142 
A R C 
A R C 
ARC 
the joints laid, and the stairs brought up, then 
the roof is to be raised ; which embracing 
every part of the building, with its weight 
equally pressing upon the walls, acts as a 
band to all the work. Its weight, within cer- 
tain limits, is. of service to the building ; but 
too much charge will make a house top- 
heavy, which is a great fault. 
The pitch of a roof is regulated according 
to the climate we build in, and the materials 
employed to defend the timbers from the 
weather. Hoofs covered with lead may be 
nearly flat: but this method is not much in 
use, and is very expensive. For tiles a roof 
must be higher than the pediment pitch, 
which is one-fourth of the whole building. 
This pitch is rarely high enough for slates. 
Copper coverings have lately come much 
into use in this country, and may be laid on 
roofs of a low pitch. 
Whoever plans a .building to be erected 
within the limits of the building-act, must ne- 
cessarily consult it before he can arrange his 
design. 
Architecture, aquatic. See Bridge. 
Architecture, military. See Fortifi- 
cation. 
Architecture, natal. See Ship-build- 
ing. 
Architecture, counterfeit : that which 
consists of prefectures, painted in black or 
white, or in colours, after the manner of 
marble, which is also called scene-work, in the 
painting of columns, &c. for the decoration 
of theatres. 
Architecture, in perspective, a sort of 
building, the members of which are of differ- 
ent modules, and diminish proportionably to 
their distance, in order to make the work ap- 
pear longer to the view than it really is. 
ARCHITRAVE, in architecture, that part 
of a column, or order of columns, which lies 
immediately upon the capital, being the low- 
est member of the entablature, and so called 
from its representing the principal beam in 
timber buildings. Over a chimney, this 
member is called the mantle-piece; and over 
doors or windows, the hyperthyron. 
ARCHIVE, or archives, an apartment in 
which are deposited the records, charters, and 
other papers, of a state or community. The 
archives of the court of chancery are in the 
rolls office. 
ARCH MARSHAL, the grand marshal of 
the empire, a dignity belonging to the elector 
of Saxony. 
ARCHON, in Grecian antiquity the chief 
magistrate of Athens, after the abolishing of 
monarchy ; and also the appellation given to 
several officers, both civil and religious, under 
the Greek empire. Thus we read of the 
arclion of the gospel, the archon of the walls, 
&c. 
ARCHONTICI, in church-historv, a 
branch of Valentinians, who maintained that 
the world was not created by God, but by 
angels called archontes. 
ARCHTREASURER, the great treasurer 
of the German empire, a dignity belonging 
to the duke of Brunswic, king of Great Bri- 
tain, but also claimed by the elector-palatine. 
ARCTIC, in astronomy, an epithet given 
to the north pole ; and likewise to a circle of 
the sphere, parallel to the equator, and 23 
degrees 28 minutes distant from the north- 
pole. 
ARCTIUM, burdock, a genus of the poly- 
gamia order, and syngenesis class of plants ; 
and in the natural method ranking under the 
49th order, compositai capitate : the calyx is 
globular, with scales having hooks reflected 
at the tops. 1 here are three species, viz. 
L Arctium lappa ; 2. Arctium personata ; 
and 3. Arctium tornentosum. They are all 
troublesome weeds. The tender stems of 
the lappa, or common burdock, however, de- 
prived of the bark, may be boiled and eaten 
like asparagus. When raw, they are good 
with oil and vinegar. Boys catch bats by- 
throwing the prickly heads of this species into 
the air. The seeds, which have a bitterish 
subacrid taste, are recommended as very 
efficacious diuretics, given either in the form 
of emulsion, or in powder, to the quantity of 
a drachm. r I he roots, which taste sweetish, 
with a slight austerity and bitterishness, are 
esteemed aperient, diuretic, and sudorific ; 
and said to act without irritation, so as to be 
safely ventured upon in acute disorders. 
ARCTOMV S, marmot, a genus of qua- 
drupeds. The generic character is ; front 
teeth two in each jaw, strong, sharp, and cu- 
neated ; grinders in the upper jaw five on 
each side, in the lower jaw four ; clavicles, or 
collar-bones, in the skeleton. The genus 
arctomys or marmot differs from that ofmus 
in so few particulars, as to make it somewhat 
doubtful whether it ought to be kept separate 
or not. These animals are of a thick form, 
with large, roundish, and somewhat flattened 
heads, small mouths, the fissure having a 
somewhat perpendicular appearance ; ears 
very short, and sometimes none ; a short vil- 
lous tail ; tetradactyle fore-feet, with a very 
small thumb, and pentadactyle hind-fec-t : the 
skeleton is furnished with clavicles, or collar 
bones; and the caecum or appendicular intes- 
tine is very large They are diurnal animals ; 
and feed on roots, grain, &:c. which they often 
collect into heaps. They reside in subter- 
raneous holes or burrows, and sleep during 
the winter. There are 7 species, as follows. 
1 . Marmot alpine is a native of the Alps 
and Pyrenean mountains, and is most fre- 
quent in those of Savoy and Swisserland, in- 
habiting the higher regions, and feeding on 
various roots, plants, insects, & c. It climbs 
readily, and can ascend the rocky eminences 
and fissures with great facility. Its general 
size is somewhat larger than that of a rabbit, 
measuring about 16 inches to the tail, which 
is about six inches long. The colour of the 
marmot, on the upper parts, is a brownish or 
rather tawny ash-colour ; the legs and under 
parts being of a bright tawny or ferruginous 
tinge ; the head is rather large, and flatfish ; 
the ears short, and hid in the fur, and the tail 
thick and bushy. It is an animal which de- 
lights in the regions of frost and snow, and is 
found only on the tops of high mountains. In 
suclp situations several individuals unite in 
forming a place of retreat, which is contrived 
with great art, and consists of an oval cavity 
or general receptacle, large enough to con- 
tain several of the animals, and having a large 
canal or passage, which divaricates in such a 
manner as to present tw r o outlets to the sur- 
face of the ground. These recesses are pre- 
pared on the declivities of elevated spots, and 
the cavern or receptacle is well lined with 
moss and hay, which they prepare during 
summer, as if conscious of the necessity of 
providing for their long hybernal sleep. ' In 
line weather they are seen sporting about the 
neighbourhood of their burrows ; and delight 
in basking in the sunshine, frequently assum- 
ing an upright posture, sitting on their hind- 
feet. When assembled in this manner, it is 
observed, that one of the exterior number 
seems to act as a sentinel, and on the ap- 
proach of any danger, alarms the fraternity 
by a loud and shrill whistle, on which they in- 
stantly retire to their cavern. These animals 
make no provision for winter ; but as soon as 
Die autumnal frosts commence, they carefully ' 
stop up the entrances to their mansions, and j 
gradually fall into a state of torpidity, in 
which they continue till the arrival of spring, 
when they again awake, and recommence ; 
their excursions. Before they retire to their 
winter quarters they are observed to grow 
excessively fat ; and, on the contrary, appear 
greatly emaciated on first emerging from 
them. If carefully dug up during the winter, ; 
from their holes, they may be conveyed away i 
in their sleeping state ; and when brought 
into a warm chamber, gradually awaken, 
nearly in the same manner as the hamster. ' 
If kept in a warm situation, they do not be- 
come torpid in winter. They breed early in ■ 
the summer, and the litter commonly con- ! 
sists of three or four, the growth of which is, 
observed to be very rapid. See Plate Nat.] 
Hist. fig. 33. 
2. Marmot Maryland is a North Ameri-j 
can animal, and is principally found in Vir-j 
ginia and Pennsylvania. It also occurs in the-: 
Bahama islands; and in its way of life resem- 
bles the European or Alpine marmot, living 
on vegetable substances, retiring into hollows - 
under the roots of trees, &c. in winter, and' 
falling into a temporary state of torpidity ; it is) 
doubtful, however, whether this is the case in' 
those which are found in the Bahama islands. 
The size of this species is nearly that of the; 
rabbit ; its colour is a ferruginous brown 
above, and paler or inclining to whitish be-! 
neath ; the muzzle, as far as the eyes, is of a 
pale bluish ash-colour; the ears are short and 
rounded; the eyes are rather large and black,; 
and the snout sharpish ; the tail is longer 
than in others of this genus, being nearly half 
the length of the body, and covered with'! 
longish or rather bushy hair, of a deep brown 
or blackish colour ; the feet are blackish, and 
are furnished with large and sharp claws. 
3. Marmot Quebec is said to be found in! 
various parts of North America, but it ap- 
pears to be most frequent in Hudson’s-b •>- 
and Canada. Its size is that of a rabbit, or 
rather larger, and its colour is brown on the 
upper parts, undulated with whitish or pale 
grey, the tips of the hairs being of that co- 
lour; the legs and under parts of the body 
are rufous or ferruginous ; the face is dusky; 
the nose black and obtuse, the cheeks grey] 
and the tail short and dusky, especially at the 
tip. In its manners it is supposed to resemble 
the rest of its congeners. 
4. Arctomys bobac. (See Plate, Natural 
History, figure 32.) The bobac is of the, 
size of the Alpine marmot, and is a native of 
the high but milder and sunny sides of 
mountainous countries, which abound with 
fissile or free-stone rocks, w here it is found in 
dry situations, and such as are full of springs! 
woods, or sand. It abounds in Poland and 
Russia, among the Carpathian hills. Its co- 1 
lour is grey above, with the throat, insides of 
the limbs, and under parts of the body, fulJ 
vous or ferruginous ; the tail is short, rather 
