366 A L O 
feffes the three -great requifites of quantity, quality, and 
earlinefs, in a fuperior degree to any otlier : and therefore 
is highly deferving of cultivation on lands that are proper 
for it. The feed of this valuable grafs may be collected 
without much difficulty, for it does not quit the chaff, and 
the fpikes are very prolific. 
4. Alcpecurus agreftis, or field fox-tail grafs: culm 
fpiked, ereCt; glume fmooth, calyx furrounded at bottom 
bya-ring. This is readily diftinguiihed from the meadow 
fox-tail grafs, to which it bears mod refemblance, by the 
great length and flendernefs of its fpikes, tapering to a 
point, and ufually of a purple colour, ft is marked as 
perennial by Linnaeus, Hudfon, and in the Kew catalogue; 
by Leers, Curtis, and others, as annual. The flowering 
ftalk is a foot or eighteen inches high, upright, except 
that it is crooked at bottom ; it has three or four joints, 
which are fmooth, and purple. The leaves are about 
three inches long, and from a fixth to a quarter of an inch 
broad, roughifh on the upper furface only, with a blunt 
membrane (ligula) at the bafe. This grafs is a weed in 
cultivated ground ; it is alfo frequent by way-fides, on 
•banks and the borders of fields, but rarely in paflures. It 
varies in the fize both of the plant and fpike, as well as in 
the colour of the latter, which is fometimes of a pale green 
or whitifh, without any purple; when in full flower it 
bends a little. It has acquired the name of moufe-tail grafs 
in Englifh, and myofuroidcs in Latin, from the great length 
and flendernefs of the fpike, refembling the tail of a moufe. 
Its inferiority in every refpedt to fox-tail grafs is fo mani- 
feft, that it would anfwer no purpofe to make experiments, 
with any hopes of bringing it into cultivation. It flowers 
early, continues flowering till autumn, and comes into 
bloom remarkably quick after being fown. 
5. Alopecurus geniculatu^, or flote fox-tail grafs: 
culm fpiked, infraCted, corollas awnlefs ; (awns concealed 
within the calyx.) This fpecies is eafily known in its com¬ 
mon date, by pools and in the wet parts of meadows, by 
the frequent joints of the culm or (lem, changing their di¬ 
rection at an angle, and thus appearing as if it were bro¬ 
ken. It frequently puts out roots under water from the 
joints, and thus fpreads itfelf; the leaves floating on the 
furface. From the deep purple colour of the fpikes, it is 
called in fome places black-grafs. It fometimes occurs 
in dry paflures, and then, according to Mr. Curtis, it 
grows more upright, the fpike becomes much flenderer, 
and the bafe of the flalk fwells out into a kind of bulb. 
It flowers in June. Cattle eat it readily, but it is not a 
profitable grafs. 
6. Alopecurus liordeiformis, or barley-like fox-tail 
grafs : raceme limple, flowers intrenched with awns. This 
is an Indian grafs. It lias the appearance of hordcum mu- 
rinum, or barley-grafs. The height is about a foot; the 
leaves are flat and channelled. 
7. Alopecurus inonfpelienfis, or bearded fox-tail grafs : 
panicle fubfpiked, calyxes rugged, corollas awned. It 
grows wild in marfhes and wet paflures. Annual, flow¬ 
ering in June and July. 
S. Alopecurus paniceus, or hairy fox-tail grafs: pa¬ 
nicle fubfpiked, glumes villous, corollas awned. The 
whole plant is foft, and only five or fix inches high. It 
grows on dry foils. Annual, flowering in July. Mr. Hud- 
ion joins the two laft under the name of alopecurus arifia- 
tus, or bearded fox-tail grafs. He thinks that the dif¬ 
ference of fize may a rife only from fituation. 
P ropagalion and Culture. See Grass. 
A'LOPEX, J. in zoology, a fpecies of the canis, with 
a ftraight tail and black tip. It is commonly called the 
Jield fox. 
ALO'SA ,f. The fhad, or mother of herrings, a fpecies 
of the clupea. See Clupea. 
ALOS'T, a town in Flanders, feated on the river Ben¬ 
der, in the midway between Bruffels and Ghent. Lat. 49. 
^55. N. Ion. 4. 10. E. 
ALO'UD, adv. Loudly; with a flrong voice; with a 
great noiie; 
ALP 
Strangled he lies! yet feems to cry aloud, ■ 
To warn the mighty and inftruCt the proud ; 
That of the great, neglecting to be juft, 
Heav’n in a moment makes an heap of duft. Waller* 
ALO'W, adv. In a low place ; not aloft: 
And now alow, and now aloft they fly, 
As borne through air, and feem to touch the Iky. Dry den. 
AL'PHA, f. The firft letter of the Greek alphabet, 
anfwering to our a. As a numeral it ftands for one, or 
the firft of any thing. It is particularly ufed, among an¬ 
cient writers, to denote the chief or firft man of his clafs 
or rank. In this fenfe the word ftands contradiftinguiflied 
from beta, which denotes the fecond perfon. Plato was 
called the Alpha of the wits : Eratofthenes, keeper of the 
Alexandrian library, whom fome called a Second Plato, is 
frequently named Beta. 
A lpha is alfo ufed to denote the beginning of any thing. 
In which fenfe it ftands oppofed to omega, which denotes 
the end. And thefe two letters were made the fymbol of 
Chriftianity; and accordingly were engraven on the tombs 
of the ancient Chriftians, to diftinguilh them from thofe 
of idolators.—I am alpha and omega, the beginning and 
the ending, faith the Lord, which is, and which was, and 
which is to come,, the Almighty. Revelations. 
AL'PHABET^y. [Fr. alfabcto, Ital. alfhabeto, Sp. of 
alphabetum, Lat. q. d. alpha, beta, Gr. of 
tjStt, Heb. he taught, whence epStf, a leader or firft of a 
company. ] The order of the letters, or elements of fpeech. 
The number of letters is different in the alphabets of dif¬ 
ferent languages. The Englilh alphabet contains 24 let¬ 
ters ; to which if we addy and v confonant, the fum wilt 
be 26 : the French contains 23 ; the Hebrew, Chaldee, 
Syriac, and Samaritan, 22 each; the Arabic, 28; the Per- 
lian, 3 t ; the Turkifh, 33; the Georgian, 36; the Cop¬ 
tic, 32 ; the prefent Ruffian, 41 ; the Greek, 24; the La¬ 
tin, 22 ; the Sclavonic, 27 ; the Dutch, 26 ; the Spanilh, 
27 ; the Italian, 20; the Ethiopic and Tartarian, each 202 ; 
the Shanfcrit, 50; the Indians of Bengal, 21 ; the Bara- 
rnefe, 19. The Chinefe have, properly fpeaking, no al¬ 
phabet, except we call their whole language by that name; 
their letters are words, or rather hieroglyphics, amount¬ 
ing to about 80,000. The Americans had no letters when 
that country was difeovered by the Spaniards. The 
Acaanibas engrave a reprefentation of their memorable 
events and epochas on ftones and metals; their fong'sfup- 
ply the reft. In Peru, and Chili, to keep an account of 
their goods and chattels, and to preferve the memory of 
their particular affairs, the Indians have recourfe to cer¬ 
tain knots of wool, which, by the variety of their colours 
and ties, ferve inftead of characters and writing. The 
knowledge of thefe knots, which they call quipos, is one 
of their great fciences; but which is always kept as a le- 
cret, and never revealed to the children till the fathers 
think themfelves at tire end of their days. 
It has been a matter of confiderable difpute whether the 
method of exprefling our ideas by letters, be really a hu¬ 
man invention; or whether we ought to attribute an art 
fo exceedingly ufeful to an immediate revelation from the 
Deity; an enquiry which we ftiall fully inveftigate under 
the article LANGUAGE, to which it properly belongs. 
In effeCt, alphabets were not contrived withdefign, ac¬ 
cording to the juft rules of reafon and analogy; but have 
been fucceflively framed, altered, &c. as occafion offered. 
And hence many grievous complaints as to their defici¬ 
encies, and divers attempts-to eftablilh new and more ade¬ 
quate ones in their places. Bifhop Wilkins charges all the 
alphabets extant with great irregularities, with refpeCt 
both to the order, number, figure, power, &c. As to the 
order, it appears inartificial, precarious, and confufed; 
becaufe the vowels and confonants are not reduced into 
claffes, with fuch orders of precedence and fubfequence 
as their natures will bear. Even the Hebrew order is not 
free from this imperfection. As to number, they are both 
redundant and deficient. Redundant either by allotting 
3 lev era! 
