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verts of the wings are_of a deep blackish green, 
.spotted with bright azure ; 'the back and tail 
are of the most resplendent azure ; the whole 
under side ot the body is orange coloured ; a 
broad mark of the same passes from the bill 
* beyond the eyes. From the diminutive size, 
the slender short legs, and the beautiful colours 
of this bird, no person would be led to sup- 
pose it one of the most rapacious little animals 
that skims the deep. M. D’Aubenton has 
kept these birds for several months, by means 
of small fish put into basons of water, on which 
i they have fed ; for on experiment they have 
refused all other kinds of nourishment. 
3. Alcedo Paradisea, or paradise jaca- 
mar, is of the same size with the former, and 
has a similar bill ; the throat, fore part of the 
neck, and under wing coverts, are white ; the 
rest of the plumage is of a deep dull green, in 
some lights appearing almost black, in others 
with a slight gloss of violet and copper bronze. 
It inhabits Surinam ; and like the galbuia it 
feeds on insects ; and sometimes frequents 
open places. It flies farther at a time, and 
perches on the tops of trees : it is frequently 
found with a companion, not being quite so 
solitary a bird as the other. 
4. Alcedo rudis, or Egyptian kings- 
•fisher, is the size of the Royston crow. The 
bill is blackish, more than half an inch broad 
at the base, and two inches in length ; the 
head, shoulders, and back, are brown, marked 
with oblong ferruginous spots ; the throat is 
of a ferruginous white ; the belly and thighs 
j are whitish, marked with longitudinal broadlsh 
cinereous spots ; the upper tail coverts quite 
white ; the quills spotted with white on the 
inner webs, chiefly at the tips; the tail is ash- 
coloured ; the legs are of a pale green ; and 
the claws blackish. It inhabits lower Egypt, 
about Cairo; builds in sycamore and date 
trees ; and feeds on frogs, insects, and small 
fish, which last it meets with in the fields when 
they are overflowed. 
5. Alcedo taparara of Buffon is about 
the size of a starling : the hind part of the neck, 
the back, and scapulars, are of an elegant 
blue ; the rump, and upper tail coverts bright 
beryl-blue ; the under parts of the body are 
white; the wing coverts blue; and the legs 
red. Inhabits Cayenne and Guiana. 
6. Alcedo torquata, or cinereous kings- 
fisher, is about the size of a magpie. The 
bill is three inches and a half long, and brown; 
the head is crested ; the upper parts of the 
head and body are bluish ash ; the under parts 
chesnut; the throat is whitish, descending 
down the neck', and passing behind like a 
collar, ending towards the back in a point ; 
the under tail coverts are of a pale fulvous, 
transversely striated with black ; lesser wing 
coverts varied with blui h, ash, black, and yel- 
lowish. It inhabits Martinico and Mexico. 
ALCHEMILLA, or La-dies-Mantle, a 
genus of the monogynia order, and tetandria 
class of plants; and in the natural method 
ranking under the 35 th order, Senticosae. The 
essential character is cal. 8 cleft, cor. none, 
seed one. There are 4 species, the principal 
are: 
1. Alchemilla alpina, or cinque-foil la- 
dies-mantle. It is a native of the mountain- 
ous parts of Europe. Goats and cows eat it ; 
horses, sheep, and swine, refuse it. 
2. Alchemilla minor, or least ladies- 
mantle. It grows naturally in Sweden,- Lap- 
land, and other cold countries. 
3. Alchemilla vulgaris, or common 
ladies-mantle, with leaves plaited like a fan, 
and yellowish green blossoms. It grows na- 
turally in pasture lands in this as in most 
other countries in Europe. The leaves dis- 
cover to the taste a moderate astringency ; 
and were formerly much esteemed in some 
teniale weaknesses, and in fluxes of the body. 
They are now rarely made use of, though 
both the leaves and roots might possibly be 
of service in cases where mild astringents are 
required. 
ALL 1 1 EM Y, (from a!, the, Arab, and 
'Krjiua, chemistry,) That obsolete branch of 
chemistry which had for its principal objects 
the transmutation of metals into gold; the 
panacea, or universal remedy ; an alkahest, 
or universal menstruum; an universal fer- 
ment; and many other things equally ridicu- 
lous. 
ALCHORNIA, a genus of the dioecia 
monodelphia class and order. The essential 
character is, male, calyx three, rive-leaved ; 
cor. none : female, calyx five-toothed, cor. 
none, styli two parted, caps, berried, de- 
corous: There is one species of which little 
seems to be known in this country. 
ALCOHOL, or Alkool, in chemistry, 
is used for any highly rectified spirit. Al- 
cohol is extremely light and inflammable, 
is a strong antiseptic, and therefore employed 
to preserve animal substances. See Che- 
mistry. 
Alcohol, ardent spirit. The term alcohol 
is applied by modern chemists to the purely 
spiritous part of all liquors that have under- 
gone the vinous fermentation. It is certain, 
that the method of procuring ardent spirits by 
distillation was known in the dark ages ; and 
it is more than probable that it was- practised 
in the north of Europe much earlier. 
Ardent spirits, such as brandy, for instance, 
rum and whisky, consist almost entirely of 
three ingredients, water, alcohol, or spirit of 
wine, to which they owe their strength, and a 
small quantity of a. peculiar oil, from which 
they derive their flavour. 
When these spiritous liquors are distilled in 
a water bath, the first portion that comes over 
is a line light transparent liquid, known in 
commerce by the name of rectified spirits, 
and commonly sold under, the denomination 
of alcohol or spirit of. wine. It is not how- 
ever, as strong as possible, still containing a 
considerable portion of water. 'This water 
may be separated, and the alcohol obtained 
as pure as possible, by the following process : 
Saturate the spirit with a quantity of carbonat 
of potass, which, has just immediately before 
been exposed for about half an hour in a cru- 
cible to a red heat, in order to deprive it of 
moisture. Carbonat of potass in this state has 
a strong attraction for water ; it accordingly 
combines with the water of the spirit ; and the 
solution of carbonat of potass thus formed 
sinks to the bottom of the vessel, and the alco- 
hol, which is lighter, swims over it, and may 
easily be decanted off; or, what is perhaps 
better, the solution of potass may be drawn 
off from below it by means of a stop-cock 
placed at the bottom of the vessel. Th" 
alcohol, thus obtained, contains a little pure 
potass dissolved, which may be separated by 
distilling it in a water bath' with a very small 
heat. The alcohol passes over, and leaves 
the potass behind. It is proper not to distil 
to dryness, 
Alcohol is a transparent liquor, colourless 
like water, of a pleasant smell, and a strong 
penetrating agreeable taste. When swallow- 
ed it produces intoxication. 
It is exceedingly fluid, and lias never been 
frozen, though it has been exposed to a cokl 
so great that the thermometer stood at — 69 . 
its specific gravity, when pure, is only 
0.800 ; but it is seldom obtained so low. The 
specific gravity of alcohol, as highly rectified 
as possible, is 0.820; that of the alcohol of 
commerce is seldom less than 0.8371. It is 
almost unnecessary to remark, that the dimi- 
nution of specific gravity is always propor- 
tional to the purity of the alcohol. 
Alcohol is exceedingly volatile, boiling at 
the temperature of 176°; in which heat it as- 
sumes the form of an elastic fluid, capable of 
resisting the pressure of the atmosphere, but 
which condenses again into alcohol when that 
temperature is reduced. In a vacuum it 
boils at 56°, and exhibits the same pheno- 
mena ; ! so that was it not for the pressure of 
the atmosphere, alcohol would always exist in 
the form of an elastic fluid, as transparent 
and invisible as common air. It is exceed- 
ingly combustible ; and when set on lire, it 
burns all away with a blue flame, without 
leaving any residuum. Eoerhaave observed, 
that when the vapour which escapes during 
this combustion is collected in proper vessels, 
it it found to consist of nothing but water. 
Junker had made the same remark ; and Dr, 
Black suspected, from his own observations, 
that the quantity of water obtained, if pro- 
perly collected, exceeded the weight of the 
alcohol consumed. This observation was 
confirmed by Lavoisier ; who found that the 
water produced during the combustion of 
alcohol exceeded the alcohol consumed by 
about 1 -seventh part. 
Different opinions were entertained by 
chemists about the nature of alcohol; but 
Lavoisier was the first who attempted to ana- 
lyse it. From his experiments it follows, that 
76.7083 grains of alcohol, consumed during 
the combustion, were composed of 
22.840 carbon 
6.030 hydrogen. 
47.830 -water: 
76.7 
Such were the consequences which Mr. 
Lavoisier drew from his analysis. He ac- 
knowledged, however, that there were two- 
sources of uncertainty, which rendered his 
conclusions not altogether to be depended 
upon. The first was, that he had no method 
of determining the quantity of alcohol con- 
sumed, except by the difference of weight in 
the lamp before and after combustion ; and 
that therefore a quantity might have evapo- 
rated without combustion, which, however, . 
would be taken into the sum of the alcohol 
consumed. But this error could not have 
been great ; for if a considerable quantity of 
alcohol had existed in the state of vapour in. 
the vessel, an explosion would certainly have 
taken place. The other source of error was,, 
that the quantity of water was not known by 
actual weight, but by calculation. 
That alcohol contains oxygen, has been 
proved by a very ingenious set of. experi- 
ments performed by Messrs. Fourcroy and 
Van quel in. When equal parts of it and sul- 
phuric acid are mixed together, the sulphu- 
ric acid suffers no change. ; but the alcohol 
