PHY 
ter by depriving them of moisture. Air is 
not essential, as bodies will decay in va- 
cuo. 
All animal substances exhale at first a 
mnsty or cadaverous odour, soften, increase 
in size, become heated, change their colour, 
turn green, blue, and, lastly, a blackish 
brown. Several gaseous matters are at the 
same time disengaged, among which the 
ammoniacal is the principal, both on ac- 
count of its quantity, and because animal 
matter begins to furnish it, from tlie instant 
its alteration commences to the period of 
its complete dissolution. Carbonic acid gas 
is also disengaged, and forms with the am- 
moniacal air a fixed salt. Hydrogen, united 
with phosphorus, sulphur, azote, and carbon, 
and all things that can result from their re- 
spective combinations, are likewise pro- 
duced. 
Putrefaction, considered in a philosophi- 
cal point of view, is only the method em- 
ployed by nature to return our organs, that 
are deprived of life to a more simple com- 
position, in order that their elements may 
be employed for new creations, (Circulus 
aterni motus ). Nothing is, therefore, bet- 
ter proved than the metempsychosis of 
matter; whence we may conclude, that 
this doctrin?, like most of the tenets and 
fabulous conceptions of antiquity, is only a 
mysterious veil dextrously interposed be- 
tween nature and the vulgar by the hand of 
philosophy. 
PHYSSOPHORA, in natural history, a 
genus of the Vermes Molhisca class and or- 
der. Generic character : body gelatinous, 
pendant from the aerial vesicle, with gela- 
tinous sessile members at the sides, and 
numerous tentacula beneath. There are 
three species, viz. the hydrostatica, which 
is of an oval shape; the rosacea, which is 
orbicular ; and the filiformes, which is late- 
ral, filiform, and pendent. This genus is 
nearly allied to the Medusa tribe, which 
see. 
PHYTEUMA, in botany, a genus of the 
Pentandria Monogynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Campanacese. CampanulaceBB, 
Jussieu. Essential character : corolla wheel- 
shaped with linear segments, five-parted; 
stigma bifid or trifid ; capsule two or three- 
celled, inferior. There are sixteen species. 
The European sorts of phyteuma have the 
flowers in a close terminating head; those 
from the East have them scattered ; in all 
there is a little bracte to each flower. They 
are all natives of the South of Europe. 
PHYTOLACCA, in botany, a genus of 
PIC 
the Decandria Decagynia class and order. 
Natural order of Miscellanea;. Atriplices, 
Jussieu. Essential character : calyx none; 
petals five, calyciue ; berry superior, ten- 
celled, ten-seeded. There are six species. 
PHYTOLOGY, a discourse concerning 
the kinds and virtues of plants. 
PHYTOTOMA, the plant-cutter, in na- 
tural history, a genus of birds of the order 
Passeres. Generic character : bill conic, 
straight, and serrated on the edges; nos- 
trils oval ; tongue obtuse and short. There 
arc two species. 
P. rara, or the plant cutter of Chili, in- 
habits that countiy in great plenty, and is 
about the size of a quail, and feeds on ve- 
getables. These birds take considerable 
pains to saw otf the vegetable as near as 
possible to the ground, and are extremely in- 
jurious in the cultivated lands of the districts 
which it frequents, and are consequtntly par- 
ticularly disliked by the inhabitants?^ They 
build in high trees and sequestered situa- 
tions. They are distinguished by having 
four toes from the following species, which 
has only three : P. tridactyla, the Abyssinian 
plant cutter. This is of the size of a gros- 
beak, delights in solitude, and abounds in the 
wilds of Abyssinia, where it subsists much 
on the kernels of the almond, breaking the 
shell with particular ease and dexterity. 
PICJ5, in natural history, the second or- 
der of the class A ves in the Linnaeau system. 
They are characterized by a sharp-edged 
bill, convex above ; legs short, strong ; 
feet formed for walking, perching or climb- 
ing ; body toughish, impure. They feed on 
various filthy substances. They build their 
nests in trees; the male feeds the female 
while she is sitting ; they live in pairs.' There 
are twenty-six genera divided into sections. 
A. Feet formed for perching, contain- 
ing: 
Buphaga 
Oriolus 
Certhia 
Paradisea 
Coracias 
Sitta 
Corvus 
Trochilus 
Glaucopis 
Gracula 
Upiipa 
Feet formed for climbing, contain. 
Bucco 
Psittacus 
Crotophaga 
Rhamphastos 
> Cucnlus 
Scythrops 
Galbula 
Trogoo 
Picus 
Yuntf 
Bb S 
