Pelagosaurus 
of crocodiles, of .lurassie age, with amphieie- 
li.-Ml vertelii ;!. 
pelagra, /'. Sec /,<//-/<//. 
pelamis (pel'ii-inisi, . (L. /7<jm/x, /7i//\, 
< <ir. /T///H//II;, a young tunny-fish.) A small 
tuuny-lish. 
The / 
\Vliic1l -IHIH- r:ill HMiiiiii i \v liit MIL-. 
Milllllll"!! I'll Ill I'll' - V ' 
Pelamys (pel'ii-mis), w. [NL.: see /Win/v.| 
A genus of BOombrotd fishes, founded by Cuvier 
ami Valenciennes in 1831: same us Sunlit. 
Pelargi(pe -liir'ji), . yjJ. [NL.,pl. of /'//</;</>, 
< Or. 7Tf/.p)'oc, a stork.] In oriiith.: (a) In Mer- 
rom's cliissilieation, a group of his (Irall/f, con- 
sisting of ciconiiform birds, as storks, ibises, 
spoonbills, and related forms. (6) In Siindc- 
vall's system, the second cohort of the order 
driilln/iiri-.i, composed of the spoonbills, storks, 
and ibises, together with the genera Scopus and 
lialu'iiii-i'im. (c) A series of ciconiiforin birds; 
the storks and their allies. Jfit~x<-li. 
pelargfic (pi;-liir'jik), a. [< Gr. rnvtapy/mif, of or 
pertaining to a stork, < irt/lnyjyof, a stork.] Of 
or pertaining to 1 he l'i-l<iri/i; stork-like; ciconii- 
forin : as, the pelargic series of birds. 
pelargomorph (pe-liir'go-m6rf ), . A member 
of the PtUurywiiofphx, 
Pelargomorphse(pv-lar-go-mdr'fe),n.j)f. [NL., 
< Gr. iff Xapyof, a stork, + fiop^ii, form.] Ill Hux- 
ley's classification of birds (1867), a suporfam- 
ily of desmognathous grallatorial birds, corre- 
s pi H n I ing to the tlcroilin , 1'i'lnrgi, and Hem i</lnt- 
liilin of Nitzsch, or the Pclargi of other authors, 
and including such altricial wading birds as the 
herons, storks, ibises, and spoonbills. There are 
no li:ini|iti'ryi>iiiil processes ; the palatines usnally unite 
behind the postnares ; the miixillopalatlnes are large and 
apongy ; the inandibular angle la truncate (except in the 
llnniiiMlitle*) ; the sternum Is broad, and has two or four 
notches ; the hallux Is neither versatile nor webbed ; and 
Episcopal Stork (/). 
t the Ptlargomorfftm 
the ratio of the phalanges Is normal. The leading families 
are AnleMte, Ctconiiti/r, Ibidid/r, and Plataleidx. The 
character of the group Is best shown by some stork, as, for 
example, the Indian and African episcopal stork (Dissoura 
epi*copwi\ whose generic name, however, indicates a re- 
nmrknhlc peculiarity of the tail, which Is black and forked, 
with long white under tail-coverts projecting beyond the 
true tail-feathers, as illustrated In the figure. Bee reclrif, 
tectrix. 
pelargomorphic (pe-liir-go-mdr'fik), a. Per- 
taining to the Pclaryomorphse, or having their 
characters. 
pelargonic (pel-ar-gon'ik), a. [< Pelargonium 
+ -ic.] Of or pertaining to the genus Pelargo- 
nium: resembling I lie genus l'< /III'I/HKI/HI/. pel- 
argonic ether, an ether of pelargonic acid which is used 
as an artificial fruit-essence. 
Pelargoniese (pe-lar-go-ni'e-e), H. pi. [NL. 
(Robert Sweet, 1820),'< Pelargonium + -ex.] 
A tribe of plants belonging to the polypetalous 
order (Irrnniaceif, distinguished by the irregular 
flowers, perigynous petals, and declined sta- 
mens. It consists of the genera Pelargonium and Tro- 
ptrolttm, the garden gernniums nnd nasturtiums, natives 
of tropical or southern latitudes. 
Pelargonium (pel-iir-g6'ni-um),w. [NL.(L'H6- 
ritier. 17S7), so called from the resemblance of 
the beaked capsules to a stork's bill ; < Gr. jre- 
7./>j (, a stork.] An ornamental genus of plants 
of the order (Iri'iiniiii'iir, type of the tribe l'i- 
Inri/<iit:r, known by the conspicuous stipules. 
There are about 175 species, or as some estimate over WO, 
of which about 10 are found in northern Africa, the Orient, 
and Austrnli'i. and all the others in South Africa. They 
arc herbs or shrubs, ot'ten viseM-pubcscent iiml odorous, 
sometimes fleshy, bearing opposite undivided or dissected 
leaves, and flowers of scarlet, pink, white, or other ri'l.ns 
usually I'ontipicuous nnd In umbels. Many species are 
cultivated fur their liiintlsoine tlo ers or frngnuit leaves, 
and from their strong tendency to hybridize these hn\ e ; -in- 
duced very IIIIUUM those of P. irraiutijtorvm 
4301 
:in 'known spec ill. -ally lu prlargi/niumt or as Martha Vatli- 
<*/'"' :i> riiHttiiHA ; other sp< < i<-.' me the single ami iloul.le 
tlowering geraniums of house culture, of which leailing 
forms ure the horseshoe-. Ivy-leafed, oak-leafed, lemon, 
rose, silver-, gold-, nnd bronze-leafed, and tricolor gera- 
nium*. /'. trititf produces tubers which are eaten nt < ':i] 
( 'olony. An essential oil is made from the leaves of several 
-p. eies. especially. In Algeria, of P. odoraiimmum. See 
/. I-HIHIIUI ::_ 
Pelargopsis (pel-iir-gop'sis), n. [NL. (Glogcr, 
I SUM, < (ir. rr:>.ap)6f, a stork, + tytf, look, ap- 
pearance.] A genus of Alcedininx; the stork- 
billed kingfishers, having the tail much longer 
than the bill, and thegonys sharply compressed. 
, like 
Stork Ulled Kingfisher (Felarffftit rurifl). 
This remarkable form has usually been placed with Hal- 
cyon in the dacelontne series, but it Is near CeryU In form, 
as well as In the piscivorous habits of the genus. About 
8 species inhabit the Indian and Australian regions, In 
one of which (/'. melanarhyncha) the bill Is black; in 
the rest It Is red. as /'. aurial. P. leucncephala, etc. Also 
called Ithamphaleyon and Halcyon. 
Pelasgi (po-las'ji), n. pi. [L., < Gr. \le)iaayoi, 
the Pelasgi, traditionally derived from Ilr faury6c,, 
a son of Zeus and Niobe, the eponymous f ounder 
of the Pelasgian race.] An ancient race, widely 
spread over Greece and the coasts and islands 
of the .Kgea n Sea and the Mediterranean gen- 
erally, in ] ire historic times. The accounts of it are 
in great part mythical and of doubtful value, and Its ethno- 
logical position is uncertain. 
Pelasgian (pe-las'ji-an), a. and n. [< Gr. Ilf- 
/dffjvoc, equiv. to flcXaa-yiicof, Pelasgic: see Pe- 
lasi/ic.] I. a. Same as Pelasgic. 
H. n. One of the Pelasgi. 
Pelasgic (pe-las'^ik), a. [< Gr. nefaurymos, Pe- 
lasgic, < iW.ocTjw, the Pelasgi : see Pelasgi.] Of 
or pertaining to the Pelasgians or Pelasgi. 
Oscan, Etruscan, Fallscan, and Latin, great as are their 
apparent diversities, can be readily explained by taking 
this Pelajic alphabet as the common prototype. 
Itaae Taylor, The Alphabet, II. 130. 
Pelasgic architecture, Pelasgic building, in Or. or- 
chaeol., masonry constructed, without cement, of unhewn 
stones, or of stones rough from the quarry and of irregular 
size and shape. This is the earliest variety of masonry found 
in ( i reck hinds. Compare Cyclopean. 
peldon (pel 'don),' n. [Origin obscure.] In 
coal-mining, hard and compact silicious rock. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
peleH, n. A Middle English form olpeeP. 
pele-t, " and r. A Middle English form of peal 1 . 
pele :1 t, . A Middle English form of peel*. 
pelecant, H. An obsolete form of pelican. 
Pelecanidae (pel-e-kan'i-de), n. pk [NL.,< Pele- 
i'inni.1 + -id.] A family of totipafmate nata- 
torial birds, of the order Steganopodes ; the peli- 
cans. The name has been used as nearly synonymous 
with that of the order, and variously restricted : It is now 
usually confined to the single genus Peleeama, and In- 
cludes only the pelicans. See cut under pelican. 
Pelecanoides (pel'e-ka-noi'dez), n. [NL. (La- 
ce'pede, 1800- 1), < Gr. 'jre/U-wiv, a pelican, + fi- 
A)f, form.] A singular genus of the petrel fam- 
ily, Procellariidse, representing the subfamily 
Pelecanoidinie (or Halodrominse) : so called from 
the width of the chin and distensibility of the 
throat, suggestive of a pelican's pouch. The bill 
is broad, and the nasal tubes are vertical, the nostrils open- 
Ing directly upward, unlike those of any other petrel ; and 
the wings are short, contrary also to the rule in this fam- 
ily. The birds dive with facility, and resemble little auks 
rather than petrels. Two or three species inhabit south- 
ern seas, as /'. vrinatrix. The genus is also called I lain 
tlroma and I'liJRntiria. 
Pelecanoidinae (pel-e-kan-oi-di'ne), n. pi. 
[NL., < Pelecanoides + -inx.] A subfamily of 
Procellariidif, represented by the genus Pele- 
i-ininiilis alone. Also called Halodrominie. 
Pelecanus (pel-e-ka'nus), n. [NL., < LL. pele- 
. 1'ilicaHUs, a pelican: see pelican.] The 
I. a. Hav- 
pelf 
only genus of l'i lr<-inil;i , having the bill slen- 
der ami several times as long as the head, with 
a hook or nail at the end, and the maiuliliu- 
lar rami divaricated, supporting an enormous 
pODCh. The wings nre extremely long, with very nniner 
ous remlgcs. The tail is short, and consists of 2i> or more 
feathers ; the feet are short and stout, and all four t ..en arc 
webbed. (See cut under Mipalmatr.) The die Is great, 
and the form Is robust The weight of the body i 
portion to its bulk Is reduced by Its great pneumaticlty. 
There are at least 6 perfectly distinct species, and some 
authors admit 9. Two inhabit tin- I i.ite.l states the 
white and brown pelicans, /'. trachyrhynchut and I', 
futcut. (See cut under pelican.) The European species, 
inhabiting also Asia and Africa, are /'. onocraUUta and I: 
criipui. The Australian Is P. conipieiUalui ; and P. ru- 
tetcent or phUippinut is found la various parU of the i Mil 
NVoll'l. 
Pelecinidse (pel-e-sin'i-de), n. pi. [NL. (Hali- 
day, 1840), < Pelccintm + -idle.] A notable fam- 
ily of Hytncnoptera, represented by the genus 
Pelecinus alone. The species are supposed to 
be parasitic. 
Pelecinus (pel-e-ul'nus), n. [NL. (Latreille. 
1801), < Gr. jTf/.tuivof, a pelican: see pelican.] 
A remarkable genus of hymenopterous insects, 
representing the family Pelecintdte. The trochan- 
ters are one-Jointed ; the fore wings are without complete 
submarglnal cells ; the abdomen is petlolate, very long and 
Blender, 111 the female at least five times longer than the 
head and thonu, but shorter In the male, and elavste ; the 
iihtcnnaj are long, filamentous, not elbowed ; and the body 
is polished-black. 
pelecoid (nel'e-koid), . [< Gr. : 
an ax,< mfaKvf, an ax, a battle- 
ax, hatchet, + fMor, form.] A 
mathematical figure in the 
form of a hatchet, consisting 
of t wo concave quadrantal arcs 
and a semicircle. Also spelled 
peliroid. 
pelecypod (pe-les'i-pod), a. 
and n. [< Gr. jre^enif, an ax, 
hatchet, + iroif (iroo-) = E. foot.] 
ing a hatchet-shaped foot; of or pertaining 
to the Pclerypoda; lamellibranchiate, as a mol- 
lusk. 
II. n. A bivalve raollusk; a lamellibranch. 
Pelecypoda (pel-e-sip'o-dft), n. pi. [NL. : see 
]>elecypod.] The bivalve mollusks; the eon- 
chiferous or acephalous bivalves, usually called 
Lamelliltranchiata, Aeepnala, or Conchifera: so 
named as a class from the shape of the foot in 
some forms. Goldfuxs. ThU name, agreeing In 
termination with the names of other molluscan classes, 
is now preferred by some conchologUta to any of the 
prior designations. 
pelecypodous (pel-e-sip'o-dus), a. Same as 
pelecypod. 
pelemelet, n. An old spelling of pall-mall. 
peleret, A Middle English form of pillar. 
pelerine (pel'e-rin), . [< F. pelerine, a tippet, 
< pelerin, a pilgrim: see pilgrim.] A woman's 
long narrow cape or tippet, with ends coming 
down to a point in front, usually of silk or lace, 
or of the material of the dress. 
Silks, muslins, prints, ribbons, pelerine* are awfully 
dear. L. JS. London, Blanchard, I. 111. (Dane*.) 
Pele's hair. [Hawaiian Kanaka a Pele, ' hair of 
I vie,' the goddess of the volcano Kilauea.] The 
name given in the Hawaiian Islands to lava 
which, while fused, has been blown by the wind 
into long delicate fibers or threads. 
pelett, n. A Middle English form of pellet. 
Pelex (pe'leks), n. [NL., < Gr. irfh/f, a helmet, 
casque.] A genus of bivalves, typical of the 
order Pelicoidea : same as Tridacna. 
pelf (pelf), n. [Early moA.E.pelfe; <ME. 'pelfe, 
< OF. "pelfe, 'peiife, peuffe, F. dial. (Norm.) 
peufe, ajso OF. pelfre, pevfre, F. dial, peufre, 
spoil, frippery; cf pelfrer, pelfer, pelfir, also 
piHeier, despoil, pillage ; appar. connected with 
piller, rob (>E. pill*), but the second syllable 
is not explained. Cf. pel fry, pilfer.] I. Frip- 
"ery; rubbish; refuse; trash. [Now only prov. 
ing.] 
Another of our vulgar makers spake as Illfarlngly In 
this verse written to the dispraise of a rich man and 
couetous. Thou hast a misers mlnde (thou hast a princes 
pelfe) a lewde terme to be spoken of a princes treasure, 
which In no respect nor for any cause is to be called peife, 
though it were neuer so tneane, for pe{fe Is properly the 
scrappes or shreds of taylors and skinners, which are ac- 
compted of so vile a price as they be commonly cast out 
of dores, or otherwise bestowed vpon base purposes. 
I'uHnihaiii, Arte of Eng. Poetic (Arber reprint), iii. 23. 
2. Money; riches; "filthy lucre": a contemptu- 
ous term. It has no plural. 
I wfl the pallace burne, 
With al the princes pelfe. 
Gatcaigne, Philomene (ed. Artier). 
Master of hlmselfe and his wealth, not a slaue to pas- 
sion or pef/e. Punluu, Pilgrimage, p. OS. 
pe 
En 
