S P II 
S P I 
S P I 
avid body are of a fine rose-colour, barred with 
transverse black stripes. The caterpillar, 
which is very large, is smooth, and of a tine 
green, with seven oblique purple and white 
stripes along each side: at the extremity of 
the body, or top of the last joint, is a horn or 
process pointing backwards. This beautiful 
caterpillar is often found in the months of 
July and August feeding on the privet, the 
lilac, the poplar, and some other trees, and ge- 
nerally changes to a chrysalis in August or 
September, retiring for that purpose to a con- 
siderable depth beneath the surface of the 
ground, and, after casting its skin, continuing 
during the whole winter in a dormant state, 
the sphinx, emerging from it in the succeed- 
ing June. 
2. The sphinx ocellata is perhaps still more 
beautiful: it is rather a smaller insect than 
the preceding, and has the upper wings and 
body brown, the former finely clouded with 
different shades, while the lower wings arc of 
a bright rose-colour, each marked with a 
large ocellated black spot with a blue interior 
circle and a black centre. This insect pro- 
ceeds from a green caterpillar of a rough or 
shagreen-like surface, marked on each side 
by seven oblique yellowish-white streaks, and 
furnished, like the preceding, with a horn at 
the tail, it is principally found on the willow ; 
retires under grcun 1, in order to undergo its 
change into the chrysalis state, in the mouth 
of August or September ; and in the following 
June appears the complete insect. 
3. But the largest and most remarkable, if 
not the most beautiful European insect of this 
genus, is the sphinx atropos of Ipmmis, see 
Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 370, which very consi- 
derably exceeds in size both the species al- 
ready mentioned. The upper wings are of a 
fine dark-grev colour, with a few slight varie- 
gations ot dull orange and white : the under 
wings are of a bright orange-colour, mark- 
ed by a hair of transverse black bands ; 
the body is also orange-coloured, with the 
sides marked by black bars, while along 
the top of the back, from the thorax to the tail, 
runs a broad blue-grey stripe: on the top of 
the thorax is a very large patch of a most sin- 
gular appearance, exactly representing the 
usual figure of a skull or death’s-head, and 
of a pale grev, varied with dull ochre-colour 
and black. When in the least disturbed or 
irritated, this insect emits a sti idulous sound, 
something like the squeaking of a hat or 
mouse; and from this circumstance, as well as 
from the mark above-mentioned on the thorax, 
is held in much dread by the vulgar in se- 
veral parts of Europe, its appearance-being re- 
garded as a kind ot ill omen, or harbinger of 
approaching fate. We are informed by the 
celebrated Reaumur, that the members of a 
female convent in France were thrown into 
great consternation at the appearance of one 
of these insects, which happened to fly in 
during the evening at one of the windows of 
thedormitory. The caterpillar from which this 
curious sphinx proceeds is in the highest de- 
gree beautiful, and far surpasses in size every 
other European insect of the kind; measuring 
sometimes near live inches in length, and 
being of a very considerable thickness : its 
colour is a bright yellow, the sides marked 
by a row of seven most elegant broad stripes 
®'r bands, of a mixed violet and sky-blue co- 
' lour. This caterpillar is principally found on 
the potatoe and the jessamine, those plants 
being its favourite food. It usually changes 
into a chrysalis, in the month of September, 
retiring for that purpose pretty deep un- 
der tiie surface of the earth; the com- 
plete insect emerging in the following June 
or July. The sphinx atropos ,s generally 
considered as a very rare insect; and as the 
caterpillar feeds chiefly by night, concealing 
itself during the day under leaves, &c. it is not 
often detected. 
We shall not conclude the survey of the ge- 
nus sphinx without observing, that it contains 
some species of a smaller size, and of a some- 
what different habit from the kinds above de- 
scribed. Among these is the beautiful sphinx 
iillipi lidula-, or dropwort sphinx, common in 
meadows towards the decline of summer, and 
which is distinguished by having the upper 
wings of an oblong-oval shape and of a dark 
shining green colour, with blood-red spots, 
and the lower wings red with a dark green 
edging: the caterpillars of a pale yellow, with 
rows of squarish black spots, and often seen 
feeding on various meadow-plants and grasses : 
it does not undergo its change under ground, 
but encloses itself in an oval shining yellow 
web of silk, attached to the stem of some 
grass, &c. In this it changes into a chrysalis, 
out of which in about the space of three weeks 
emerges the complete insect. See l’late Nat. 
llist. iig. 371. 
Others of the smaller sphinges are remark- 
able for having the wings in a considerable 
degree transparent: of this kind is the sphinx 
apiformis, which is of an aspect at first sight 
more resembling that of a wasp or hornet 
than of a sphinx, the wings being transparent 
with merely a slight edging of brown, and the 
thorax and abdomen varied with black and 
yellow. The caterpillar inhabits the hollows 
of poplar, sallow, willow, and lime trees, feed- 
ing on the substance of the bark; changing 
to a chrysalis in April, anci the fly appearing 
in the mouth of June. 
Sphinx crabroniformis is so much like the 
former as scarcely to be distinguished from it, 
and inhabits the hollows of the sallow and 
other willows, feeding on the wood: it changes 
to a chrysalis in May, and the fiy appears in 
July. 
SPICA VIRGIN IS, a star of the first 
magnitude, in the conste'lation Virgo. 
SPIDER. See Aran e a. 
Spider’s Web. See Silk. 
Spider's Venom. See Poisons. 
SPIELMANNIA, a genus of the didvna- 
mia angiospefmia class and order. The calyx 
is rive-cleft ; corolla bearded at the throat, 
with five-cleft border; drupe with a two- 
celled, two-seeded nut. There is one spe- 
cies, a shrub of the Cape. 
SPIES, in war, are persons employed to 
give intelligence of what the enemy is doing. 
By making a proper use of the necessary 
creatures, the most secret designs of an ene- 
my may be discovered, the positions his army 
are to take, the stations of his fleets, and even 
the manner in which the former is to be se- 
cured by masked batteries, or the latter be 
kept firm with chain-moorings, as was the 
case off Boulogne in 1800. If they are ap- 
prehended, they immediately suffer death. 
SPIG ELIA, ivorm gras*, a genus of plants 
belonging to the class of pentandria, and order 
ofmonogynia; and in the natural system ar- 
ranged under the 47th order, stellata*. The 
corolla is funnel-shaped ; the capsule is didy- 
(L)3 
in oils, bilocular, and polyspermous. There 
are two species, the anthelinia and marilan- 
dica. 1. The anthelmia, see Plate Nat. 
Hist., fig. 372, has an herbaceous stem, and 
its highest leaves are fourfold. This plant is 
generally found in low dry lands, after they 
have been turned up some months, and after 
great rains ; its taste is herbaceous, and some- 
what clammy ; its growth is soft and sudden; 
its stalk hollow, smooth, and roundish. Its 
medical qualities are highly spoken of by Dr. 
Browne. 2. The mariiandica, perennial 
worm-grass, or Indian pink. Its stem is four- 
cornered; all the leaves opposite. Dr. 
Garden gave it in what he calls continued or 
remitting low worm-fevers, and found its effi- 
cacy promoted by the addition of rad. ser- 
penlar. virg. 
SPIKING up the ordnance, a sea-phrase, 
used for fastening a quoin with spikes to the 
deck dose to the breech of the carriages of 
great guns, that they may keep close and firm 
to the ship’s sides, and not get loose when the 
ship rolls, and by that means endanger the 
breaking out of a butt-head of a plank. 
SB1LANT11US, a genus of plants belong- 
ing to the class of syn'genesia, and to the or- 
der of polvgamia lequalis. The common ca- 
lyx is erect; the leaflets numerous, sub- 
equal, and oblong, the two exterior being 
longer than the rest. The calyx is almost 
equal; down two-toothed, rectangular, coni- 
cal, chaffy. There are nine species, annuals 
of hot climates. 
SP1NACIA, spinage, a genus of plants 
belonging to the class of djeeeia, and to the 
order of pentandria; and in the natural sys- 
tem arranged under the 12th order, holo- 
raceax 'Die male calyx is quinquepartite ; 
there is no corolla: the female calyx is qua- 
drifid ; no corolla ; there are four styles, and 
one seed within the indurated calyx. There 
are only two species, the oleracea and fera. 
1. Tlie oleracea, common spinage, has sessile 
fruits and sagittated leaves. It lias been cul- 
tivated in Britain since 1568, but it is not 
known from what country it was originally 
brought. When intended for winter use, it 
should be sown on an open spot of ground in 
t he latter end of July ; observing to do it, if 
possible, when the weather is rainy. The 
way of gathering it to advantage is only to 
take off the longest leaves, leaving those in 
the centre to grow bigger ; and at this rate a 
bed of spinage will furnish the table for a 
whole winter, till the spinage sown in spring 
is become fit for use, which is commonly in 
April. 2. The fera, wild spinage, produces 
its fruit on footstalks. 
SP1N.E. See Botany. 
SPINALIS. See Anatomy. 
SPINDLE, in the sea language, is the 
smallest part of a ship’s capstan, which is be- 
twixt the two decks. '1’he spindle of the jeer- 
capstan has whelps to heave the viol. 'Die 
axis of the wheel of a watch or clock is also 
called the spindle. Among miners, the spin- 
dle is a piece of wood fastened into either 
stow-blade. 
Spindle-Shell. See Buccinum. 
SPINE, spina dor si. See Anatomy. 
SPINEL. This stone, which comes from 
the island of Ceylon, is usually crystallized. 
The form of its integrant particles is the tetra- 
hedron. The primitive form of its crystals is 
a regular octahedron, composed of two fdur- 
sided pyramids applied base to base, each of 
