fishes of the order Thoracici. Geneiic 
character: head covered with scales; gill- 
membrane generally with about six rays ; 
two dorsal fins placed in a furrow, into 
which they are often withdrawn. There 
are twenty nine species, the principal of 
which is the S. cirrosa or bearded-scieena, 
which inhabits the European and American 
seas, and is from one to two feet in length. 
It was known to the ancients and esteemed 
by them for the table. It is of a pale yellow 
colour, striped longitudinally with dusky- 
blue. Its tail is slightly lunated, and it 
has under its chin a short fleshy beard. 
SCIAGRAPHY, the profile or vertical 
section of a building used to show the inside 
of it. Tile same term is used in astronomy 
for the art of finding the hour of the day, or 
night, by the shadow of the sun, moon, 
stars, &c. 
SCIENCE, in philosophy, denotes any 
doctrine deduced from self evident and cer- 
tain principles, by a regular demonstration. 
Sciences may be properly divided as fob 
lows ; 1. The knowledge of things, tlreir 
constitutions, properties, and operations ; 
this, in a little more enlarged sense of the 
word, may be called tfua-m, or natural phi- 
losophy ; the end of which is speculative 
truth. 2. The skill of rightly applying 
these powers, v^axlixn ; the most consi- 
derable under this head is ethics, which is 
the seeking out those rules and measures of 
human actions that lead to happiness, and 
the means to practise them ; and the next 
is mechanics, or the application of the 
powers of natural agents to the uses of life. 
See Philosophy, moral, S. The doctrine 
of signs, irtifxiMTixv ; the most usual of which 
being words, it is aptly enough termed 
logic. See Logic. 
This, says Mr. Locke, seems to be the 
most general, as well as natural, division 
of the objects of our understanding. For 
a man can employ his thoughts about 
nothing but either the contemplation of 
things themselves for the discovery of truth ; 
or about the things in his own power, which 
are his actions, for the attainment of his own 
ends ; or the signs the mind makes use of, 
both in the one and the other, and the 
right ordering of them for its clearer under- 
standing, All which three, viz. things, as 
they are in themselves knowable ; actions, 
as they depend on us in order to happiness ; 
and the right use of signs, in order to knovy- 
ledge, being foto crelo different, they seem 
to be the three great provinces of the intel- 
lectual world, wholly separate and distinef 
one from another. 
SCILLA, in botany, squill, a genus of the 
Hexandria Monogynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Coronariae. Asphodeli, Jus- 
sieu. Essential character : corolla six-pe- 
talled, spreading, deciduous ; filaments fili- 
form. There are twenty-two species. The 
most remarkable is S. maritima or sea onion, 
whose roots are used in medicine. Of this 
there are two sorts, one with a red, and tlie 
other with a white root : which are Slip-' 
posed to be accidental varieties, but the 
white are generally preferred for medicinal 
use. The roots are large, somewhat oval- 
shaped, composed of many coats lying over 
each other like onions ; and at the bottom 
come out several fibres. From the middle 
of the root rise several shining leaves, which 
continue green all the winter, and decay in 
the spring. Then the flower-stalk cornea 
out, which rises two feet high, and is naked 
half-way, terminating in a pyramidal thyrse 
of flowers, which are white, composed of six 
petals, and spread open like the points of a 
star. This grows naturally om the sea- 
shores, and in the ditches where the salt 
water naturally flows with the tide, in most 
of the warm parts of Europe, so cannot be 
propagated in gardens ; the frost in winter 
always destroying the roots, and for want of 
salt water they do not thrive in .summer. The 
root is very nauseous to the taste, intensely 
bitter, and so acrimonious that it ulcerates 
the skin if much handled. 
SCIOPTIC, or ScioPTRic ball, a sphere, 
or globe of wood, with a circular hole or per- 
foration, wherein a lens is placed. It is so 
fitted that, like the eye of an animal, it may 
be turned round every way, to be used 
in making experiments of the darkened 
room. 
SCIRPUS, in botany, club rush, a genus 
of the Triandria Monogynia class and or- 
der. Natural order of Calamariae. Cy- 
peroidese, Jussieu. Essential character : 
glumes chaffy, imbiicate every way ; co- 
rolla none ; seed one, beardless. There are 
sixty- nine species. 
SCIRE /acias, is a judicial writ, and pro- 
perly lies after a year and a day after judg- 
ment given ; whereby the sheriff is com- 
manded to summon or give notice to the de- 
fendant, that he appear and show cause 
why the plaintiff should not have execution. 
A scire facias, is deemed a judicial writ, 
and founded on some matter of record, a$ 
