STR 
724 
winch this bird leans and rests, is hard, callous, 
and without leathers. 
The same degree of voraciousness which 
we perceived in the ostrich obtains as strongly 
here. The cassowary swallows every thing 
that comes within the capacity of its gullet. 
The Dutch assert, that it can devour not 
only glass, iron, and stones, but even live on 
burning coals, without testifying the smallest 
fear of feeling the least injury. It is said, that 
the passage of the food through its gullet is 
performed so speedily, that even the very 
eggs which it has swallowed whole pass 
through it unbroken in the same form they 
went down. In fact, the alimentary canal of 
this animal, as was observed above, is ex- 
tremely short ; and it may happen, that many 
kinds of food are indigestible in its stomach, as 
wheat or currants are to a man when swal- 
lowed whole. 
The cassowary’s eggs are of a grey ash-co- 
lour, inclining to green. They are not so 
large nor so round, as those of the ostrich. 
They are marked with a number of little tu- 
bercles ot a deep green, and the shell is not 
very thick. The largest of these is found to 
be fifteen inches round one way, and about 
twelve the other. 
The {southern parts of the most eastern In- 
dies seem to be the natural climate of the cas- 
sowary. His domain, if we may so call it, 
begins where that of the ostrich terminates. 
T he latter has never been found beyond the 
Ganges; while the cassowary is never seen 
nearer than the islands of Bandana, Sumatra, 
Java, the Molucca islands, and the corres- 
ponding parts of the continent. Yet even 
here this animal seems not to have multiplied 
in any considerable degree, as we find one of 
the kings of Java making a present of one of 
these birds 'to the captain of a Dutch ship, 
considering it as a very great rarity. 
The casuarius Novae Hollandiae, or New 
Holland cassowary, differs considerably from 
the common cassowary, It is a much larger 
bird, standing higher on its legs', and having 
the neck longer than in the common one. 
Total length seven feet two inches. The bill 
is not greatly different from that of the com- 
mon cassowary ; but the horny appendage or 
helmet on ihc top of the head in this species 
is totally wanting : the whole of the head and 
neck is also covered with feathers, except trie 
throat and fore part of the neck about half-wav, 
which are not so well feathered as the rest ; 
whereas in the common cassowary the head 
and neck are bare and carunculated as in 
tne turkey. 
The plumage in general consists of a mix- 
ture of brown and grey, and the feathers are 
somewhat curled or bent at the ends in the 
natural state : thejwings are so very short as 
to be totally useless for flight, and indeed are 
scarcely to be distinguished from the rest of 
the plumage, was it not for their standing out a 
little. The long spines which are seen in the 
wings of the common sort are in this not ob- 
servable, nor is there any appearance of a tail. 
The legs are stout, formed much as in the ga- 
leated cassowary, with the addition of their 
being jagged orsawed the whole oftheir length 
at the back part. 
This bird is not uncommon in New Hol- 
land. as several of them have been seen about 
Botany-bay and otiier parts. Although it can- 
1101 fly, it runs so swiftly, that a greyhound 
S T U 
-can scarcely overtake it. The flesh is said to 
be in taste not unlike beef. 
STRUTHIOLA, a genus of plants belong- 
ing to the class of tetrandria, and order of mo- 
negynia. r l he corolla is wanting ; the ca- 
lyx ;s tubulous, with eight glandules at its 
mouth; the berry is without juice, and mo- 
nospermous. The species are 5, shrubs of 
the Cape. 
SI RYCHNOS, a genus of plants belong- 
ing to the classof pentandria, and order of mo- 
nogynia ; and in the natural system ranging 
under the tvventy-eighth order,’ luridse. The 
corolla is quinquefid ; the berry is unilocular, 
with a woody bark. The species are three, 
the nux vomica, colubrina, and potatorum, 
natives of foreign countries. 
S riJARTIA, a genus of plants belonging 
to the class of monadelphia, and order of po- 
lyandria; and in the natural system ranging 
under the 37th order, columnifene. The ca- 
lyx is simple; the style is simple, with a 
quinquefid stigma; the apple is without 
juice, quinquelobed, monospermous, bursting 
open with a spring five ways. There are two 
species, foreign plants. 
SIUCCO, in building, a composition of 
white marble pulverised, and mixed with 
pi uister of lime ; and the whole being sifted 
and wrought up with water, is to be used like 
common plaister : this is called by Pliny mar- 
moratum opus, and albarium opus. 
STUM, in the wine trade, denotes the 
unfermented juice of the grape, after it has 
been several times racked off, and separated 
from its sediment. 
SPURGEON. See Accipenser. 
STURNUS, the starling , a genus of 
birds belonging to the order of passeres. The 
beak is subulated, depressed, and somewhat 
blunt; the superior mandible is entire, and 
somewhat open at the edges; the nostrils are 
marginated above ; and the tongue is sharp 
and emarginated. There are 15 species, ac- 
cording to Dr Latham ; the vulgaris, capen- 
sis, ludovicianus, miiitaris, celiaris, caruncu- 
latus, gallinaceus, serieeiis, viridis, olivaceus, 
moritanicus, loyca, dauricus, junceti, and 
mexicanus. 
The vulgaris, or common starling, is the 
only species ot the sturnus that is indigenous. 
\ he weight of the male of this species is 
about three ounces ; that of the female ra- 
ther less. The length is eight inches three 
quarters. The whole plumage is black, very 
resplendent, with changeable blue, purple, 
and copper : each feather marked with a pale 
yellow spot. T he lesser coverts are edged 
with yellow, and slightly glossed with green. 
The stare breeds in hollow trees, eaves of 
houses, towers, ruins, cliffs, and often in high 
rocks over the sea, such as that of the Isle of 
Wight. It lays four or five eggs, of a pale- 
greenish ash-colour; and makes its nest of 
straw, small fibres of roots, &c. In winter, 
stares assemble in vast flocks : they collect in 
myriads in the fens of Lincolnshire; and do 
great damage to the fen-men by roosting on 
the reeds, and breaking them down by their 
weight ; for reeds are the thatch of the coun- 
try, and are laid up in harvest w’ith great 
care. These birds feed on worms and in- 
sects ; and it is said they will get into pigeon- 
houses, for the sake of sucking the eggs. 
1 Their flesh is so bitter as to be scarcely eat- 
S T Y 
able. They are fond of following oxen and 1 
other large cattle, as they feed in the mea- \ 
dow's, attracted, as it is said, by the insects 1 
which flutter round them, or by those, per-- 1 
haps, which swarm in their dung, or in inea* I 
dows in general. From this habit is derived ] 
the German name rinder staren. They live ! 
seven or eight years, or even longer, in the ! 
domestic state. The wild ones cannot be de- 
coyed by the call, because they regard not 
the scream of the owl. A method has been 
discovered of taking entire families, by fixing 
to the walls and the trees where they’ lodge, 
pots of earthenware of a convenient form, 
which the birds often prefer to place their 
nests in. Many are also caught by the gin 
and draw-net. 
. The .stare, it is said, can be taught to speak 
either French, German, 'Latin, Greek, &c. 
and to pronounce phrases ot some length. Its 
pliant throat accommodates itself to every in- 
flection and every accent. It can readily ar- 
ticulate the letter R, and acquires a sort of 
warbling which is much superior to its native .5 
song. I his bird is spread through an exten- 
sive range in the antient continent. 
The sturnus cinclus, see Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 380, inhabits Europe and the northern 
parts of Persia; frequents waters, and feeds 
on aquatic insects and small fishes. It is very 
solitary, and breeds in the holes of banks ;, j 
makes a very curious nest of hay and roots, 
lined with dead leaves, and having an en- 
trance of green moss. 
S I ^ LE, a. word of. various significations, 
originally derived from yux©-, a kind of bod- 
kin, wherewith the antients wrote on plates of 
lead, or on wax, &c. and which is still used 
to write on ivory leaves, and paper prepared 
for that purpose, &c. 
Style. See Dialling. 
Style. See Botany". 
Style, in matters of language. See Rhe- j 
toric, and Poetry. 
S l T LEPHOR US, a genus of fishes of the j 
older apodes. i he generic character is, 
eyes pedunculated, standing on a short thick 
cylinder; snout lengthened, directed up- 
wards, letractile towards the head by means 
of a membrane; mouth without' teeth; 
branchiae three pair beneath the throat ; fins, 
pectoral small, dorsal the length of the back, 
caudal short, with spiny rays; body very 
long, compressed. 'I his highly singular ge- 
nus was first described in the year 1788, 
Tom a specimen then introduced’ into the 
Leverian Museum, and figured in the first 
volume of the Linnaean Transactions, see i 
Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 381. 
Chordated stylephorus. The head of tlfis 
extraordinary animal bears some distant re- . 
semblance to that ot the genus svngnathus, 
and its structure cannot so'easily be described 
in words as conceived by the figure. The 
rostrum or narrow part, which is terminated 
by the mouth, is connected to the back part of 
the head by a flexible leathery duplicature# 
which permits it to be either extended in . 
such a manner thatthe mouth points directly . 
upwards, 01 to fall back, so as to be received 
into a sort of case formed by the upper part 
of the head. On the top of the head are 
placed the eyes, which are of a form very 
nearly approaching to those of the genus 
cancer, except that the columns or parts on 
which eye is placed are much broader and 
