m v u l 
filth of the slaughtered beasts, and the carcases 
of the camels which die on the journey. They 
do not fly high, nor are they afraid of men. 
If one is killed, all the rest surround him in 
the same manner as do the Royston crows ; 
they do not quit the places they frequent, 
though frightened by the explosion of a gun, 
but immediately return thither. 
3. The aura, or carrion vulture, according 
to Latham, is about the size of a turkey, 
though it varies in size in different parts. The 
bill is white ; the end black ; irides bluish saf- 
fron-colour. The head, and part of the neck, 
are bare of feathers ; and of a red, or rather 
rufous colour. The sides of the head wafted, 
not unlike that of a turkey. The whole 
plumage is brown-black, with a purple and 
green gloss in different reflections ; but in 
some birds, especially young ones, greatly 
verging to dirty-brown. The feathers of 
the quills and tail ai e blacker than the rest 
of the body. The legs are flesh-colour ; the 
claws black. 
4. The Sagittarius, or secretary, is a most 
singular species, being particularly remark- 
able from the great length pf its legs ; which 
at first sight would induce one to think it be- 
. longed to the grails, or winders ; but the cha- 
racters of the vulture are so strongly marked, 
as to leave no doubt to which class it belongs. 
The bird, when standing erect, is full three feet 
V U 1 
from the top of the head to the ground. The 
bill is black, sharp, and crooked, like that of 
an eagle ; the head, neck, breast, and upper 
parts of the body, are of a bluish ash-colour : 
the legs are very long, stouter than those of a 
heron, and of a brown colour; claws shortish, 
but crooked, not very sharp, and of a black 
colour ; from the hind-head springs a number 
of long feathers, which hang loose behind 
like a pendant crest ; these feathers arise 
by pairs, and are longer as they are lower 
down on the neck; this crest the bird 
can erect or depress at pleasure ; it is of a 
dark colour, almost black ; the webs are 
equal on both sides, and rather curled; and 
the feathers, when erected, somewhat in- 
cline towards the neck ; the two middle fea- 
thers of the tail are twice as long as an} 7 of the 
rest. This singular species inhabits the internal 
parts of Africa, and is frequently seen at the 
Cape of Good Hope. It is also met with in 
the Philippine islands. 
As to the manners of this bird, it is on all 
hands allowed that it principally feeds on rats, 
lizards, snakes, and the like ; and that it will 
become familiar : whence Sonnerat is of opi- 
nion that it might be made useful in some of 
our colonies, if encouraged, tow r ards the de- 
struction of those pests. They call it at the 
Cape of Good Hope stangeater, i. e. snake- 
eater. A great peculiarity belongs to it, per- 
il V U 
haps observed in noother ; which is, the faculty! 
of striking forwards with its legs, never back- 1 
wards. Dr. Solandew saw one of these birds': 
take up a snake, small tortoise, or suchlike, Su- 
its claws ; when dashing it thence against the: 
ground with great violence, if the victim was? 
not killed at first, it repeated the operation 
till the end was answered ; after which it ate 
it up quietly. Dr. J. R. Forster mentioned a 
further circumstance, which lie says vas sup- 
posed to be peculiar to this bird ; that should 
it by any accident break the leg, t.ie bone 
would never unite again. 
The Editor of this work saw a secretary 
some years ago at Exeter- exchange. The dex- 
terity with which it struck eels, &c. with its 
hard heel was surprising. How far it might 
have been tutored to this exercise is impos- 
sible to say. 
5. The papa, or king vulture, inhabits South 
America ; is the size of a hen turkey : feeds 
on serpents, lizards, frogs, rats and "carrion ; 
flies high. See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 420. 
VULVA. See Anatomy. 
UVULA. See Anatomy. 
UVULAR I A, a genus of the hexandrial 
monogynia class of plants, the flower of which 
' consists of six very long ianceolated petals ; 
and its fruit an ovate-oblong triloeular capsule, 
containing several roundish and compressed 
seeds. There are six species. 
w. 
W A F 
WAG 
WAG 
w 
or w, is the twenty-first letter of our 
? alphabet. 
WACHENDORFIA, a genus of plants of 
the class triandria, and order monogynia; and 
arranged in Linnaeus’s natural method of 
classification under the 6th order, ensatae. 
The corolla is hexapetalous, unequal, and si- 
tuated below the germen ; the capsule trilo- 
cular and superior. There are five species, 
none of which are natives of Britain. 
WACKEN, a mineral that occurs in mass ; 
sometimes it forms strata, but more frequently 
it runs in veins. Colour dark greenish-grey, 
which often passes to mountain-green, or 
blackish-green. Specific gravity from 2.6 to 
,2.9. Easily melts before the blowpipe. 
Liable to spontaneous decomposition. 
WAD, or Wadding, in gunnery, a stop- 
ple of paper, hay, straw, old rope-yarn, or 
tow, rolled firmly up like a ball, or a short 
cylinder, and forced into a gun upon the 
powder to keep it close in the chamber ; or 
put up closeto the shot, to keep it from rolling 
out, as well as, according to some, to pre- 
vent the inflamed powder from dilating round 
the sides of the ball, by its windage, as it 
passes along the chace, which it was thought 
would much diminish the effort of the powder. 
But, from the accurate experiments lately 
made at Woolwich, it has not been found to 
have any such effect. 
. WAFERS or Sealing-Wafers, are made 
thus : Take very fine flour, mix it with white 
of eggs, isinglass, and a little yeast ; mingle 
the materials; beat them well together; spread, 
the batter being made thin with gum-water, 
on even tin plates, and dry them in a stove ; 
then cut them out for use. 
You may make them of what colours you 
please, by tinging the paste with brazil or ver- 
milion for red ; indigo or verditer, &c. for 
blue ; saffron, tumeric, or gambooge, &c. for 
yellow. 
WAGER OF LAW, is a particular mode 
of proceeding, whereby in an action of debt 
brought upon a simple contract between 
the parties, without any deed or record, the 
defendant may discharge himself by swearing 
in court in the presence of compurgators, 
that he owes the plaintiff nothing, in manner 
and form as he has declared, and his compur- 
gators swear that they believe what he says is 
true. And this waging his law, is some- 
times called making his law. 5 Bac. Abr. 
428. 
It being at length considered, that this 
waging of law offered too great a temptation 
to perjury, by degrees new remedies were 
devised, and new forms of action introduced, 
wherein no defendant is at liberty to wage his 
law. 
Instead of an action of debt upon a simple 
contract, an action is now brought for the 
breach of a promise, or assumpsit ; wherein 
though the specific debt cannot be recovered,, 
yet damages may, equivalent to the specific 
debt ; and this being an action of trespass, no 
law can be waged therein. So instead of ary 
action of detinue to recover the very thing 
detained, an action of trespass upon the case, 
in trover and conversion, is usually brought, 
wherein though the specific thing cannot be; 
had, yet the defendant shall pay damages foe 
the conversion equal to the value thereof d 
and for this trespass also no wager of law is al- 
lowed. In the place of actions of account, a 
bill in equity is usually filed, Wherein, though 
the defendant answers' upon his oath, yet 
such oath is not conclusive to the plaintiff, but 
he may prove every article, by other evi- 
dence, in contradiction to what the defend- 
ant has sworn. So that wager of law is now 
quite out of use, being avoided by the mode 
of bringing the action, but still is not out of 
force. And therefore when a new statute 
inflicts a penalty, and gives an action of debt, 
it is usual to add that no wager of law will be 
allowed. 
WAGERS. In general a wager may be 
considered as legal, if it is not an incitement 
to a breach of the peace, or to immorality ; 
or if it does not affect the feelings or interest of 
a third person, or expose him to ridicule : or 
if it is not against sound policy. 2 Durnf, 
& East, 610. See Insurance. 
WAGES, what is agreed upon by a mas- 
ter to be paid to a servant, or any other per-' 
