orthros 
Western lauds, but confounded by some West- 
ern writers, through a mistaken inference from 
the meaning of the word ('dawn'), with mat- 
ins. Orthros is a more elaborate office than 
lauds. 
Orthrosanthus (6r-thro-san'thus), ii. [NL. (B. 
Sweet, 1828), irreg. < dr. bpff/ms, dawn, + ai'fo?, 
flower.] A plant-genus of the Iriilea, tribe ,SV- 
syrinchieai, marked by a short woody rootstock, 
oblong spathes with one to many short-pedi- 
celled flowers from each, the filaments free or 
slightly united at the base. There are 7 species, 
South American and Australian. They are erect herbs, 
the grass-like or rigid leaves mostly radical. The plants 
of the genus are called morning-flower, especially the 
Australian 0. miUtiflorus, a pretty plant with sky-blue 
tlowers. 
ortiye (or'tiv), . [= F. or tire = Sp. Pg. It. 
ortivo, < LL. ortivus, of or belonging to rising, 
< L. oriri, pp. ortus, rise: see orient?] Rising; 
relating to the rising of a star ; orient ; eastern. 
ortolan (or'to-lan), n. [< F. ortolan, < It. or- 
tolano, an ortolan, a gardener, < L. Itortulanus, 
a gardener, < liortus, a garden: see lioriulan.] 
If. A gardener. 
Though to an old tree it must needs be somewhat dan- 
gerous to be oft removed, yet for my part I yield myself 
entirely to the will and pleasure of the most notable orto- 
lan. ' State Papers (15S6), VI. 534. (Trench.) 
2. The. garden-bunting, Eniberiza liortnluna, a 
small granivorous conirostral bird of the fam- 
ily Fringillidce, inhabiting parts of Europe and 
Africa, highly esteemed as a table delicacy. 
It is a true bunting, closely related to the reed-bunting, the 
cirl, the yellowhammer, and the corn-bunting. The male 
Ortolan {Emberizti hortitlana). 
is about 6J inches long, with flesh-colored bill and feet, 
brown eyes, the head and neck greenish-gray and spotted 
with dusky, the throat, orbits, and maxillary streak yel- 
lowish, the upper parts reddish-gray with blackish spots. 
The birds are in such demand by epicures that great num- 
bers are caught alive and fattened in confinement for the 
table, being fed with grain in darkened rooms. 
Not one that temperance advance, 
Cramm'd to the throat with ortolans. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, I. vii. 62. 
3. Some small bird like or likened to or mis- 
taken for the ortolan. () The bobolink, reed-bird, 
or rice-bird of the United States, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 
belonging to the family Jcteridte: so called in the fall, 
when both sexes are of a yellowish color and not distantly 
resemble the true ortolan, being of about the same size, 
very fat and delicate in flesh, and in great repute for the 
table : reed-bird, however, is the usual name at this season 
in most parts of the United States. See cut under hobo- 
tink. (6) The soree or sora rail, Panama Carolina, a wading 
hrrd of the family Rattidce, which throngs the marshes of 
the Atlantic coast of the United States early in the fall, at 
the same time that the reed-birds are in season, and is 
likewise in great demand for the table. See cut under 
Porzana. 
ortygan (or'ti-gan), . [< Ortyx (Ortyg-) + -an.] 
A button-quail or hemipod ; a three-toed quail- 
like bird of the genus Turnix, Hemipodius, or Or- 
tygis. See Turnicidw and Hemipodii. 
Ortyginse (6r-ti-jl'ne),n.pl. [NL.,< Ortyx(Or- 
tyg-) + -ilia;.'] An American subfamily of Tetra- 
onidtt or of Perdicida, named from the genus 
Ortyx. It contains all the American partridges or quails 
of small size, with naked nostrils and shanks, no spurs, 
and often a slight tooth of the beak. Also called Odonta- 
phorina! and Orlygidince. See cuts under Oreortyx and 
quail. 
ortygine (6r'ti-jin), a. Of or pertaining to the 
Ortyyiiue; odontophorine. 
Ortygometra (6r*ti-go-me'tra), n. [NL., < Gr. 
bprvyojii/rpa, some bird which migrates with the 
quails, perhaps a rail or crake, < oprvf (bprvy-), 
a quail (see fJrlyx), + pr/Trip, mother.] If. (7. c.] 
The land-rail or corn-crake, or one of sundry 
related birds. 2. A genus of rails, including 
all the short-billed rails, like Porzana, maruetta 
of Europe, or the Carolina rail, P. Carolina. 
Ortyx (or'tiks), . [NL., < Gr. Jprwf (bprvy-), a 
quail.] An American genus of Ortygina; or 
(MontopHMna, having a slight soft crest and 
variegated coloration ; the colins or bob- whites. 
The common partridge or quail, the only one which in- 
4164 
habits the United States at large east of the Mississippi, 
is 0. viryiniana, probably the best-known game-bird of the 
country. A variety of this, 0. v. flmdana, is found in 
Florida, and another variety, 0. v. texana, in Texas. There 
are several Mexican species, as 0. graysoni and 0. ridij- 
wayi; the latter also occurs over the Arizona border. But, 
with such exceptions, the partridges or quails of the 
southwest belong to other genera, as Oreorlyx, Loplurrlyx, 
Callipepla, and Cyrtonyx. The genus Ortyx is often called 
Colimis. See cut under quail. 
orvalt (or'val), n. [< F. orrale, clary, < or, gold, 
+ raloir, worth: see value.'] The herb orpine. 
Salliwcll. 
orvet (or'vet), n. [Perhaps one of the numer- 
ous variants of oubit.] Same as Windworm. 
orvietant (6r-vi-e'tan), n. [< F. orvietan, < It. 
orvietano, < Orvieto'j a city in Italy. A char- 
latan of this place made himself famous by first 
pretending to take doses of poison on the stage, 
and then curing himself by his antidote.] A 
medical composition or electuary believed to be 
an antidote or counter-poison. 
Orvietan, or Venice treacle, as it was sometimes called, 
was understood to be a sovereign remedy against poison ; 
and the reader must be contented, for the time he peruses 
these pages, to hold the same opinion, which was once 
universally received by the learned as well as the vulgar. 
Scott, Kenilworth, xiii., note. 
Orvieto (or-vi-a'to), n. [< Orvieto (see def.).] 
A still white wine produced near Orvieto in cen- 
tral Italy. It is the most esteemed wine of the 
region about Kome. 
ory (or'i), a. [< ore 1 -I- -y l .~] Bearing or con- 
taining ore : as, ory matters. Also spelled orey. 
-ory. [= F. -oire = Sp. Pg. It. -orio, < L. -onus, 
m.,-0ria,f.,-0rittH,neut., a common termination 
of adjectives associated with nouns of agent in 
-or (see -orl); in neut. -orium, a formative of 
nouns denoting a place or instrument.] A 
termination of adjectives and nouns of Latin 
origin, as in auditory ^preparatory, etc. 
oryalt, n. A Middle English form of oriel. 
orycterope (o-rik'te-rop), n. An animal of the 
genus Orycteropus; an aardvark. See cut un- 
der aardvark. 
Orycteropidae (o-rik-te-rop'i-de), n. pi. [NL., 
< Orycteropus + -id(v.']' Same as Orycteropodid<e. 
Orycteropodidae (or-ik-ter-o-pod'i-de), n. pi. 
[NL.,< Orycteropus (-pod-) + -ida;."] A family of 
edentate mammals of the order Brwta or Eden- 
tata and the suborder Fodientia, represented by 
the single Ethiopian genus Orycteropus ; the 
aardvarks, ground-hogs, or ground-pigs. The 
body is stout, the tail stout and moderately long, and the 
head long with conic tapering snout and high ears. There 
are 8 or 10 teeth in the upper jaw and 8 in the lower, all 
alike of a peculiarly composite character ; the fore feet are 
four-toed, having no hallux ; and the hind feet are five- 
toed and plantigrade. The animals are confined to Africa, 
and characteristic of the Ethiopian region. They feed on 
insects, especially termites or white ants, and their flesh 
is edible, though highly seasoned with formic acid. 
Oiycteropodoid (o-rik-te-rop'o-doid), a. [< NL. 
Orycteropus + Gr. eMof, form : see -old.] Per- 
taining to or resembling the genus Orycteropus. 
Sir K. Owen. 
Orycteropus (or-ik-ter'o-pus), n. [NL., < Gr. 
bpmryp, a digger, + TTOVC (irorf-) = E. foot.] The 
only genus of Orycteropodida-. There are two spe- 
cies, 0. capensis, the common or Cape aardvark, widely 
distributed in southern Africa, and 0. cethiopicus, found 
in Nubia and adjacent regions. The latter is quite hairy, 
in comparison with the nakedness of the former. Each 
animal measures about 5 feet in total length. See cut 
under aardvark. 
Oryctes (o-rik'tez),. [NL. (Illiger,1798),< Gr. 
bpi'KTw, a digger, < bpiiaaeiv, dig.] A large and 
wide-spread genus of scarabreoid beetles, of 
large size, with prominent horns in both sexes. 
0. nasicornis is a common European species, found in tan- 
ners' refuse used about hotbeds in Germany. None are 
North American. 
oryctics (o-rik'tiks), n. [< Gr. bpvKTt>c6f, of dig- 
ging, < optwrof, dug out, < bpi'KTijf, a digger: see 
Oryctes.'] Same as oryctolugy. 
He added that his friend is about to sell his books and 
buy a spade, with a view to graduating with honours in 
Oryctics, which he expects will soon supersede all the pres- 
ent studies. Fortnightly Rev., N. S., XLIII. 57. 
oryctognostict (o-rik-tog-nos'tik), a. [< oryc- 
tognosy, after gnostic.'] Relating or pertaining 
to the science of oryctognosy. 
oryctognosticallyt (o-rik-tog-nos'ti-kal-i), adv. 
According to oryctognosy. 
oryctognosyt (or-ik-tog'no-si), n. [= F. oryc- 
tognosie, < Gr. opwc-nip, dug, dug out, fossil (see 
oryctics), + yvumr, knowledge.] The descrip- 
tion and systematic arrangement of minerals ; 
mineralogy. This term was formerly used to some extent 
by writers in English on geological and mineralogical top- 
ics, but rarely except in translating from French or German, 
the word being considered the equivalent of the French 
oryctoynosie and the German Oryktognosie., with the corre- 
sponding adjective form oryctoynostic. These words, as 
well as oryktographie, were somewhat extensively used by 
Oryzopsis 
Continental geologists, in the early part of the nineteenth 
century, with a meaning nearly equivalent to what is now 
comprehended under the terms mimraloyy and litholoyy; 
and this also included more or less, according to the usage 
of various authors, of economical and mining or " applied " 
geology. The terms corresponding to oryctography and 
oryctognosy have been dropped from the Continental lan- 
guages for fully fifty years, and the use of the words in Eng- 
lish became correspondingly rare. Also oryctography. 
oryctographict (o-rik-to-graf 'ik), a. [< oryctog- 
rajili-ij + -/c.] Of or belonging to oryctography. 
oryctographicalt (o-rik-to-graf'i-kal), a. [< 
oryctiii/ni/iliii' + -at.] Same as oryclograpTiic. 
Oryctpgraphyt (or-ik-tog'ra-fi), n. [< Gr. bpvK- 
rof, fossil, + -ypatyia, < ypaijiKiv, write.] Same 
as oryctogHoxy. 
oryctologicalt (o-rik-to-loj'i-kal), a. [< oryc- 
tolog-y + -ic-al."] Of or pertaining to oryctology. 
oryctologistt (or-ik-tol'o-jist), n. [< ori/ctolog-y 
+ -ist.~] One who applies himself to or is versed 
in oryctology. 
oryctologyt (or-ik-tol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. opvurof, 
fossil, -r -Zoyia, < teytiv, speak: see -ology.] 
The science of all that is dug up, whether or- 
ganic or inorganic: formerly specifically ap- 
plied to that part of geology which treats of 
fossils (paleontology). 
oryctozoologicalt (o-rik-to-zo-o-loj'i-kal), . 
[' oryctozoolog-y + -ic-al.] Same as paleonto- 
logical. 
oryctozoology (o-rik // to-zo-oro-ji), n. [< Gr. 
bpvKrtit;, fossil, + E. zoology. ~\ Same as paleon- 
tology. 
oryellet, An obsolete corrupt form of alder. 
Oryginae (or-i-jl'ne), n.pl. [NL.,< Oryx (Orytj-) 
+ -ino.'.] A subfamily of antelopes, of which 
the genus Oryx is the type. Besides this genus, the 
group includes Addax and jfcgoceroi (of H. Smith and of 
Turner, or Hippotragus of Sundevall), It is also called 
Hippotraffiiue. 
orygine (or'i-jin), a. Of or pertaining to the 
Orygince. 
oryx (or'iks), n. [NL., < L. oryx, < Gr. bpy!- 
(bpvy-), a gazel or antelope, so called from its 
pointed horns, < opvf, opvyt;, a pickax, < bpivaeiv, 
dig.] 1. An old name of some North African 
antelope, very likely the algazel : 110 w definitely 
applied to several species of the genus Oryx. 
2. [cop.] A genus of orygine antelopes with 
long horns in both sexes, without suborbital or 
inguinal glands, and of large size, with thick 
neck, high withers, and bushy tail. The horns 
are sometimes three feet long, perfectly straight or gently 
curved, annulated for some distance from the base, then 
smooth and tapering to a sharp point. The beisa ante- 
lope, 0. beisa, is one of the best-known, supposed by some 
to have furnished the original of the unicorn of the an- 
cients, the long horns seen in profile appearing as one. It 
inhabits North Africa, where is also found 0. teucoryx, 
the algazel. The South African representative is 0. ca- 
pensis or 0. gazella, the well-known gemsbok of the Dutch 
colonists. See cut under gemebok. 
3. In ornith.: (a) The red and black cardinal 
of the Cape of Good Hope, a kind of weaver- 
bird, Erriberiza orix of Linnseus, now Ploceus 
(Pyromelana) oryx. Hence (6) [cop.] A ge- 
nus of weaver-birds. Lesson, 1831. 4. [cop.] 
In entom., a genus of coleopterous insects of 
the family Scarabaiida!. Guerin. 
Oryza (o-ri'zii), n. [NL. (Tournefort, 1700), < 
Gr. bpvt^a, opv^av, rice.] A genus of grain-bear- 
ing grasses including the cultivated rice, type 
of the tribe Oryzece, known by the perfect flow- 
ers, six stamens, and four glumes, the upper 
keeled and flattened. There are about 20 closely al- 
lied species, natives of eastern India, in watery places. 
They bear long flat leaves and a narrow terminal panicle 
of one-flowered spikelets, followed by the oblong nutri- 
tious grain. See rice, and mwmlain-ricc, 1. 
Oryzeae (o-ri'ze-e), 71. pi. [NL. (Kunth, 1835), 
< Oi-yza -jr -cce^\ A tribe of grasses of the or- 
der Graminew, characterized by the two glumes, 
or four with the lower two minute, and the 
rachis not jointed to the inflorescence. It in- 
cludes 8 genera, of which Oryza is the type. 
oryzivorous (or-i-ziv'o-rus), a. [< Gr. opyfa, 
rice, + L. i-orare, devour.] Feeding upon rice. 
Oryzomys (o-rl'zo-mis), . [NL., < Gr. 6(wf(t, 
rice, + pvs, a mouse.] An American genus of 
sigmodont murine rodents. There is but one spe- 
cies, 0. pal-ustrig, the well-known rice-field mouse of the 
southern United States, resembling a small house-rat. It 
is of somewhat aquatic habits, and does much damage in 
the rice-fields, where it abounds. S. F. Baird, 1857. 
Oryzopsis (or-i-zop' sis), 7(. [NL. (Michaux, 
1803), < Gr. bpvi^a, rice, T oi/wf, appearance.] 
A genus of grasses of the subtribe Stipca' and 
the tribe Agrostldew, known by the rigid obo- 
void fruit-bearing glume ; the mountain-rice. 
There are about 15 species, natives of temperate and sub- 
tropical America. They are turf-grasses, sometimes tall, 
with rigid flat or roundish leaves, and a loose terminal 
panicle of rather large greenish one-flowered spikelets. 
See bunch grass, and mountain-rice, 2, 
