Sphindus 
Sphindus(s.in'dus), . [M,. (Ci,,.v TO lat, 1833) 
amadeword.] The typical genus of the 5pMl 
(Mote. Only 3 species are known, one of which 
is North American 
Sphingidae (sfin'ji-de), . /)/. TNL (Lench 
1O1(\ X ii > i v ' L*- 11 -** ^-IJVitCll. 
ilSJ), <t>plu>ix (Sphing-) + -idee.'] An impor- 
tant family of heterocerous lepidopterous in- 
sects, with fusiform antenna?, typified by the 
genus ,s>,/,, w .,-, including all those commonly 
known us sphinxes, sphinx-moths, ///,- ninth'-! 
or humming-bird ninth*. The body is robust- the ab! 
donien is stout, conical, often tufted ; the tongue is usua'y 
wi!f-s '',', '',"" g ; " antonnic lmve a llook ot tt* tip ; the 
a.'ilU -at the tip' They a^e'dim ,'"']', "t" "pTl'scula'r in habff 8 
nviH ft?" 8 "I" h " e8t sunslli " e . l">t the majority in the 
twilight. Ihe larva) are large, naked, usual y green in 
color, and generally furnished with a prominent caud 
horn, which is sometimes replaced after the last molt 
by a shining lenticular tubercle. When full-grown they 
either pupate above ground, between leaves in a "i Sit 
cocoon, or more generally go deep under iCmd ,,! 
transform in an earthen cell* The long ton|," spec e ' 
have a special free and characteristic tongue . C a, e P The 
species of temperate regions are divided into four princt 
pal subfamilies : MacraylniriM, Chafmcampin^ SpSri- 
me, and SmennOuna. From America north of IteSoogS 
r 8 i a !. e . b , e 5_" ***>. ""out 50 from Europe, and 
ire world. Also SpMn- 
loidea, and Sphingoides. 
-'- , hawlt-moth, 
5827 
}.-, throttle strangle, orig. bind, -ompn-ss, 
hx; ,>rob. = L. Ji,,,;;-, lix fUe /, ; by some 
connecte.1 wi!l, L. /,,, a bundle: see >,-,-,, ] 
1. [,;,. or /. ,.] I,, ,; ; , W// M., /,,,,,!,, ,! 
ster said to have propose,! a rid.ll,. to (he 
fhebans who passed her as she sat on a rock 
the roadside, and to have killed all who 
hdipus answered, Man, who creeps i i f- '," v ,terw 
Th 9 S'nh' a ' Kl fl " !lll) Wlllk -h Btaff a ^'W d 
sphygmograph 
this monster is represented with the I,.,, ,-,,]; o a 
dog, winged, and Ae head and often the Leasts of a wo! 
J'or valour, is not Love a Hercules? 
Subtle as Sphinx. Shak., L. L. L.' iV 3 842 
sphingiform (sfin'ji-f&rm), . [< NL. .,,,, HJ 
(ODMng-) + L,. forma, form.] In entom., resem- 
bling a moth of the family Sphingida. 
spningine (sfin'jin), . Resembling a sphinx 
or hawk-moth; of or pertaining to the Sphin- 
gulse; sphmgoid or sphingiform 
sphingoid (sting 'goid), , [< NL. Sphinx 
(tsplitiig-) + -OH!.] Like a sphinx or hawk- 
moth ; sphmgine or sphingiform. 
sphingure (sting'gur), n. [= F. sphiggure: see 
SpMngtmu.] Amemberof thegenus SpMngu- 
Sphingurinae (sfing-gu-ri'ne), n. pi. [NL., < 
Sphtngurns + -inee. ] The American porcupines 
a subfamily of Hystricidx, of more or less com- 
pletely arboreal habits, represented by four 
genera, Sphingurus, Si/netheres, Chatomys, and 
EreiMaon : so named by E. B. Alston in 1876 
It corresponds to the Synetherina of Gervais 08521 the 
byn.cthe.nrue of J. A. Allen (1877), and the Cercolabitue (as 
a subfamily of SpalcKopudidee) of Lilljebora (18(ifi^ ami mil 
(1872). see cuts under porcupine and prelmwUe' 
sphingurine (sfing'gu-rin), . Of or belonging 
to the */>>, tyKrinee; synetherine; cercolabme 
BPJUPF 11 ^* (snng-gu'rus), n. [NL. (F. Cuvier 
U*S, in form SpMggurue), < Gr. atiyyetv throt- 
tle, strangle (see sphinx), + ovpa. tail 1 The 
typical genus of Sphingurinx, having the tail 
prehensile, all four feet four-toed, and little de- 
t~3aBtitt^Zttf& Whitelincd "^-"^asa * -*- 
a hon (never winged), and a male Tinman head 
or an animal hea5. The human-headed . K_ ^^^S^SS^^^^ 
Cressitmo, juglandui, an American moth whot 
Same 
mg no connection with the Greek fable ; and 1 the Greeks 
probably applied the term sphinx to the Egyptian statut" 
'' 
brtwenhem, h e exernesemble 
Between them and their own eonception. The Egvntian 
sphinxes were commonly placed in avenues leadh K 
teal Inning 8 ' t 'i' he '"f celebmted example is g the 
jreat Sph nx near the great pyramids of Ghizeh hewn 
?f tT W * anite> with the cumbent body o "a lion 
nil f r g from ,, the Boulders to the rump, and 56 feet 
A fman tln^ an 8 h f? d , 28} feet hi n from c ^" to crown 
A 8m ill temple stood between the fore paws of this sphinx 
sphinx-moth (snngks'mdth), n. 
ffiAMit) (c/). 
sphragide (sfraj'id), . [< F. sphragide, < L. 
sphragis, < Gr. ^pa^V, a 8igneti i seal ^ ' Same 
as Lemman earth (which see, under Lemtiian) 
sphragistics (sfra-jis'tiks), . [< Gr. Zey^. 
rajOf, of, for or pertaining to sealing, <*- 
'^7' Se | ',/ T"^' a sea1 -^ The study of 
seals and the distinctions among them; the 
ta, T n - e8 - U is cl<Mel y "'"ate" to Syne- 
s but the latter is more spiny, and has a broad hieh- 
ly arched frontal region. The two genera are united by 
Brandt under the name Cercolabes Each has several 
the In?, al f 8PeCieS '" Ce tral ond South America, east of 
e n t 
3. In her., a creature with a lion's body and a 
woman's head, but not necessarily like any an- 
cient original. It is assumed to be winged- 
when not winged, it should be blazoned "sans 
wings. 4. An enigmatic or sphinx-like ner- 
son ; one who talks puzzlingly, or is inscrutable 
m disposition or character ; one whom it is hard 
to understand. 5. In entom.: (a) A hawk- 
moth; a member of the genus Sphinx or the 
family Sphmgidse. See cuts under hawk-moth 
'}?0-c<iterpi,ttar Lepidoptera, and Philampelm. 
(b) [cap. | [NL. (Lmnasus, 1767).] The typical 
genus of the family Sphingidx At flr s t it w, 
extensive with this famUy- later itformedagroupoivari" 
^Sft^^s^^fiSJsag 
s"des occur m g Ame" e8 ' " ' S & wide : 8 P read genus ; 19 
j ^if- 1 '^'* f ereu ! ;in K the head and anterior segnVe'nte' 
ftom which Linmeua derived a fanciful resemblance to the 
Egyptian Sphinx (whence the name). 
6. The Guinea baboon, Cynocq>halus papio or 
Ptimo sphinx. Also called sphinx-baboon.- 
Abbot S sphinx, Thyreus abboti, a small North American 
tory of the middle ages, as well as in the 
sphinx (sfingksj, .; pi. sphinxes, sphinges 
(sflngk'sez sfln'jez). [= F. sphinx^ 4. 
esfinge = Pg. esplnnge = It. sfmgc = 6. 
s P ht '! x > < L - sphinx, < Gr. ^f (<*yy-) 
JEohc K, a sphinx (Theban or Egyptian: see 
f ,?u 2); 8u PP s ed to mean lit. 'stran- 
gler, the story being that the Sphinx strangled 
those who could not solve her riddles; < My. 
in their classification and in the proof of their authenticity 
sphngosis (sfri-go'sis), H. [NL., for "sphrigcsis; 
< Gr. o+pnto, bo full and vigorous, + -osis 1 
Over-rankness in fruit-trees and other plants 
stems t H e r '" T hic , h the plant t^ to *wto wSS 
stem, and leaves in place of fruit or bulb etc., or tonmr 
so luxuriantly that the nutritious qualities of the Drodi wt 
are in ured as in the turnip and 1 potato Snhrigosis is 
tS5*M&*& ver -**. sSmetimes Fo eSitu! 
aerect. Compare ran/mess, 4. 
sphygmic (sfig'mik), . [< Gr. ^i^dc, per- 
taining to the pulse, < afiwb, the beating of 
the heart, the pulse: see sphygmus.l I Of or 
pertaining to the pulse.-g.fc ,ool,, pulsat- 
ing or pulsatile ; beating with rhythmic con- 
traction and dilatation, like a pulse; specifi- 
cally, belonging to the Sphygmica. 
Sphygmica (sfig'mi-ka), . pi. [NL., < Gr 
^j-^/cor, pertaining to' the pulse: seesphyq- 
MC.] A group or series of ameebifoi-m proto- 
zoans, m which regularly contractile or sphyg- 
mic vacuoles are observed. See Amceboidea 
sphygmogram (sfig'mo-gram), . [< Gr. 
Sphygniogram. 
ft, pulse, + ypa^a, a writing.] A tracing of 
the changes of tension at a point in an artery 
as obtained with a sphygmograph 
sphygmograph (sfig ' mo - graf ), . [< Gr. 0*1? - 
whi.r t' yp ^"S' Write ' ] An "'strument 
which, when applied over an artery, traces on 
Sphinx. Greek sculpture in the British Museum. 
Abbot's Sphinx (Thy,, attet,'), moth and larra, natural size. 
sphinx whose larva feeds on the vine. Achemon sphinx 
llnlampeha ackemmt. See cuts of moth and larva under 
Phtiampelm -Blind-eyed sphinx, / excacatm, a 
handsome American moth, of a general fawn color with 
roseate hind wings ornamented with a blue-centered eye- 
spot, whose larva lives upon the apple.-Carolina sphinx. 
Protoparce Carolina, a mottled gray and black moth whose 
larva is the tobacco-worm. See cut under tobacco-worm 
Catalpa sphinx, Ceratomia catatpx, an American moth 
whoselai-vaf eeds on the catalpa.- Clear- winged spninx 
a moth whose wings are partly hyaline, as Humans diffini* 
other members of the same genus; also, improperly, 
certain of the SesiidK. See cut under raftpbtrry. barer 
I)eatH s-nead sphinx, Acherontia atropos. See cut un- 
der deatt's-Arad.-Flve-spotted sphinx, Protoparce ce- 
levs, a. common gray North American moth whose abdomen 
is marked with five orange spots on each side, and whose 
larva feeds upon the tomato, potato, and other solanaceous 
plants. See cut under tomato worm. Mornlne-SDhinx 
any species of thegenus Deilephila, as D.lineata th* hite- 
ed morning-sphinx, a common American moth of strik- 
'T f .. c an e pressure wheels i. , the paper 
s carried; /, spring which bears on the shaft of the wheels f Tto 
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