5 E ? 
S E R 
larger. On opening the egg, the embryo 
cuttle is found alive. The males are very 
constant, accompany their females every 
where, face every danger in their defence, 
and rescue them intrepidly at the hazard of 
their own lives. The timorous females fly 
as soon as they see the males wounded. The 
noise of a cuttle-fish, on being dragged out 
of the water, resembles the grunting of a 
hog. When the male is pursued by tiie sea- 
wolf, or other ravenous fish, lie shuns the 
danger by stratagem. He squirts his black 
liquor, sometimesto the quantity of a dram, by 
which the water becomes black as ink, under 
shelter of winch he bailies the pursuit of his 
enemy. This ink, or black liquor, has been 
denominated by M Le Cat sethiops animal, 
and is reserved m a particular gland. In its 
liquid state it resembles that of the choroid 
in man, and would then communicate an 
indelible dye ; when dry, it might be taken 
for the product of the black liquor in negroes 
dried, and made a precipitate by spirit of 
wine. This sethiops animal, in negroes as 
well as in the cuttie-lish, is more abundant 
after death than even during life. It may 
serve either for writing or printing; in the 
former of which ways the Roman* used it. 
It is said to be an ingredient in the composi- 
tion of Indian ink, mixed with rice, 'there 
are five species. 
1. The loligo, or great cuttle, with short 
arms and long tentacula ; the lower part of 
the body rhomboid and pinnated, the upper 
thick and cylindric. They inhabit all our 
seas, where having blackened the water by 
the effusion of their ink, they abscond, and 
with their tail leap out of the water. They 
are gregarious, and swift in their motions : 
they take-their prey by means of their arms, 
and embracing it, bring it to their central 
mouth. They adhere to the rocks, when 
they wish to be quiescent, by means of the 
concave discs that are placed along then- 
arms. 
2. The octopodia, with eight arms, con- 
nected at their bottom by a membrane. This 
is the polypus of Pliny, which he distinguishes 
from the* Soligo and sepia by the want of the 
tail and tentacula. They inhabit our seas, 
but are most at home in the Mediterranean. 
In hot climates these are found of an enor- 
mous size. The Indians affirm that some 
have been seen two fathoms broad over their 
centre, and each arm nine fathoms long. 
When the Indians navigate their little boats, 
they go in dread of them ; and lest these ani- 
mals 'should fling their arms over and sink 
them, they never sail without an ax to cut 
them off. When used for food they are serv- 
ed up red from their own liquor, which from 
boiling with the addition of nitre becomes 
red. Barthol. says, upon cutting one of them 
open, so grevit a light broke forth, that at 
night, upon taking away the candle, the 
whole house seemed to be in a blaze. 
3. The media, or middle cuttle, with a 
long, slender, cylindric body; tail finned, 
pointed, and cu mated on each side ; two 
long tentacula; the body almost transparent, 
green, but convertible into a dirty brown ; 
confirming the remark of Pliny, that they 
change their colour through fear, adapting it, 
chameleon-like, to that of the place they are 
in. The eyes are large and smaragdine. 
4. The s’epiola, or small cuttle, with a short 
body, rounded at the bottom, has a roundfin 
SEP 
on each side and two tentacula. They are 
taken off Flintshire, but chic-fly inhabit the 
Mediterranean. 
5. The officinalis, or officinal cuttle, with 
an ovated body, has fins along the whole of 
the sides, almost meeting at the bottom, and 
two long tentacula. The body contains the 
bone, the cutlle-bone of the shops, which was 
formerly used as an absorbent. The bones 
are frequently flung on all our shores ; the 
animal very rarely. The conger-eels bite 
off their arms, or feet, but they grow again, 
as does the lizard’s tail. T hey are preyed 
upon by the praise. This fish emits (in com- 
mon with the other species), when frightened 
or pursued, the black liquor which the ari- 
tients supposed, by darkening the circum- 
ambient wave, concealed it from the enemy ; 
and which they sometimes made use of instead 
of ink. 
This animal was esteemed a delicacy 
among them ; and is eaten even at present by 
the Italians. Rondeletius gives us two re- 
ceipts for the dressing, which may be conti- 
nued to this day. A. theme us also leaves us 
the method of making an antique cuttle-fish 
sausage; and we learn from Aristotle, that 
those animals are in highest season when 
pregnant. 
SEPIARLE, (from sepes, a hedge), the 
name of the 44th order of Linnaeus’s Frag- 
ments of a natural Method, consisting ot a 
beautiful collection of woody plants, some of 
which, from their size and elegance, are very 
proper furniture for hedges. See Botany. 
SEP PARLE, in natural history, a large 
class of fossils, commonly known by the 
names of Indus helmontii and waxen veins. 
They are defined to be fossils not inflam- 
mable, nor soluble in water ; of a moderately 
firm texture arid dmky hue, divided by se- 
veral septa or thin partitions, and composed 
of a sparry matter greatly debased by earth ; 
not giving fire with steel; fermenting with 
acids, and in great part dissolved by them ; 
and calcining in a moderate fire. Of this 
class there are two distinct orders of bodies, 
and under those six genera. The septarke of 
the first order are those which are usually 
found in large masses, of a simple uniform 
construction, but divided by large septa 
either into larger and more irregular propor- 
tions, or into smaller and more equal cues, 
called talc. The genera of this order are 
four: 1. Those divided by septa of spar, 
called secomias : 2. Those divided by septa 
of earthy matter, called gaiophragmia: 3. 
Those divided by septa of the matter ot the 
pyrites, called pyritercia: and 4. ! hose di- 
vided by septa of spar, with an admixture of 
crystal, called diaugophragmia. Those of 
the second order are such as are usually found 
in smaller masses, of a crustated structure, 
formed by various incrustations round a cen- 
tral nucleus, and divided by very thin septa. 
Of this order there are only two genera: 1. 
Those with a short roundish nucleus, inclosed 
within the body of tire mass : and, 2. Those 
with a long nucleus, standing out beyond the 
ends of the mass. 
SEPTAS, a genus of plants belonging to 
the order of heptagynia, and the class of hep- 
tandna, and in the natural system ranged 
under the 13th order, succulents. The calyx 
is divided into seven parts ; the petals are 
seven ; the germens seven.; the capsules are 
647 
also semi, and contain many seeds. There 
is only one species, the eapensis, which is a 
native of the Cape of Good Hope, is round- 
leaved, and flowers in August or September. 
SEPTENTRIO, in astronomy, a constel- 
lation more usually called ursa minor. See 
Astronomy. 
SEPTUM See Anatomy. 
SEQUESTRATION, is the separating ct 
setting aside of a thing in controversy from the 
possession of both those who contend tor it. 
And it is of two kinds, voluntary or necessary ; 
voluntary is that which is done by consent of 
each party; necessary is that which the judge 
does of his authority, whether the parties will 
or not. It is used also for the act of the or- 
dinary' disposing of the goods and chattels of 
one deceased, whose estate no man will 
meddle with. A sequestration is also a kiiul 
of execution for debt, especially in the case 
of a beneficed clerk, of the profits of the be- 
nefices, to be paid over to him that had the 
judgment till the debt is satisfied. 
Sequestration, in the civil law, is used 
in various senses; it is taken for the act of 
the ordinary indisposing of the goods of a 
deceased person, which nobody will meddle 
with. A widow is said to sequester, when 
she disclaims having any thing to do with the 
estate of her deceased husband. Sequestra- 
tion is also used to signify the gathering up 
the fruits of a vacant benefice, tor the use of 
the next incumbent of the church. 
SEQUESTRO HABENDO, a- writ judi- 
cial, for dissolving a sequestration of the fruits 
ot a benefice made by a bishop at the king’s 
command, thereby to compel the parson to 
appear at the suit of another; for the parson 
upon his appearance may have this writ for 
the discharge of the sequestration. 
SERAP1AS, a genus of plants belonging 
to the order of diandria, and to the class of 
gynandria, and in the natural system ar- 
ranged under the 7th order, orehideae. The 
nectarium is egg-shaped and gibbous, with an 
egg-shaped lip. The species are 14, of which 
three are natives of Britain. 1. The latifolia, 
or broad-leaved helleborine. 2. The palus- 
tris, or marsh helleborine, grows in rough 
boggy pastures and marshes, and (lowers in 
Jlilv." 3. The grandiflora, or white-flowered 
helleborine, grows in woods, and flowers in 
June. 
SERGE, in commerce, a woollen stuff ma- 
nufactured in a loom, of which there are va- 
rious kinds, denominated either from their 
different qualities, or from the places where 
they are wrought; the most considerable of 
which is the London serge, which is highly 
valued abroad. 
■ In the manufacture of London serges, the 
longest wool is chosen for the warp, and the 
shortest for the woof. But before either kind 
is used, it is first scoured, by putting' it in 
a copper of liquor, somewhat more than luke- 
warm, composed of three parts of fair water, 
and one of urine. After it has staid in* it 
long enough for the liquor to take off the 
grease, &c. it is stirred briskly about with a 
wooden pee), taken out, drained, washed in 
a running water, and dried -in the shade; 
beaten with sticks on a wooden rack, to drive 
out the coarser dust and filth, and then picked 
clean with the hands. It is then greased with 
oil of olives; and the longest wool combed 
with large combs, heated in a little furnace 
