WAC 
in length, and are half an inch in diame- 
ter. 
V. harpyia, or the crested vulture, is ra- 
ther larger than a turkey, and is distin- 
guished by a crest of four feathers on its 
liead. Its strength is extraordinary, and 
with a single stroke of its bill it is reported 
to be able to cleave down the scull of a 
man. It is found in Mexico and Brasil. 
V. aura, or the carrion vulture, is of the 
same size as the last, is common both in 
North aud South America, and feeds on 
carcasses and on snakes. Its odour is par- 
ticularly rank. It is far from being fero- 
cious and dangerous, may be easily reared 
tame, and is considered in the West Indies 
as highly useful in destroying reptiles, ver- 
min, and carrion, insomuch that the killing 
of them is prohibited by law. They roost 
together at nights in considerable numbers, 
in the manner of rooks. 
WAF 
V. Sagittarius, or the secretary vulture, 
is distinguished by the extraordinary length 
of its legs, and, when standing upright, is a 
yard high. It is found ift Africa, aad in the 
PhilippineTslands, It principally lives on li- 
zards and rats, aud various species of ver- 
min. It strikes with its feet forwards, and 
never the contrary. It takes up tortoises 
in its claws, and dashes them with great 
force on the ground, and will repeat this 
process tilt these animals are completely 
killed. For the king vulture, see Aves, 
Plate XIV. fig. 5. 
UVULARIA, in hofany, a genus of the 
Hexandria Monogynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Sarmentace®. Lilia, Jussieu. 
Essential character : corolla six petalled, 
erect ; nectary hollow at the base of each 
petal ; filaments very short. There are six 
species. 
, -A: 
^ w, 
y. - 
W or w, is the twenty-first letter of our 
’ alphabet, and is composed, as its 
name implies, of two v’s. It was not in use 
among the Hebrews, Greeks, or Romans, 
but chiefly peculiar to the northern nations, 
the Teutones, Saxons, Britons, &c. But 
still it is not used by the French, Italians, 
Spaniai-ds, or Portuguese, except in proper 
names, and other terms borrowed from lan- 
guages in which it is originally used, and 
even then it is sounded like the single v. 
This letter is of an ambiguous nature, being 
a consonant at the beginning of words, and 
a vowel at the end. It may stand before all 
tlie vowels except u, as water, wedge, win- 
ter, wonder : it may also follow the vowels, 
a, e, 0, and unites with them into a kind of 
double vowel, or dipthong, as in saiv, few, 
cow, &c. 
WACCE, in mineralogy, a species of the 
clay genus, of a greenish grey colour, of va- 
rious degrees of intensity ; it occurs some- 
times massive, sometimes vesicular, and the 
vesicul® are either filled wdieu the com- 
pound is denominated amygdaloid, or emp- 
ty. It is not very heavy, and it is the cha- 
racteristic of it that it falls to pieces in the 
open air. It belongs to the floetz trap for- 
mation 5 where it occurs in beds which ge- 
nerally lie under basalt, and above clay. 
It is found in veins, and generally forms the 
basis of amygdaloid. It frequently contains 
imbedded crystals of mica and basaltic horn- 
blende, but does not, like basalt, include 
augite or olivine. It is found in many 
parts of Germany, and in Sweden. AFerner 
considers it as intermediate between basalt 
and clay. When basalt contains mica, it is 
passing to wacce. Near Joachimstal there 
is an immense rent filled with wacce, in 
which whole trees are found imbedded. 
WACHENDORFIA, in botany, a genus 
of the Triandria Monogynia class and order. 
Natural order of Ensat®. Irides, Jussieu. 
Essential character : corolla six-petalled, 
unequal, inferior ; capsule three-celled, su- 
perior. There are five species all natives 
of the Cape of Good Hope. 
WADD, or Waduing, is a stopple of 
paper, hay, straw, or the like, forced into 
a gun upon the powder to keep it close in 
the chamber; or to put up close to the shot 
to keep it from rolling out. 
AF AFERS are made thus : take very fine 
flour, mix it with glair of eggs, isinglass, 
aud a little yeast ; mingle the materials ; beat 
them well together, spread the batter, be- 
ing made tliin with gum water, on even tin 
