STR 
STRONGILUS, in natural history, a 
gemts of the Vermes Intestina class and 
order. Body round, long, pellucid, gla- 
brous ; the fore-part globular, truncate, 
with a circular aperture fringed at the mar- 
gin ; the hind part of the female entire and 
pointed, of the male dilated into loose, dis- 
tant, pellucid membranes. There are two 
species, uiis. S. equinus, and S. ovinus ; the 
latter is found in the intestines of sheep ; 
the former has an opaque head, and a 
black intestine, it inliabits the stomach of 
the h.orse. in great numbers ; the male is of 
a pale yellow, with a fine yellowish mem- 
brane covering the intestines ; the tail is 
three-leaved witli a small spine or two; 
female with white filiform vesicles surround- 
ing the intestines. 
STROP, in naval affairs, a piece of rope, 
spliced generally into a circular wreath, and 
used to surround the body of a block, so 
that the latter may be hung to any particu- 
lar situation about the masts, yards, or 
rigging. Strops are also used to fasten 
upon any large rope for the purpose of 
hooking a tackle to the eye of the strop, in 
order to extend, or pnll with redoubled 
effort upon the same rope. 
STROPHE, in ancient poetrj', a certain 
number of verses, including a perfect sense, 
and making the first part of an ode. AVhat 
the couplet is in songs, and the stanza in 
epic poetry, the strophe is in odes. 
STRUMPPIA, hi botany, so named in 
memory of Christopher Car. Strumpff, pro- 
fessor of Chemistry and botany at Halle in 
Magdeburgh, a genus of the Syngenesia 
Monogamia class and order. Natural order 
of Compositae Numentace®. Essential 
character : calyx five-toothed, superior ; 
corolla five-petalled ; berry one-seeded. 
There is only one species, viz. S. maritima. 
It is a native of Curacoa, on rocks by the 
coast. 
STRUTHIO, the ostrich, in natural his- 
tory, a genus of birds of the order Gallin®. 
Generic character : the bill straight, de- 
pressed, like that of a duck, and rounded at 
the end ; wings short, and unfit for flight ; 
legs naked above tiie knee ; two toes 
placed forward. Gmelin enumerates four 
species of tliis genus, several of which have 
characters not a little dissimilar in some 
points, and such as have induced Brisson 
and Latham to adopt a different arrange- 
ment. Having noticed this circumstance, 
Vve sliall adhere to the Linnman system. 
S. camelus, or tlie blacK ostrich, is about 
eigiit feet long, and when erect, measures 
STR 
about seven feet, and sometimes eight in 
height. One was exhibited in London in 
1750, weighing three hundred pounds. It 
is found in various parts of Africa, and 
about the Cape of Good Hope is particu- 
larly abundant. In the parts of Asia, near 
Africa, it is also met with. The idea of 
these birds burying their eggs in the sand, 
where the suu brings them to maturity, is 
contradicted by Kollren, who states, that 
he has driven the ostrich from its nest innu- 
merable, times to procure its eggs for food, 
adding, that these constitute a most excel- 
lent repast, and that one is sufficient for 
four moderate persons. The ostrich subsists 
entirely on vegetable productions, but will 
'swallow, occasionally, the most hard and 
even sharp and pointed substances. Iron, and 
various other metals, and even glass, have 
often been found in its stomach, and have 
unquestionably often proved fatal. It is re- 
lated upon respectable authority, that an 
ostrich will carry a man upon its back, and 
move with very considerable speed ; some ■ 
make the same remark with respect to two 
men. When nninciimbered by any burden, 
its speed is truly extraordinary, and will ex- 
ceed, in some instances, the ordinary rapi- 
dity of a horse. Ostriches are taken by 
the natives near the Cape, after a pursuit 
of two or three days, from mere exhaustion, 
tlirough wliich they suffer themselves to be 
destroyed merely by clubs. Dogs are 
sometimes employed to liunt them down, 
followed by men on horseback, w'ho con- 
trive, by means of a long hooked staff, to 
lay hold of one of the legs of the bird, and 
thus bring it to tlie ground. Sometimes 
tliey are approached and destroyed by the 
stratagem of advancing against them in 
one of the skins of their own species. They 
are applied to various purposes. Their 
feathers form an admirable ornament for 
tlie ladies ; their skins are of sufficient 
thickness to be manufactured for the pur- 
poses of leather; the fat part of their bo- 
dies is in higli, but perhaps fanciful, estima- 
tion in many parts for paralytic and rheu- 
matic complaints ; even tlieir eggs are used 
as goblets, and, if some authors may be cre- 
dited, young ostriches constitute an agree- 
able variety for tlie table. See Aves, 
Plate XIV. fig. 1. 
S. casnarliis, or tlie galeated cassowary, is 
nearly equal in magnitude to tlie ostrich, 
but lias a much sliorter neck, and therefore 
is greatly inferior in height. On the top of 
its head is a species of lielmet tiiree inches 
high and one thick at the base. Each 
