122 APE 
beaten till it becomes as thin as muslin, when 
it is dyed red or yellow. 
APACTIS, in botany, a genus of the do- 
decandria monogynia class and order. The 
essential character is, cor. four-petalled : cal. 
none. 'There is only one species, a tall tree, 
a native of Japan. 
APANAGE, or Apknnage, in the 
F rench customs, lands assigned by a sove- 
reign for the subsistence of his younger 
sons. 
A PARC I A, a genus of the class and order 
syngenesia polygamia aequalis. The essen- 
tial character is, cal. subimbricate, with linear, 
parallel, unequal stales ; down plumose, 
subsessile ; recept. naked, subvillose. There 
are seven species, much resembling the dan- 
delion, with which they were formerly con- 
founded. 
APATIT, a mineral divided by the Ger- 
man mineralogists, into two varieties, the 
crystallized and earthy. It is the phosp-holite 
of Kirwan. 
APATURIA, in Grecian antiquity, an 
Athenian festival kept in honour of Bacchus. 
It was during this solemnity, that the 
young people were registered in the respec- 
tive wards of their fathers. 
APAUME, in heraldry, expresses a hand 
open and extended, so that the lull palm ap- 
pears, as is seen by the hand of Ulster, borne 
by the baronets of England. 
APELLITES, Christian heretics in the 
second century, who affirmed that Christ 
received a body from the four elements, 
which at his death he rendered back to the 
world, and so ascended into heaven without 
a body. 
APEPSY, in medicine, denotes crudity 
or a bad digestion, arising from a rawness of 
the stomach, and a want of concoction of the 
aliments. See Medicine. 
APERIENTS, in the materia medica, an 
appellation given to such medicines as faci- 
litate the circulation by removing all obstruc- 
tions. See Materia Medica. 
APERTURE, in geometry, the space be- 
tween two right lines which meet in a point 
and form an angle. 
Aperture, in optics, a round hole in a 
turned bit of wood or plate of tin, placed 
withinside of a telescope or microscope, 
near to the object-glass, by means of which 
more rays are admitted, and a more distinct 
appearance of the object is obtained. Ac- 
cording to Huygens, the best aperture for 
an object-glass of thirty feet, is as thirty to 
three ; that is, as ten to one, so is the square 
root of the focal distance of any lens, multi- 
plied by thirty, to its proper aperture. Mr. 
Auzout says, he found by experience, that 
the proper apertures of telescopes ought to 
be nearly in the subduplicate ratio' of their 
length. It is certain that object-glasses will 
admit of greater apertures, if the tubes are 
blackened withinside, and their passage fur- 
nished with wooden rings. 
Apertures, or Apertions, in archi- 
tecture, are used to signify doors, windows, 
chimneys, outlets and inlets for light, smoke. 
See. They ought to be as few in numbes, 
and as moderate in dimensions, as possible, 
and never made too near (.he angles of the 
walls. 
Apertura tabularum, in law books, 
the breaking open a last will and testament. 
See the article Will, &c. 
A P H 
Apertura feudi, in the civillaw, sig- 
nifies the loss of a feudal tenure, by default 
of issue to him to whom the feud was first 
granted. 
AP P ETALOU S, among botanists, an appel- 
lation given to such plants as have no flower- 
leaves, or corolla. 
APEX, in antiquity, the crest of a helmet, 
but more especially a kind of cap worn by 
the flamens. 
APILERESIS, in grammar, a figure by 
which a letter or syllable is cut off from the 
beginning of a word. 
APHANES, a genus of the monogynia 
order, and tetandria class of plants ; and in 
the natural method ranking under the 35th 
order, senticosae. The essential characters 
are : the calyx is divided into eight parts ; 
there is no corolla ; the seeds are two and 
naked. There is only one species, viz. 
Aphanes arvensis, or pensley-piert, a na- 
tive of England. It is common in corn-fields. 
The stalks rise 5 or 6 together ; the flowers 
are of a greenish white. 
APHELIUM, or Aphelion, in astrono- 
my, is that point in any planet’s orbit, in 
which it is farthest distant from the sun ; 
being that end of the greater axis of the el- 
liptical orbit of the planet, most remote from 
tiie focus wherein the sun is. 
The times of the aphelia of the primary 
planets, may be known by their apparent 
diameters appearing least ; as also, by their 
moving slowest in a given time. They may 
likewise be found by calculation; the method 
of doing which is delivered in most astrono- 
mical writers. 
APELLAN, the name of a bright star in 
Gemini. 
APHIS, in entomology, the puceron, vine- 
fretter, or plant louse, an extensive genus 
of the hemiptera order. The character is : 
beak inflected ; sheath of five articulations, 
with a single bristle : antennas setaceous and 
longer than the thorax ; either four erect 
wings or none ; feet formed for walking ; 
posterior part of the abdomen usually fur- 
nished with two little horns. There are many 
species which infest an endless varietyof plants, 
and it is probable that each species is par- 
ticularly attached to one or a few kinds of ve- 
getable only : on this account each kind has 
been usually named after the plants on which 
it feeds. The aphides are known by the in- 
discriminate name of plant lice ; they abound 
with a grateful moisture, and are eagerly sought 
for by ants, and many other creatures, or 
they would become very probably more de- 
structive to the whole vegetable creation 
than any other race of insects whatever. Lin- 
naeus enumerates 33 species. 
The extraordinary nature of these insects- 
has for some time past justly excited the 
wonder and attention of naturalists. They 
were ranked among the animals which had 
been classed with the true androgynes spoken 
of by Mr. Breynius, till Mr. Bonnet seemed 
to have cleared it up in the affirmative, by 
taking and shutting up a young aphis at the 
instant of its birth, in perfect solitude, 
which yet brought forth in his sight 95 young 
ones. The same experiment being made on 
one of the individuals of this family, soon 
after it was produced, the new hermit soon 
multiplied like its parent ; and one of this 
third generation, in like manner brought up 
in solitude, proved no less fruitful than the 
A P H 
former. Repeated experiments, in this re- 
spect, as far as the fifth or sixth generation, 
all uniformly presenting the observer with 
fecund virgins, were communicated to the 
Royal Academy of Sciences ; when an un- 
foreseen and very strange suspicion, imparted 
by Mr. Trembley to Mr. Bonnet, engaged 
him anew in a series of experiments. Mr. 
Bonnet therefore reared to the affipunt of the! 
tenth generation of solitary aphides, and had 1 
the patience to keep an account of the days ] 
and hours of the births of each generation, j 
In short, it was discovered, that they are 
really distinguished by sexes : that there are 
males and females amongst them, whose] 
amours are the least equivocal of any in the j 
world: that the males are produced only in 
the tenth generation, and are but few in num- ; 
ber : that these, soon arriving at their full f 
growth, copulate with the females: that the- 1 
virtue of this copulation serves for ten gejie- I 
rations : that all these generations, except 1 
the first, (from the fecundated eggs) are pro-] 
duced viviparous-; and all the individuals are ] 
females, except those of the last generation^, 
as already observed. These circumstances! 
have been confirmed by other naturalists. | 
In particular, we have a curious and accurate } 
detail of them by Dr. Richardson of Rippon, 
in the Philosophical Transactions, vol. xi.. 
art. 22. the perusal of which we earnestly" ’ 
recommend to our readers. 
APHORISM, a maxim or principle of a; 
science, or a sentence which comprehends 
a great deal in a few words. The term is- 
seldom used but in medicine and law. 
APHRACTI, in the maritime affairs oft- 
the antients, were open vessels without any- 
decks. 
APHRODISIA, in antiquity, festivals kept 
in honour of Venus, the most remarkable of 
which was that celebrated by the Cyprians. 
APHROD1TA, in zoology, one of the; 
naked sea-insects, of an oval shape, and a- 
culeated, with a perforation in the middle of 
the back. 
APHTILE, in medicine, small, round, andt 
superficial ulcers, arising in the mouth. The 
principal seat of this disease, is the extremity 
of the excretory vessels, saliva! glands, and in- 
short all glands that luniish a humour like 
the saliva, as the lips, gums,. &e. 
APFIYA coifiTEs, in ichthyology,. a spe-f 
cies of gob i us, called' in English the sea- 
loch. 
APHYLLANTHES, leafless flower,. 
or blue montfellier PlNk : a genus of the 
monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria, 
class of plants : and fti the natural method' 
ranking under the 5th order, tetrapetaloidanl. 
In character it differs not from the j uncus oc 
rush, but in having a calyx of six petals,, 
whereas the j uncus has no calyx. There is.' 
only one species ; viz. 
Aphyllanthes Monspeliensis, a native of 
France. The root consists of a number oft 
slender fibres : the radical leaves are very, 
numerous, two inches long. The stalk if 
round, smooth, without a joint or knot, 1 
naked, and tolerably firm ; at its top stands 
a single and very beautiful blue flower, but 
for which it would be a rush. 
APIARY, a place where bees are kept, 
which 1 should be properly defended from 
high winds, as well as from poultry, hogsL 
&c. whose dung is extremely offensive to the- 
bees. ‘ ' ' * 
