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Aal (A'l, Ach, Aich) is the native name for Morinda tinctoria and Morinda citrifalia, two plants extensively cultivated in India for the reddish dye-stuff (Suranji) which their roots contain. The name is also sometimes used to describe the dye.
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The aardvark ground-hog, Cape pig or Cape Ant-eater (Orycteropus afra) is a south African ant eating mammal. It is a nocturnal burrowing animal, feeding on termites and ants. The teeth are numerous and complex, and are quite unlike those of any other mammal. There are four toes on the fore feet and five on the hind. The mouth is elongated and tubular, the tongue vermiform. A few bristly hairs are scattered over the surface of the body and the ears are large and erect, the tail much elongated.
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The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is an African carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae. The aardwolf, whose name in Afrikaans means 'earth wolf', resembles a small striped hyena. It is yellowish with vertical black stripes and a bushy, black-tipped tail, and it bears a long, coarse mane of erectile hairs along the length of its back. The aardwolf lives on the open, grassy plains of southern and eastern Africa. The aardwolf feeds largely on termites, particularly on the species Trinervitermes trinervoides. It is nocturnal, lives in a burrow, and is usually solitary but may forage in small packs. The litter generally consists of three or four young. The aardwolf is harmless and shy; when attacked, by dogs for example, it emits a musky-smelling fluid and may fight.
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Aaron's Rod is the only British species of the plant Golden-rod (Hag Taper). It is found in woods and thickets.
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The Aasapan (Sciuropterus volucella) is the flying-squirrel of North America. It is an elegant little animal with folds of skin along its sides which enable it to take leaps of about 45 meters.
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The aasvogel are south African vultures.
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In zoology, abactinal refers to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal.
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Abada is the old term for a female rhinoceros.
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The abalone is the popular name for various species of the shell-fish of the Haliotidae family. They have a richly coloured shell yielding mother-of-pearl. This sort of Haliotis is also commonly called ear-shell, and in Guernsey the ormer. The abalone shell is found especially at Santa Barbara and other places on the southern Californian coast, and when polished makes a beautiful ornament. The mollusc itself is often eaten, and dried for consumption in China and Japan.
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The Abanga is a West Indian palm tree, the seeds of which are used as a remedy for diseases of the chest.
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Abax is a genus of fairly large (measuring between 11 and 25 mm in length) beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae found in Britain and Europe.
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In biology, the term abbreviate describes a part that is relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.
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The abdominales are a classification of fish, including the greater part of fresh-water fishes, and many marine ones, that have the ventral fins under the abdomen behind the pectorals.
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Abele is an alternative name for Populus alba, the white poplar.
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Abelia is a genus of annual and biennial evergreen shrubs that originated in China and generally prefer acidic soil and a sunny location. They have finely-textured glossy green leaves and fragrant bell-shaped flowers that bloom throughout summer.
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Abelisaurus is a dinosaur about which very little is known. An almost complete skull, measuring 85 cm long, was discovered in Argentina in 1985, and this indicates that it was a carnivore of the cretaceous period.
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Abelmoschus is a genus of tropical plants of the mallow family. It yields edible fruits, called okro (also called okra and ochro) which is used in soups.
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In biology the term aberrant describes something which deviates from the ordinary or natural type, whether exceptional or abnormal.
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An abomasum is the fourth stomach of a ruminant.
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In biology, the term abort describes something that has become checked in its normal development, so as to either remain rudimentary or shrink away wholly.
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In biology aborted describes something rendered abortive or sterile; undeveloped or checked in its normal development at a very early stage. For example spines are aborted branches.
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Abraeus is a genus of tiny beetles of the family Histeridae. They have a domed body and live beneath bark and in the nests of ants of the genus Lasius.
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The Abroma is a genus of small trees which are native to India.
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Abrus is a genus of papilionaceous plants, of the natural order Leguminosae, one species of which, Abrus precatonus, a delicate twining shrub, a native of the East Indies, and found also in tropical parts of Africa and America, has round brilliant scarlet seeds, which are used to make necklaces and rosaries. Its root is sweetish and mucilaginous, and is used as a substitute for liquorice. The seeds yield a strung poison.
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Abscisic acid is a naturally occurring plant growth substance that promotes leaf ageing, leaf fall, and apical dominance and induces dormancy in seeds and buds.
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abscission is the separation of a leaf, fruit, or other part from the body of a plant (such as the falling of leaves during autumn). The process is controlled by growth substances, notably abscisic acid; it involves the formation of an abscission zone, at the base of the part, within which a layer of cells (known as the abscission layer) breaks down.
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The Abutilon are a genus of plants of the family Malvaceae, also known as The Indian Mallows and American Jute.
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Abyssal refers to animals that live in great depths of the sea.
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The Abyssinia Slug-eater (Duberria lutrix) is a species of non-venomous typical snake of the subfamily Colubrinae, family Colubridae found in Ethiopia, that feeds on small invertebrates and other small reptiles. The Abyssinia Slug-eater grows to an average length of 40 cm.
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The Abyssinian Cat (Rabbit Cat) is a breed of domestic shorthaired cat, possibly descended from antiquity. In modern times, it was imported from Abyssinia to Britain in the 1860s. The coat of the usual variety is ruddy brown with each hair ringed with two or three darker coloured bands. It has a medium-length body, long, slender legs, large wide set ears, and deep gold or green eyes. It resembles cats that appear in ancient Egyptian wall paintings. The breed was recognised in Britain 1882 and is now most widely bred in the USA. There are many varieties of Abyssinian Cat.
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Acacia is a genus of plants of the family Leguminosae sub-family Mimoseae consisting of trees or shrubs with compound pinnate leaves. They grow in Africa, Arabia, Australia and the East Indies. The flowers, usually small, are arranged in spikes or globular heads at the axils of the leaves near the extremity of the branches. The corolla is bell or funnel shaped; stamens are numerous; the fruit is a dry unjointed pod. Several of the species yield gum-arabic and other gums; some have astringent barks and pods, used in tanning. Acacia Catechu, an Indian species, yields the valuable astringent called catechu; Acacia dealbata the wattle-tree of Australia, from five to ten meters in height, is the most beautiful and useful of the species found there. Its bark contains a large percentage of tannin, and is hence exported. Some species yield valuable timber; some are cultivated for the beauty of their flowers.
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Acalepha was a name once used to describe the Medusae (jelly-fishes).
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Acalles is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) that live in dead branches of deciduous trees and conifers.
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Acamthocephala are a compact group of cylindrical, parasitic worms, with no near allies in the animal kingdom. Its members are quite devoid of any mouth or alimentary canal, but have a well-developed body cavity into which the eggs are dehisced and which communicates with the exterior by means of an oviduct. The size of the animals varies greatly, from some forms a few millimetres in length to Gigantorhynchus gigas, which measures from ten to 65 centimetres. The adults live in great numbers in the alimentary canal of some vertebrate, usually fish, the larvae are as a rule encysted in the body cavity of some invertebrate, most often an insect or crustacean, more rarely a small fish. The body is divisible into a proboscis and a trunk with sometimes an intervening neck region.
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The Acanthaceae are a family of dicotyledonous herbaceous plants or shrubs with opposite leaves and mono-petalous corolla. There are around 1400 species, mostly tropical.
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Acanthoderes is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Acantholyda is a genus of web-spinning sawfly of the family Pamphillidae.
Acantholyda erythrocephala is widespread in Europe, and has been introduced to the USA. It lives mostly in young pine forests where the larvae develop feeding on pine needles, and the adults fly from late April to May.
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Acanthopholis was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period, remains of which were first discovered in 1865 at a beach near Folkestone, England by Professor T H Huxley. Acanthopholis measured about 5.5 meters in length and is believed to have been protected by armour consisting of rows of oval plates set in the skin and sharp spikes along the middle of its back.
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Acanthoscelides is a genus of Seed Beetles (Bruchidae).
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The acanthus is a herbaceous plant of south Europe, Asia and Africa. It has large hairy, shiny leaves.
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Acarina is the mite and tick order of the Arachnida. They have a rounded body with no demarcation between the prosoma and the opisthosoma.
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An accentor is a type of bird of the prunelliadae family.
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The Accipitres (Accipitridae) are the birds of prey order of the Aves (birds) class of animals. They are characterised by a strong, crooked beak with an acute, downward curving point with sharp edges. The base of the beak is enveloped in a naked skin (the cere) in which the nostrils are placed. The feet are muscular. The toes are armed with powerful talons, long, curved and pointed, of which those of the hind and innermost toes are the strongest. The wings are adapted for vigorous, lofty and long-sustained flight.
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The Accipitrinoe is a sub-family of the Falconidae family of birds, including the Goshawk and the Sparrowhawk. The beak is strong, short and curved from the base. The upper mandible bears a prominent festoon beyond the middle. The nostrils are oval. The wings are rounded and short reaching only to the middle of the tail and the middle toe is much the longest.
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Acellular is a biological term describing tissues or organisms that are not made up of separate cells, but often have more than one nucleus. Examples of
acellular structures are muscle fibres.
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The Acephala are the headless Mollusca with a bivalve shell.
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Acer is a genus of plants of the family Aceraceae to which belongs the Maple.
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In botany, an achene is a small, dry carpel containing a single seed, the pericarp of which is closely applied but separable and which does not open when ripe.
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The Achillaea are a milfoil genus of plants.
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The Achimenes are a genus of tropical American plants with scaly underground tubers. They are of the family Gesneraceae.
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Acilius is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae, represented by two species in Britain.
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The acipenser is a genus of cartilaginous ganoid fishes to which the sturgeon belongs.
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Aclypea is a genus of beetles of the carrion beetle, Silphidae, family. They are vegetarian and often damage beet and turnip crops.
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Acmaeodera is a genus of jewel beetle (Buprestidae) found chiefly in the Mediterranean region of Europe. They are characterized by the absence of a scutellum and by fused elytra. The larvae develop in oak.
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Acmaeops is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) with a single species - Acmaeops - collaris found in Britain.
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Aconite (Monkshood) is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants of the family Ranunculaceae. The are remarkable for their poisonous and medicinal properties. Aconite is found in temperate regions of Europe in woods and on shaded stream banks.
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The acorn is the fruit of the oak tree.
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The Acorn Weevil (Curculio glandium) is a species of Snout Beetle (Curculionidae) related to the Nut Weevil, but the larvae develop in acorns.
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Acorus is a genus of plants of the natural order Araceae which includes the calamus.
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Acotyledons are plants not furnished with cotyledons or seed-lobes, such as ferns, mosses and sea-weeds.
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The acouchi is a cavy-like rodent of the genus Myoprocta, family Dasyproctidae. They are found in the Amazon forests where they eat plants.
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Acrita is another name for the Phylum Protozoa.
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Acritus is a genus of tiny beetles of the family Histeridae. They live under decaying vegetable matter, in rotten wood, under bark and in ants' nests.
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Acrocanthosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period, remains of which were first discovered in 1950 in Oklahoma, USA, Acrocanthosaurus was a carnivore, about 12 meters long, believed to walk semi-upright on two hind legs and had 30 cm long spines on its backbone which may have supported a ridge or sail along its back.
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Acrochordidae is the 'File Snakes' family of reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (snakes). The family consists of a single genus and three species found in India, south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and northern Australia. The members are almost completely aquatic, and live in fresh water, brackish water and sometimes sea water where they feed on live fish. They grow to a length of 250 cm, and the head and body is covered with small, finely-heeled and pointed scales with a rasp-like texture.
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Acrogaster is a genus of fossil fish of the order Beryciformes, found in the Cretaceous period.
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Acrogen is a term used to describe ferns, mosses and lichens which grow by extension upwards.
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Acrolocha is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, which lives in dung, decomposing fungi and plant material.
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Acrophylla is a genus of stick-insects of the order Phasmida found in Eucalyptus forests in Queensland, Australia. They are brown or brownish-green in colour and about 180 to 230 mm long, depending upon species, with wings covering roughly three-quarters of the body.
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Acrotrichis is a genus of featherwing beetles, Ptiliidae. At least 24 species of the genus occur in Britain. They are broad, but not very convex, dark in colour and measure from 0.5 to 1.1 mm in length. The posterior pronotum partly overlaps the anterior part of the elytra.
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Actenicerus is a genus of click beetle (Elateridae).
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Actidium is a genus of featherwing beetles, Ptiliidae. They are dull black in colour and live in damp places, marshes, river banks and the sea shore.
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Actinia is a member of the order Zoantharia.
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The Actinomycetes are a group of Gram-positive mostly anaerobic non-motile bacteria. All species are fungus-like, with filamentous cells producing reproductive spores on aerial branches similar to the spores of certain moulds. The group includes bacteria of the genera Actinomyces, some species of which cause disease in animals and man; and Streptomyces, which are a source of many important antibiotics (including streptomycin).
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Actinopterygii is a division of bony fishes. The paired fins have broad bases and lack fleshy lobes. External nares are double, internal nares are absent. Scales are of the ganoid type.
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Actinopteryx is a genus of featherwing beetles, Ptiliidae.
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Actinozoa are a class of animals belonging to the sub-kingdom Coelenterata. They have rayed tentacles around the mouth.
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Acupalpus is a genus of small (three to five millimetres in length) beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae. They are mostly found in damp, swampy localities, though also in sunny open localities and agricultural land.
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Adalia is a genus of ladybird (Coccinellidae).
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Adam's Needle is a popular name for the Yucca plant.
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Adam's Pearmain is a late dessert apple, probably from Norfolk, which was a Victorian favourite because of its rich aromatic flavour and crisp texture. It was widely grown in the nineteenth century, when fruiterers ' always paid good prices because it was attractive for windows'. The pear shaped fruits are of a medium size and can be stored until March. The vigorous trees have a spreading habit and pretty blossom.
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The adda is a species of lizard also called the skink.
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The addax is a species of antelope found in North African deserts. It has wide-sweeping twisted horns about 1.2 meters long.
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The adder is a venomous snake of the viper family (Viperidae) found in England and Australia. There are three species, the Vipera berus (European
adder) is the only venomous British snake.
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Adder's-tongue is a species of British fern whose spores are produced on a spike which resembles a snake's tongue. The American adder's-tongue is a very different plant, see dog's tooth violet.
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Adder's-wort is a plant supposed to be able to cure snake bites.
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The Adder-pike (also called the Lesser Weever or Sting-fish) is a small species of the weever fish.
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Adelidae is the longhorns or fairy moths family of insects of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished by their long antennae and distinct maxillary palps.
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Adenanthera is a genus of trees and shrubs native to the East Indies and Ceylon of the family Leguminosae. Adenanthera pavonina is one of the largest and most handsome trees of India, and yields hard solid timber called red sandal-wood. The bright scarlet seeds, from their equality in weight (each weighing four grains), are used by goldsmiths in the East as weights.
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Aderidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera.
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Aderus is a genus of small beetles of the family Aderidae.
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Adiantum is a genus of ferns.
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The adjutant-bird (Leptoptilus argala) is a large grallatorial or wading bird of the stork family. It is native to the warmer parts of India where it is called Hurgila or Argala. The adjutant-bird stands about 150 cm high, has an enormous bill, nearly bare head and neck, and a pouch hanging from the under part of the neck. It is one of the most voracious carnivorous birds known, and in India, from its devouring all sorts of carrion and noxious animals, is protected by law. From underneath the wings are obtained those light downy feathers known as marabou feathers, from the name of an allied species of bird (Leptoptilus marabou) inhabiting Western Africa, and also producing them.
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Admiral is any of several species of butterfly in the same family (Nymphalidae) as the tortoiseshells. The red admiral Vanessa atalanta, wingspan six centimetres, is found worldwide in the northern hemisphere. It migrates south each year from northern areas to subtropical zones.
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Adonia is a genus of ladybird (Coccinellidae). The species vary greatly in colouring and the number of spots, but all eat aphids.
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Adonis (pheasant's eye) is a genus of ranunculaceous plants. They are found throughout Europe, Asia and America and are highly poisonous.
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The Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in warmer parts of Europe and the Middle East in dry sunny, locations. It produces two generations annually that fly from May to June and from July to September.
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Adrastus is a genus of small click beetle (Elateridae).
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The adzuki (Vigna angularis) is a bushy leguminous plant, cultivated in China and Japan for its edible bean.
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The aegagrus are a wild species of ibex found in the Caucasus and other Asiatic mountains.
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Aegialia is a genus of small dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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Aegilops is a genus of grasses native to southern Europe closely allied to wheat and somewhat remarkable from the alleged fact that by cultivation one of the species becomes a kind of wheat.
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Agagrus (Capra aegagrus) is a wild species of ibex, found in troops on the Caucasus, and many Asiatic mountains, believed to be the original source of at least one variety of the domestic goat.
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Aepyornis was a genus of gigantic birds once found in Madagascar, where it is supposed to have lived perhaps not longer than 200 years ago. It had three toes and is classed with the cursorial birds (ostrich, etc.) and laid eggs 35 centimeters in length - about six times the bulk of those of the ostrich. The bird which laid them may well have been. the roc of Eastern tradition.
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Aesalus is a genus of very small (about six millimetres long) rare stag beetles (Lucanidae).
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Aesculus is a genus of plants which includes the horse-chestnut.
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To aestivate is to lay dormant for the summer. Aestivation is similar to the familiar hibernation that many animals do, but is carried out by those creatures that don't like hot, dry weather. Such as the snail. Aestivation is not uncommon in animals who live in hot climates, especially those who require a degree of moisture, thus both land and water tortoises frequently retire into cavities of the ground during heat and drought and remain there until the recurrence of the rainy season.
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The Affenpinscher or Monkey Dog, is a breed of small dog originating in Germany sometime before the 18th century, but not recognised by the British Kennel Club until 1980. It is sometimes known as the Monkey Dog on account of its facial features which somewhat resemble those of a primate. In France the breed is also known as 'the moustached little devil' on account of the bushy area of hair above the mouth. The breed is lively, loyal and affectionate, and stubborn. the coat is wiry in texture and relatively long.
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The Afghan Hound is a breed of fast hunting dog from Afghanistan, resembling the saluki in build, though slightly smaller. It was first introduced to the West by British army officers serving on India's North-West Frontier along the Afghanistan border in the late 19th century. The Afghan Hound was developed for hunting deer, hares and wolves, and has very keen eyesight and plenty of stamina. The Afghan Hound stands about 70 centimetres tall and has a long, silky coat that may be black, grey, or a wide range of beige or tawny colours.
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African Arrow-Poison (Strophanthus Kombe) is a climbing shrub of the natural order Apocynaceae, native to tropical Africa. It has opposite oval leaves and funnel-shaped flowers. The fruits are woody pods, 25 cm long, filled with yellow seeds, each furnished with a tuft of silky hairs. From the silky seed-coat may be extracted a deadly poison (of which the active principle is strophantin) which is used to smear arrow tips.
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The African Crowned Crane (Balerica reguorum gibbericeps) is a colourful bird found in the wetlands and open grassland of Uganda, northern Kenya, Zimbabwe and northern Mozambique. The African Crowned Crane has large wings, a straight beak and is noticeable by an orange-coloured 'crown' on its head. The African Crowned Crane feeds on the seed heads of plants, the fresh tips of grasses, insects, frogs and crabs, being active during the day, roosting at night in water, trees or on man-erected tall poles such as telegraph poles. The nest is constructed by both the male and female and comprises uprooted grasses piled into a circle and flattened, both parents taking turns to incubate the eggs and rear the young. After reaching sexual maturity at the age of two or three, the birds form pairs which usually last a life time, breeding together each year, with an average of two eggs being laid each year.
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The African hunting dog is a small, wild member of the dog family, Canidae. The single species, Lycaon pictus, is found in Africa south and east of the Sahara and is also known as the African wild dog or Cape hunting dog. The black-skinned, long-legged body weighs up to 23 kg and is covered with short, sparse fur in a wide range of black, yellow, and white patterns. The ears are large and rounded. Each paw has only four toes. The animal lives and travels in packs numbering from a few to more than 50 individuals. They sometimes range widely in their search for food. The dogs exhibit complex social patterns; both parents care for the young, who learn much about hunting and game-trail patterns from the older dogs in the pack. A large pack of dogs can bring down large animals, such as lions and antelopes. After a gestation period of about 70 days, six to eight young are born to a litter.
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The African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is a species of manatee inhabiting the coastal waters, lagoons and river mouths of west Africa, discovered by Link in 1795. The African manatee rests most of the day and feeds at night on seaweed, marine grasses, fresh water vegetation and overhanging river plants. It is an important animal for the destruction of water hyacinths.
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The Africana (Pelona, Camura, Red African, Rojo Africana, Colombian Wooless, West African) is a breed of sheep found in Colombia and Venezuela. They are usually brown, ranging in shade from tan to brown and cherry-red to dark red. They are very similar to the Pelibuey in size and confirmation. The breed is polled and the male is sometimes maned.
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The Africander (Afrikaner) is a native South African breed of cow. It belongs to the Sanga type and is used primarily for meat production. The breed is usually red with long lateral horns. Sanga type cattle, in huge herds, were owned by the Hottentots when the Dutch established the Cape Colony in 1652. The animals were obtained by the colonists who improved them for use as draft animals. It was
Africander oxen that drew the wagons which carried Boer farmers and families on the Great Trek of 1835 - 1836 from the Cape of Good Hope to the Orange Free State, Natal and the Transvaal to escape British rule. The
Africander is South Africa's most popular native breed, comprising 30% of the cattle population.
Africander cattle exhibit good resistance to heat, a high level of tick resistance, quiet temperament and a satisfactorily high level of fertility under harsh conditions. Mature cows weigh approximately 525 to 600 kg and bulls weigh 750 to 1000 kg. The Africander was used with Shorthorn in developing the Bonsmara breed and with Holstein cows in creating the Drakensberger.
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Agabus is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae, with twenty species occurring in Britain ranging from eight to eleven millimetres in length. They are mostly dark brown and the males have tiny suction pads or patches of adhesive hairs on the under side of the widened first segments of the fore and middle tarsi. They live chiefly in cold, clear water.
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Agama is a genus of several species of lizards allied to the iguana common in Africa and Asia.
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Agama Stellio is a lizard of the genus Agama. It is brown in colour, reaches a length of 35 centimetres and is found in Egypt, Asia Minor and parts of Greece.
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Agami (Psophia crepitans) is a family of birds of the trumpeters found in tropical America.
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The Agamidae are a family of lizards in which the teeth are inserted on the edge of the jaw (acrodont). The family includes Draco volans, Moloch horridus and Chlamydosaurus.
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Agapanthia is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) represented by a single British species -
Agapanthia villosoviridescens, which ranges from ten to twenty-two millimetres in length, and develops in herbaceous plants, chiefly thistles.
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Agapanthus or African Lily (Agapanthus umbellatus) is a plant native to South Africa. It has white or blue flowers and is grown indoors in England.
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The agaric is a large and important genus of fungi, characterized by having a fleshy cap or pileus, and a number of radiating plates or gills on which are produced the naked spores. The majority of this species are furnished with stems, but some are attached to the objects on which they grow by their pileus. Over a thousand species are known, and are arranged in five sections according as the colour of their spores is white, pink, brown, purple, or black. Many of the species are edible, like the common mushroom (Agaric campestris), and supply a delicious article of food, while others are deleterious and even poisonous.
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Agaricaceae is a large family of fungi including many familiar mushrooms.
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Agathidium is a genus of beetles of the family Leiodidae. They have a pronotum with completely rounded posterior corners and are more or less able to roll themselves into a ball. They generally live on wood and in mouldy fallen leaves, sometimes in mushrooms.
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Agave is a genus of plants of the family Amaryllidaceae which includes the daffodil and narcissus. They are popularly known as American aloes and formerly called the century plant from the mistaken belief that it lives a hundred years before flowering, then flowers and dies. They are generally large, and have a massive tuft of fleshy leaves with a spiny apex. They live for many years - ten to seventy according to treatment - before flowering. When this takes place the tall flowering stem springs from the centre of the tuft of leaves, and grows very rapidly until it reaches a height of 15, 20, or even 40 feet, bearing towards the end a large number of flowers; then the plant apparently dies down to the ground but a lateral bud springs from the underground part of the stem and a new plant is formed. The best-known species is Agave americdna (common American aloe), introduced into Europe 1561, and now extensively grown in the warmer parts of this continent as well as in Asia (India in particular). This and other species yield various important products. The Mexicans grew the plant to form dense hedges, and removed the buds for the sugary sap which exudes from the wounds thus made. The sap was collected and fermented and distilled to form pulque, a drink resembling cider. The leaves are used for feeding cattle; the fibres of the leaves (called pita, sisal hemp, or henequen} are formed into thread, cord, and ropes; an extract from the leaves is used as a substitute for soap; slices of the withered flower-stem are used as razor-strops.
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Agelenidae are a family of spiders, the members of which vary, with genera being moved into other families by some naturalists. The Agelenidae spin a tubular retreat from which extends either a small collar of silk, or a sheet of silk which may be large or small, and may be slightly funnel-shaped. The spiders grab prey falling onto or landing on the sheet and drag them back into their retreat to be eaten. Some times the retreat is not a web but a crevice in a wall or the junction of a wall and a garden fence post.
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Ageratum is a genua of composite plants of the warmer parts of America, one species of which, Ageratum mexicdnum, is a well-known flower-border annual with dense lavender-blue heads. From it have been derived several varieties with flowers of different colours used chiefly as bedding plants.
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In botany aggretae is a term applied to flowers composed of many small florets having a common undivided receptacle, the anthers being distinct and separate, the florets commonly standing on stalks, and each having a partial calyx.
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The agnatha are a branch of the sub-Phylum craniata group of animals. They are the lampreys and hagfishes. These are the most primitive of the Craniates. The mouth is round and not bounded by jaws. The brain is primitive.
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Agnus Castus is a shrub of the family Verbenaceae native to Mediterranean countries. It has white flowers and acrid aromatic fruits. It was thought to have the property of preserving chastity, hence the name Castus from the Latin chaste.
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Agonum is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae, with 22 species occurring in Britain, most are black or metallic in colour, like wet and marshy locations, and range from 4 to 10 mm long. They are rather flat bodied, with slender antennae and legs.
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The agouara is a crab-eating racoon of South America.
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The agouta (Solenodon paradoxus) is an insectivorous mammal peculiar to Haiti. It is of the tanrec family and somewhat larger than a rat. It has the tail devoid of hair and covered with scales, the eyes small, and an elongated nose like the shrews. Another species {Solendon cubanus) is found in Cuba.
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The agouti is a small rodent of the genus Dasyprocta, forming the family Dasyproctidae. There are eight or nine species found in the forests of Central and South America. The agouti is herbivorous, swift-running, and about the size of a rabbit, but resembling a slender-limbed pig, brown to yellow in colour with a white line along the abdomen. It burrows in the ground or in hollow trees, lives on vegetables, doing much injury to the sugar-cane, is as voracious as a pig, and makes a similar grunting noise. Its flesh is white and well tasted.
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Agrilus is a genus of jewel beetle (Buprestidae). They are mostly small and elongate with a double margined pronotum.
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Agrimony is a genus of plants of the family Rosaceae consisting of slender perennial herbs found in temperate regions. The leaves of common agrimony are used as a yellow dye.
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Agriotes is a genus of click beetle (Elateridae). The larvae are a serious garden pest, living in the soil and eating roots.
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Agrophis is a genus of typical snake of the subfamily Calamarinae of the family Colubridae.
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Agrostis is a genus of pasture grasses consisting of many species. The bent-grasses belong to the genus.
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Agrypnus is a genus of large click beetle (Elateridae), the larvae of which live in soil and eat roots.
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Ahasverus is a genus of beetle of the family Cucujidae.
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Aigrette is a term used to describe the feathery crown attached to the seeds of various plants such as the thistle and dandelion.
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Air-plants (Epiphytes) are plants that live upon other plants or trees apparently without receiving any nutriment other than by the air. The name is restricted to flowering plants (mosses or lichens being excluded) and is suitably applied to many species of orchids. The conditions necessary to the growth of such plants are excessive heat and moisture, and hence their chief localities are the damp and shady tropical forests of Africa, Asia, and America. They are particularly abundant in Java and tropical America.
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The Airedale terrier breed of large terrier, about 60 centimetres tall, with a wiry red-brown coat and black saddle patch. It originated about 1850 in Yorkshire, England, as a cross between the Otterhound and Irish and Welsh terriers and was named after the River Aire, although the breed was known by various names until the name Airedale Terrier was established at the 1879 Airedale Agricultural Show.
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Aizoaceae is a family of plants found mainly in warmer climates, especially South Africa, but represented by a few species in Europe. They are herbs with thick fleshy leaves. The flowers superficially resemble those of the daisy family, with numerous strap-shaped, petal-like segments.
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The ajolote is a Mexican reptile of the genus Bipes. It and several other tropical burrowing species are placed in the Amphisbaenia, a group separate from lizards and snakes among the Squamata. Unlike the others, however, which have no legs, it has a pair of short but well-developed front legs. In line with its burrowing habits, the skull is very solid, the eyes small, and external ears absent. The scales are arranged in rings, giving the body a worm-like appearance.
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Ajowan is an umbelliferous plant which is cultivated in India, Persia and Egypt for the seeds which are used in cooking and medicine.
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The ajuga are a genus of plants belonging to the family Labiatae.
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Akee (Blighia sapida) is a tree of the natural order Sapindacese, much esteemed for its fruit. The leaves are somewhat similar to those of the ash; the flowers are small and white, and produced in branched spikes. The fruit is lobed and ribbed, of a dull orange colour, and contains several large black seeds, embedded in a succulent and slightly bitter arillus of a pale straw colour, which is eaten when cooked. The akee is a native of Guinea, from whence it was carried to theWest Indies by Captain Bligh in 1793.
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The Akhal-Teke is a Turkmenistan breed of light horse, originating around 1000 BC or before. The Akhal-Teke stands between 14 and 15 hands high and is dun, palomino, bay chestnut or grey in colour and have a sparse mane and tail. They are very long and slender through the frame with a finely modelled head and an unusually long and muscular neck. The shoulders are sloping, allowing a soft gait. The withers are high, and the back is long with a shallow ribcage. The legs are long and fine boned. The Akhal-Teke makes a good riding horse, having a brave but stubborn temperament. Traditionally they are used for racing, and are respected for their endurance.
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Akimerus is a genus of rare longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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The Akita is a breed of Japanese dog dating back to the 17th century, and first bred in the province of Akita on the island of Honshu from spitz stock. The breed was developed as a hunting dog to work in pairs. The Akita became popular in the USA during the 1950s, and during the 1970s and 1980s started to gain popularity in Britain. The Akita is a powerful, slightly stubborn, intensely loyal bred standing about 65 cm tall.
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The alactaga (Alactaga jaculus) is a rodent mammal closely allied to the jerboa but larger, with a still longer tail. It is found across central Asia.
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Alamosaurus was a dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period, remains of which were first discovered near to the Alamo fort in Texas, USA, in 1922. A herbivore,
Alamosaurus was 21 meters long, walked on four legs and had a long neck and tail.
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Alans were large dogs of various species used for hunting deer.
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The Alaudidae are the Lark family of Conirostral birds. They are characterized by a bill forming an elongated cone, the mandibles of equal length, the upper convex, slightly curved. The nostrils are at the base of the bill, oval, and partly covered by small feathers directed forwards. The feathers of the head are capable of being erected so as to form a crest. The first primary is very short, the second shorter than the third which is the longest in the wing. The toes are divided to the base. The hind claw is nearly straight and longer than the toes. They are granivorous birds, frequenting open fields, and singing during their flight. They nest and feed on the ground. They take dust baths instead of water baths.
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The albacore is a species of fish.
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Albatrellus is a genus of fungi belonging to the family Polyporaceae.
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Albatrellus dispansus is a rare fungus having a large (up to 20 centimetres wide) yellow fruiting body with multiple individual caps and a broad central stalk and a fragrant odour.
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Albatrellus ovinus is a fungus with a whitish often circular cap and a white pore surface and small pores and a white central stalk. It is found under conifers and is edible but not popular.
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The albatross is a long winged, powerful oceanic bird. There are some thirteen species of albatross, all related to the petrels, and constituting the family Diomedeidae. Albatross have large heads, stout bodies and extremely long narrow wings. The bill is straight and strong, the upper mandible hookedat the point and the lower mandible truncated. The bill is covered with distinctive horny plates. The feet are webbed with three toes on each foot. The upper part of the body is of a greyish brown colour, the belly white. The albatross is the largest known sea bird, with a wing span of some 533 cm. Albatross often accompany ships for days on end without ever landing, and are regarded with feelings of attachment and traditionally superstitious awe by sailors - it being considered bad luck to kill an albatross.
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Albertosaurus was a dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period, remains of which were first found in 1905 in the USA. A carnivore. Albertosaurus walked on its hind legs and had small, relatively poorly formed forward legs. In 1923a skeleton of a juvenile Albertosaurus was discovered and at the time identified as a distinct species and given the name Gorgosaurus, however it was later found that the animal grew heavier and stronger as it aged, and the skeleton was that of an Albertosaurus.
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An albino is an animal with no skin pigment and pink eyes.
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Albizzia is a genus of leguminous trees and shrubs, allied to the genus Acacia, with doubly-pinnate leaves and white, yellow, or red flowers, often in globular heads, and broad, straight, flat pods. They number over fifty species, and inhabit tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa, and Australia. Albizzia lopkanta, a native of south-western Australia, has a bark that contains tannin. Albizzia Lebbek, a. native of Asia and Africa, yields valuable timber, and in Egypt is much cultivated as a shade tree. Albizzia Julibrissin, a tree with rose-red flowers, is found in Asia and Africa, and has been introduced into Southern Europe.
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Alburnum is the soft white substance which, in trees, is found between the liber or inner bark and the wood, and, in progress of time acquiring solidity, becomes itself the wood. A new layer of wood, or rather of alburnum, is added annually to the tree in every part just under the bark.
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Alchemilla is a genus of plants of the family Rosaceae. The flowers are small and greenish; the leaves rounded in outline. The alpine species has compound leaves like a miniature lupine and is found over the Scottish Highlands. The genus is so named from its association with alchemists in former times, who collected dew from its leaves for their operations.
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The Alchymist Moth (Catephia alchymista) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found in warmer parts of Europe and in Asia Minor. A single generation is on the wing from May to July in oak and mixed forests.
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Alcidae is the auks family of birds of the order Natatores. They are characterized by a bill which is much flattened vertically; short wings; legs placed at the extremity of the body; the feet are three-toed and palmated; the tail is short. They feed mostly on fish captured by diving.
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The alco is a small variety of dog, with a small head and large pendulous ears found wild in Mexico and Peru.
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Alcyonaria are coelenterate animals forming a great division of the class Actinozoa. These animals are nearly all composite, and the individual polyps have mostly eight tentacles. They include the organ-pipe corals, sea-pens, fan-corals, etc, as also the red coral of commerce. The polyps essentially resemble those of the genus Alcyonium in structure, and in the number and arrangement of the tentacles.
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Alcyonium is a genus of coelenterate animals, one familiar species of which, dredged around the British coasts - Alcyonium digitdtum - is named ' Dead-Men's Fingers,' or 'Cow's Paps', from its lobed or digitate appearance. It grows attached to stones, shells, and other objects. It consists of a mass of little polyps, each polyp possessing eight little fringed tentacles disposed around a central mouth. The Alcyonium forms the type of the Alcyonaria.
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The alder is a genus of plants of the birch family Betulaceae, consisting of trees and shrubs found in the temperate and colder regions of the world. Common alder (Alnus glutinosa) is a tree which grows in wet situations in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Its wood, light and soft and of a reddish colour, is used for a variety of purposes, and is well adapted for work which is to be kept constantly in water. The roots and knots furnish a beautifully-veined wood well suited for cabinet work. The bark is used in tanning and leather dressing, and by fishermen for staining their nets. This and the young twigs are sometimes employed in dyeing, and yield different shades of yellow and red. With the addition of copperas it yields a black dye.
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The Alder Kitten (Furcula bicuspis) is a puss moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from May to July.
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The Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni) is a species of leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) about six millimetres long, blue-black or violet in colour. It is believed to now be extinct in Britain.
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The Alder Moth (Acronicta alni) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 33 and 38 mm found throughout Europe except the extreme south and in western Asia. The moth lives in damp deciduous forests, valleys and on watersides flying from May to June.
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Alecdinidae is the kingfishers family of Fissirostral birds. They have a long, stout, pointed beak with angular sides. The feet are small and feeble with the middle and outer toes united to the last joint. The wings are rounded and hollow, ill adapted for protracted flight. The birds have a robust form with a large head and usually a short tail. They are predatory, feeding on fish, insects, and even reptiles, birds, and small quadrupeds. The members of the family are found all over the world, but Australia and South America contain the greatest number of species.
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Aleochara is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, mostly with a broad oval, fusiform body, a small head, fusiform antennae and a coat of soft hair.
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The Alewife (Alosa tyrannus) is a fish similar to the shad, growing to a length of 30 cm, and taken in great quantities in the mouths of the rivers of New England, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
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Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) is a plant of the family Umbelliferae. A native of Britain, Alexanders was once cultivated for its leaf-stalks, which, having a pleasant aromatic flavour, were blanched and used instead of celery - a vegetable that has taken its place.
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Alfa is a name for esparto grass obtained from Algeria.
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Alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa) is a prolific perennial tall herbaceous plant of the pea family Leguminosae. It is native to Eurasia and bears spikes of small purple flowers in late summer. It is now a major fodder crop, generally processed into hay, meal, or silage. Alfalfa sprouts, the sprouted seeds, have become a popular salad ingredient.
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Algarobilla are the seed-pods of trees of the Prosopis genus, valued for their tannin.
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The Algau is a breed of domestic cattle originating from the south-western portion of Bavaria.
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The Algerian Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) is a species of hedgehog that has a paler underside than Western and Eastern Hedgehogs, with a wider 'parting' free of spines on the crown of head. The external ears larger than in the Western and Eastern species.
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Alhagi is a genus of spiny leguminous shrubs. The species yield a kind of manna.
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The alimentary canal is a tube beginning at the mouth and passing through the body to the anus. It is primarily used for the reception of food.
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Alismacese is the water-plantain family, a natural order of endogenous plants, the members of which are herbaceous, annual or perennial; with petiolate leaves sheathing at the base, hermaphrodite (rarely unisexual) flowers, disposed in spikes, panicles, or racemes. They are floating or marsh plants, and many have edible fleshy rhizomes, They are found in all countries, but especially in Europe and North America, where their rather brilliant flowers adorn the pools and streams. The principal genera are Alisma (water-plaintain) and Sagittaria (arrow-head).
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Alkanet is a perennial Boraginaceae found in warmer parts of Europe. It has a black tap root and funnel-shaped flowers which commence red and then turn blue.
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Allamanda is a genus of American tropical plants of the family Apocynaceae, with large yellow or violet flowers.
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The allantois is a structure appearing during the early development of vertebrate animals - Reptiles, Birds, and Mammalia. It is largely made up of blood-vessels, and, especially in birds, attains a large size. It forms the inner lining to the shell, and may thus be viewed as the surface by means of which the respiration of the embryo is carried on. In Mammalia the allantois is not so largely developed as in birds, and it enters largely into the formation of the placenta.
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Allecula is a genus of beetle of the family Alleculidae found in rotting wood.
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Alleculidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera with eleven genera and thirty-three species eight of which occur in Britain, with various life styles.
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An alley cat is a homeless, usually mongrel, stray cat that scavenges for food in a town.
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Alliaceous plants are plants belonging to the genus Allium of the order Liliaceae, that to which the onion, leek, garlic, shallot, etc, belong, or to other allied genera, and distinguished by a certain peculiar pungent smell and taste characterized as alliaceous. This flavour is also found in a few plants having no botanical affinities with the above, as in the Alluaria officinalis or jack-by-the-hedge, a plant of the order Cruciferae.
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Alliaria is a genus of plant of the family Cruciferae, containing two species, one of which Alliaria officinalis, commonly called jack-by-the-hedge, is widely spread in Europe, and often used as a pot-herb.
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Allice is a name of the common shad.
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An alligator is a genus of crocodilian reptile of the family Alligatoridae. They differ from the true crocodiles in having a shorter and flatter head, in having cavities or pits in the upper jaw, into which the long canine teeth of the under jaw fit, and in having the feet much less webbed. Their habits are less perfectly aquatic. They are confined to the warmer parts of America, where they frequent swamps and marshes, and may be seen basking on the dry ground during the day in the heat of the sun. They are most active during the night, when they make a loud bellowing. The largest of these animals grow to the length of about six meters. They are covered by a dense armour of horny scales, and have a huge mouth, armed with strong, conical teeth. They swim with wonderful celerity, impelled by their long, laterally-compressed, and powerful tails. On land their motions are proportionally slow and embarrassed because of the length and un-wieldiness of their bodies and the shortness of their limbs.
Alligators feed on fish, and any small animals or carrion, and sometimes catch pigs on the shore, or dogs which are swimming. They even sometimes make man their prey. In winter they burrow in the mud of swamps and marshes, lying torpid until the warm weather. The female lays a great number of eggs, which are deposited in the sand or mud, and left to be hatched by the heat of the sun, but the mother alligator is very attentive to her young. The most fierce and dangerous species is that found in the southern parts of the United States Alligator Lucius, having the snout a little turned up, slightly resembling that of the pike. The alligators of South America are there very often called Caymans. Alligator sclerops is known also as the Spectacled Cayman, from the prominent bony rim surrounding the orbit of each eye. The flesh of the alligator is sometimes eaten. Among the fossils of the south of England are remains of a true alligator Alligator Hantoniensis in the Eocene beds of the Hampshire basin.
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The Alligator lizard is a reptile of the family Anguidae, the legless lizards; it is the only member of the group to have well developed limbs. It is found in North and Central | 
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