point- 
ed ; edges cultrated, inclining inwards ; man- 
dibles of equal length. Nostrils small, placed 
at the base of the bill, and partly covered, 
longue divided at the end. d oes, three 
forward, one backward ; the middle joined 
near the base to the outmost one. These 
birds are inhabitants of America, except in 
a few instances; they are a noisy, gregarious, 
frugivorous, granivorons, and voracious race, 
very numerous, and often have pensile nests. 
I lie several species, which are very numer- 
ous, since Mr. Latham describes no less 
than forty-five, seem to be principally dis- 
tinguished by their colour. 
1. The first species, is called the oriolus 
Baltimore, by Li imams, and the Baltimore 
oriole by Remnant, and is an inhabitant of 
North America, which country it quits be- 
fore winter, and probably retires to Mexico ; 
the xochitotl of Fernandez seeming to be of 
the same species. The head, throat, neck, 
and upper part of the back of the male, are 
described to be black ; the lesser coverts of 
the wings orange ; the greater black, tipt 
with white; the breast, belly, lower part of 
the back, and coverts of the tail, of a bright 
orange. The head and back of the female 
are orange, edged with pale brown ; the tail 
dusky, edged with yellow. The length 
both of the male and female is seven inches. 
This bird suspends its nest to the horizontal 
forks of the tulip and poplar trees, formed of 
the filaments of some tough plants, curiously 
woven, mixed with wool, and lined with 
hairs. It is of a pear-shape, open at lop, 
with a hole on the side through which the 
young are fed. Jn some parts- of North 
America, this species, from its brilliant co- 
lour, is called the fiery hang-nest. It is 
named the Baltimore bird, from its colours 
resembling those in the arms of the late lord 
Baltimore, whose family were proprietors of 
Maryland. 
2. The sharp-tailed oriole is about the size 
of a lark; the bill is dusky; the crown is 
brown and cinereous ; the cheeks are brown, 
bounded above and below with deep dull 
yellow. The throat is white; the breast, 
sides, thighs, and vent, are a dull pale yel- 
low, spotted with brown; the belly is white ; 
the back is varied with ash-colour, black, 
and white; the wing-coverts are dusky, with 
ferruginous edges. 
The other species of the oriole, (see Plate 
Nat. Hist. figs. 301 and 302.) according to 
Mr. Pennant’s enumeration, are the white- 
backed, the bastard, the black, the brown- 
headed, the rusty, the white-headed, the 
Hudsonian white-headed:, the olive, the yel- 
low-throated, the unalaschka; the sharp- 
tailed, and the red-wing. This last species is 
known in America by the name of the red- 
winged starling and the swamp blackbird. 
Although they appear at New York only 
from April to October, they probably con- 
tinue through the whole year in the southern 
parts ; at least, Catesby and Latham make 
no mention of their departure. 1 hey are 
seen at times in such prodigious Hocks, as 
5 
31 Cf 
even to obscure the sky. They were es- 
teemed the pest of the colonies, making most 
dreadful havock among the maize and other 
grain, both when newly-sown and ripe. They 
are very bold, and not to be terrified by a 
gun; for, notwithstanding the sportsman 
makes A' lighter in a flock, the remainder 
will take a short flight, and settle again in 
the same field. The farmers sometimes at- 
tempt their destruction, by steeping the 
maize before they sow it in a decoction of 
white hellebore. The birds that eat this pre- 
pared corn, are seized with a vertigo, and 
tall down, which sometimes drives the rest 
away. This potion is particularly aimed at 
the purple grackles or purple jackdaw, which 
consorts in myriads with this species, as if 
in conspiracy against the 1 hours of the hus- 
bandman. I'll e fowler seldom tires among 
thb flocks without killing some of each. They 
appear in the greatest numbers in autumn, 
when they receive additions from the re- 
tired parts of the country, to prey on the ripen- 
ed maize. Some of the colonies eslabli.-hed a 
reward of three-pence a dozen for the ex- 
tirpation of the jackdaws; and in New Eng- 
land, the intent was almost effected at the 
cost of the inhabitants ; who discovered, at 
length, that Providence had not formed these 
seemingly destructive birds in vain. Not- 
withstanding they caused such havock 
among the grain, they made ample recom- 
pence, by clearing the ground of the noxious 
worms, the caterpillar of the bruchus pisi, or 
peas -beetle, in particular, with which it 
abounds. As soon as the birds were destroy- 1 
ed) the reptiles had full leave to multiply ; 
and the consequence was the total loss of 
the grass in 1749, when the New Englanders,, 
repenting too late, were obliged to get their 
hay from Pennsylvania, and ey.en from Great 
Britain. 
ORION, in astronomy, a constellation of 
the southern hemisphere. See Astronomy. 
Orion’s ring, in astronomy, a constella- 
tion more usually called Eridamis. See Eiu- 
DANUS. 
O KNIT II OG ALU M, star of Bethlehem, 
a genus of the hexandria monogynia class of 
plants, the corolla whereof consists of six 
petals, of a lanceolated figure from the base 
to the middle, erect from thence to the 
points, piano-patent; they are permanent, 
but lose their colour : the fruit is a round 
angulated capsule, formed of three valves, 
and containing three cells ; the seeds are 
numerous and roundish, the receptacle co- 
lumnar. 
There are thirty-five species, all of thenv 
herbaceous and perennial, rising from three 
to six feet high, having stalks terminated with 
long spikes of hexapetalous, star-shaped, 
white and yellow flowers. Six cf the spe- 
cies are very hardy, and will prosper in any 
situation: but one,-nainely the capense, a 
native of the Cape of Good Plope, requires- 
the assistance of artificial warmth to preserve 
it in this country. 
ORNITHOLOGY, that branch of zoo- 
logy, which treats of birds. See Bird. Lin- 
naeus, whose ornithology we have followed, 
arranges the whole class of birds under six. 
orders, according to the different figures of 
their beaks, viz. 
1 . Accipitres, upper mandible with an an- 
