EUR 
Ermin, in heraldry, is always argent and 
sable, that is, a white field, or fur, with 
black spots. These spots are not of any 
determinate number, but may be more or 
less, at the pleasure of the painter, as the 
skins are thought not to be naturally so 
spotted ; but serving for lining the garments 
of great persons, the furriers were wont, in 
order to add to their beauty, to sow bits of 
the black tails of the creatures that pro- 
duced them, upon the white of their skin, to 
render them the more conspicuous, which 
alteration was introduced into armoury. 
ERMINE', or cross ermine, is one com- 
posed of four ermin spots. It is to be ob- 
served, that the colours in these arms are 
not to be expressed, because neither this 
cross nor these arms can be of any other 
colour but white and black. 
ERNODEA, in botany, a genus of the 
Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 
Essential character : calyx four-parted ; co- 
rolla one-petalled, salver-shaped; berry 
two-celled; seeds solitary. There is but 
one species, viz. E. littoralis, a native ot 
Jamaica. 
ERODIUM, in botany, cranes-bill, a ge- 
nus of the Monadelphia Pentandria class 
and order. Natural order of Gruinales. 
Gerania, Jussieu. Calyx five-leaved; co- 
rolla five-petalled ; nectary five-scales, alter- 
nate with the filaments and glands at the 
base of the stamens ; fruit five-grained, with 
a spiral beak, bearded on the inside. There 
are twenty*- eight species. 
ERODIUS, in natural history, a genus 
of insects of the order Coleoptera. Anten- 
nce moniliform ; feelers four, filiform ; body 
roundish, gibbous, immarginate ; thorax 
transverse ; shells closely united, longer 
than the abdomen; jaw horny, bifid; lip 
horny, emarginate. There are four species. 
EROTEUM, in botany, a genus of the 
Polyandria Monogynia class and order. 
Essential character, calyx five-leaved ; co- 
rolla five-petalled ; style trifid ; berry juice- 
less, three-celled, many-seeded. There are 
two species, viz. E. thoeoides, and E. undu- 
Iatum, both natives of Jamaica. 
ERROR, in law, signifies an error in 
pleading, or in the process on the judgment; 
and the writ which is brought for remedy 
of it is called a writ of error. This is a 
commission to judges of a superior court, 
by which they are authorized to examine 
the record' upon which a judgment was 
given in an inferior court, and on such exa- 
mination, to affirm or reverse the same ac- 
cording to law. For particulars as to the 
ERY 
practice of writs of error, see Tomlins’s 
“ Law Dictionary.” 
ERUCTATIONS, in medicine, are the 
effect of flatulent foods, and the crudities 
thence arising. 
ERUDITION, denotes an extensive 
acquaintance with books, especially such 
as treat of the belles lettres. 
ERUPTION. See Medicine. 
ERVUM, in botany, a genus of the Dia- 
delphia Decandrfa class and order. Natu- 
ral order of Papilionacese, or Leguminosae. 
Essential character : calyx five-parted, the 
length of the corolla. There are six spe- 
cies ; of which E. lens, flat-seeded tare, or 
common lentil, is an annual plant, and the 
least of the pulse kind Which is cultivated ; 
it rises with weak stalks a foot and a half 
high, having pinnate leaves at each joint, 
composed of several pairs of narrow leaf- 
lets, terminated by a tendril, which sup- 
ports it by fastening about some other 
plant ; the flowers come out on short pe- 
duncles from the sides of the branches; 
they are small, of a pale purple colour, and 
three or four together ; legumes short and 
flat, containing two or three flat, round 
seeds, a little convex in the middle ; the 
flowers appear in May ; the seeds ripen in 
July. 
ERYNGIUM, in botany, English eryn- 
go, a genus of the Pentandria Digynia class 
and order. Natural order of Umbellate. 
Essential character : flowers in a bead ; re- 
ceptacle chaffy. There are eleven species ; 
these bear some resemblance to the this- 
tles ; the leaves are frequently spinous, as 
are also the involucres ; the ura belle ts in 
some are inclosed in an involucre, which is 
often irregular and branched ; in others they 
are dispersed. 
ERYSIMUM, in botany, hedge-mustard, 
a genus of the Tetradynamia Siliquosa class 
and order. Natural order of Siliquosa'. 
Cruciferas, Jussieu. Essential character : 
siliqne columnar with four equal sides; ca- 
lyx closed. There are eight species. 
ERYSIPELAS. See Medicine. 
ERYTHRINA, in botany, a genus of 
the Diadelphia Decandria class and order. 
Natural order of Papilionacese or Legumi- 
nosEe. Essential character: calyx two- 
lobed ; corolla standard very long, lanceo- 
late. There are seven species ; these are 
small, prickly trees, or shrubs ; leaves as in 
dolichos, teinate, stipulaceous ; the petio- 
lules jointed and awned, or glandular, sel- 
dom simple ; flowers in fascicles from the 
