DOV 
or warty doris, found in tlie sea near Aber- 
deen, is of an ovated form, convex, and 
tiiberculated. 
DORYCHIUM, in botany, a genus of 
t!ie Diadelphia Decandria class and order : 
calyx live-toothed, two-lipped ; filaments 
subulate ; stigma capitate ; legume turgid, 
one or two seeded. There are three spe- 
cies, found in France and Spain. 
DORMANT, in heraldry, is used for the 
posture of a lion, or any other beast, lying 
along in a sleeping attitude, with the head 
on the fore paws; by which it is distin- 
guished from the couchant, where, though 
the beast be lying, yet he holds up his 
head. 
DORONICUM, in botany, leopard’s 
bane, a genus of the Syngenesia Polyga- 
mia Superflua class and order. Natural 
order of Conipositae Discoideae. Corym- 
beferap, Jussieu. Essential cJiaracter ; ca- 
lyx scales in two rows equal, longer than 
the disk ; seeds of the ray naked, and des- 
titute of down ; down to those of the disk 
simple; receptacle naked. There are three 
species, they grow naturally in Germany, 
France, and Spain. 
DORSTENIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 
Natural order of Scabridas. Urticaj, Jus- 
sieu. Essential character : receptacle com- 
mon, one-leafed, fleshy, in which solitaiy 
seeds nestle. There are eight species. 
DOSSIL, lint made into a cylindric form. 
See SuncERY. 
DOUBLE letter, in grammer, a letter 
which has the force and effect of two. The 
Greeks have three of these, viz. z, S, T ; 
the Latins have two X and Z; and most of 
the modern languages have the same. 
DOUGLASSIA, in botany, so named in 
honour of James Douglas, M. D., a genus 
of the Polyadelphia Polyandria class and 
order. Essential character : calyx half 
six-cleft ; corolla none ; nectaiy six ; fila- 
ments none; germ superior; stigma six- 
cleft ; berry ovate, one-celled ; seed one, 
with a brittle, shell. There is but one spe- 
cies, viz. D. guianensis, guiana douglassia. 
DOVE tailing, in carpentiy, is the man- 
ner of fastening boards together by letting 
one piece into another, in the form of the 
tail of a dove. The dove-tail is the strong- 
est of the assemblages or jointings, be- 
cause the tenon, or piece of wood which is 
put into the other, goes widening to the ex- 
treme, so that it cannot be drawn out again 
by reason of the extreme or tip is bigger 
than the hole. 
DOW 
DOWER, the portion which a widow 
hath of the lands of her husband, after his 
decease, for the sustenance of herself, and 
the education of her children. 
Dower by the common law' is a third part 
of such lands or tenements whereof the 
husband was sole seised in fee-simple, or 
fee-tail, during the marriage, which the wife 
is to enjoy during her life ; for which there 
lies a w'rit of dower. 
Dower by custom. This kind of dower 
varies according to the custom and usage 
of the place, and is to be governed accord- 
ingly ; and where such custom prevails, the 
wife cannot wave the provision thereby 
made for her, and claim her thirds at com- 
mon law, because all customs are equally 
ancient with the common law itself. 
Dower ad ostium ecclesice, is where a 
man of full age, seized of lands in fee, after 
marriage, endows his wife at the church 
door of a moiety, a third, or other part of 
his lands, declaring them in certainty ; in 
which case, after her husband’s death, she 
may enter into such lands without any other 
assignment, because the solemn assignment 
at the church door is equivalent to the as- 
signment in pais by metes and bounds ; but 
this assignment cannot be made before mar- 
riage, because before she is not entitled to 
dower. 
Dower ex assensn patris, is where the 
father is seised of lands in fee; and his son 
and heir apparent after marriage endows 
his wife by his father's assent, ad ostium ec- 
clesiw, of a certain quantity of them ; in 
which case after the death of the son, his 
wife may enter into such parcel without 
any other assignment, though the father be 
living; but thiS assent of the father’s must 
be by deed, because his estate is to be 
charged infuturo, and this may likewise be 
of more than a third part. 
The dowers ad ostium ecclesiw, or ex as- 
sensw patris, if the wife enter and assent to 
them, are a good bar of her in common 
law; but she may, if she will, w'ave them, 
and claim her dower at common law, be- 
cause being made after marriage, she is not 
bound by them. 
DOWN, the shortest, smoothest, softest, 
and most delicate feathers of birds, particu- 
larly geese, ducks, and swans ; growing on 
their neck and part of the stomach. Down 
is a commodity of most countries; but that 
in most repute for finene.ss, lightness, and 
warmth, comes from Denmark, Sweden, and 
other northern countries. There is a down 
called ostrich down, otherwise ostrich’s 
