STY 
bfe found. Tliey are extremely docile and 
mimetic, and may be taught, not merely a 
great variety of sounds, but 'even words and 
phrases. 
STYLE, a word of various significations, 
originally deduced from a kind of bodkin, 
wherewith the ancients wrote on plates of 
lead, or on wax, &c. and which is still used 
to write on ivory leaves, and paper pre- 
pared for that purpose, ficc. 
Style, in dialling, denotes the gnomon 
or cock of a dial, raised on the plane there- 
of, to project a shadow. 
Style, in botany, is a part of the pistil 
of plants, and is of various figures, but al- 
ways placed on the germen : it gives origin 
to the stigma. 
Style, in matters of language, a particu- 
lar manner of expressing one’s thoughts 
agreeably to the rules of syntax ; or, the 
manner wherein the words, constructed ac- 
cording to the laws of syntax, are arranged 
among themselves, suitably to tlie genus of 
the language. 
STYLEPHORUS, in natural history, a 
genus of fishes of the order Apodes. Ge- 
neric character : eyes pedunculated, stand- 
ing on a short, thick cylinder ; snout 
lengthened, directed upwards, retractile to- 
wards the head, by means of a membrane ; 
month without teeth; three pair of branchi® 
beneath the throat ; pectoral fins small ; 
dorsal extending completely along the 
back ; caudal short, with spiny rays ; body 
very long and compressed. There is only 
one species of this wonderful genus, which 
was first described towards the close of the 
last century. 
S. chordatus is a native of the West In- 
dia seas, and is nearly three feet in length, 
including the process at the end of the tail, 
which is about twenty inches. For a mi- 
nute description of this singular animal, 
which was taken swimming near the sur- 
face of the water, between Cuba and Mar- 
tinique, the “ Linnaean Transactions or 
“ Naturalist’s Miscellany,” may be consulted 
with satisfaction. 
STYLUS, in botany, the slender part of 
the pistillum, resembling a pillar, which 
stands upon the seed-bud, and elevates the 
stigma. The number of styles, generally 
speaking, is equal to tliat of the seed-buds, 
each seed-bud being furnished with its own 
particular style. The style either falls with 
the other parts of the flower, or accompa- 
nies the fruit to maturity. 
STOPTIC, in pharmacy, medicines 
SUB 
tyhich, by their, astringent qualities, stop 
hsemorrhages. 
STYRAX, in botany, storax, a gc-nus of 
the Decandria Monogynia class and or^er. 
Natural order of Bicornes. Guaiacanac, 
Jussieu. Essential character ; calyx infe- 
rior 5 corolla funnel-form ; drupe two-seed- 
ed. There are four species, the most re- 
markable of which is the S. benzoin, ben- 
zoin storax, or benjamin tree, as it is cor- 
ruptly Called, is of quick growth, rising to a 
considerable height; jt is deemed, in Suma- 
tra, which is its native country, to be of 
sufficient age in six years, or when tlie 
trunk is about seven or eight inches in dia- 
meter, to alford the benzoin ; the bai'k is 
then cut through longitudinally, at the be- 
ginning of the principal lower branches, 
from which (he drug exudes in a liquid 
state, and by exposure to the sun and air, 
soon concretes, when it is scraped off from 
the bark with a knife or chissel. The quan- 
tity which one tree affords, never exceed* 
three pounds ; nor are the trees found to 
sustain the effects of these annual incisions 
longer than ten or twelve years. The ben- 
zoin which issues first from the wounded 
bark is the purest, being soft, extremely 
fragrant, and very white ; that which is less 
esteemed is of a brownish colour, hard, and 
mixed with various impurities. In Arabia, 
Persia, and other parts of the East, the 
coarser sort is consumed in fumigating and 
perfuming the temples, and in destroying 
insects. 
SUBALTERN, a subordinate officer, or 
one who discharges his post under the com- 
mand, and subject to the direction of, ano- 
ther: such are lieutenants, sub-lieutenants, 
cornets, and ensigns, who serve under the 
captain ; but custom has now appropriated 
the term to those of much lower rank, as 
Serjeants and the like. We also say, subal- 
tern courts, jurisdictions, &c. such are those’ 
of inferior lords, with regard to the lord pa- 
ramount; hundred courts, w'ith regard to 
county-courts, &c. 
SUBCONTRARY position, in geometry^ 
is when two similar triangles are so placed 
as to have one common angle at the vertex, 
and yet their bases not parallel. 
SUBDUPLE ratio, is when any number 
or quantity is contained in another twice : 
thus 3 is said to be subduple of 6, as 6 is 
duple of 3. 
SUBDUPLICATE ratio, of any two 
quantities is the ratio of their square roots. 
This the opposite to the duplicate, which is 
the ratio of the squares ; thus if the quanti- 
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