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The goat is a horned ruminant quadruped of the genus Capra. The horns are hollow, erect, turned backward, annular on the surface, and scabrous. The male is generally bearded under the chin. Goats are nearly of the size of sheep, but stronger, less timid, and more agile. They frequent rocks and mountains, and subsist on scanty coarse food. Their milk is sweet, nourishing, and medicinal, and their flesh furnishes food. Goats are of almost interminable variety, and it is not certainly known from which the domesitic goat is descended, though opinion favours the Capra cegagrus, or wild goat of Western Asia. Goats are generally subdivided into ibexes and goats proper. They are found in all parts of the world, and many varieties are valued for their hair or wool. The skin is prepared for a variety of purposes, and yields the leather known under the name of morocco. The Cashmere goat, as its name indicates, is a native of Cashmere; it is smaller than the common domestic goat, and has long, silky, fine hair. The Angora goat is also furnished with soft silky hair of a silver-white colour, hanging down in curling locks about 20 centimeters long. Its horns are in a spiral form, and extend laterally. The Rocky Mountain goat is the Haplocerus montanus, or big-horn. In Massachusetts, USA, it is illegal for a goat to wear trousers.
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The Goat Moth (Cossus cossus) is a large moth of the family Cossidae with a wing span of between 65 and 80 mm found in northern Africa, Europe and temperate Asia flying from June to July at night in deciduous forests. The larvae, which are about seven centimeters in length, hollow out galleries in the wood of trees, which they first soften by a juice of a strong smell which they secrete. With the saw-dust made in the operation they form cocoons, in which the chrysalids are developed. The larval condition lasts for three years. The fully-developed insect is ash-coloured, with numerous small black lines on the first pair of wings.
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Goat pox is an epidemic disease of goats caused by a virus infection and characterized by fever and a papulovesicular eruption of the skin and mucous membranes.
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Goat's-beard is a popular name of plants of the genus Tragopogon, family Compositae, which are herbaceous perennials, chiefly natives of Europe. The seeds have feathery appendages from which the plants get their name.
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Goat's-rue (Galega officinalis) of French lilac, is a leguminous bushy perennial herb indigenous to southern Europe. It has an erect, hairless angled stem and alternate, odd pinnate leaves with four to twelve pairs of rectangular leaflets. The flowers are white, pinkish or lilac and arranged in long erect racemes in the leaf axils. It is used as forage and was once used as a cordial to treat fever and convulsions.
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Goat's-thorn is the name given to two hard evergreen plants of the genus Astragalus. Astragalus Tragacantha (great goat's-thorn), and Astragalus Poterium (small goat's-thorn). The former, long cultivated in Great Britain, is a native of the south of Europe, the latter of the Levant.
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The goat-moth (Cossus ligniperda) is a large British moth. The larvae are about 7 cm long and hollow out galleries in trees and form cocoons from the sawdust in which the chrysalids are formed. The larval condition lasts for three years. The fully-developed insect is ash-coloured, with numerous small black lines on the first pair of wings.
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Goatsucker is a name common to the birds of the genus Caprimulgus, as also to all belonging to the same family - the Caprimulgidae, given originally from the erroneous opinion that they suck goats. The European goatsucker (Caprimulgus europceus) feeds upon nocturnal insects, as moths, gnats, beetles, etc, which it catches on the wing, flying with its mouth open. Its mouth is comparatively large, and lined on the inside with a glutinous substance to prevent the escape of those insects which fly into it. Like all birds which catch flies when on the wing, the gape is surrounded by stiff bristles. When perched, it usually sits lengthwise on a bare twig, with its head lower than its tail, and in this attitude utters a jarring note, whence one of its common names - nightjar, or nightchurr. It has a light, soft plumage, minutely mottled with gray and brown, and is about 10 inches in length. The American chuckwill's widow, whip-poor-will, and night-hawk belong to the same family.
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A gobbler (or tom) is a male or cock turkey (the female being a hen).
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Goby is the popular name of a family of acanthopterous fish (Gobiidae) characterized as having two dorsal fins nearly united into one, the anterior fin having flexible rays, not spinous. The ventral fins are thoracic and united more or less by their bases. the body is scaly and the head unarmed. there are about 400 species of goby.
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Godwinia is a genus of plants of the family Araceae. A gigantic species (Godwinia. gigas) discovered in Nicaragua produces but one very large and very deeply cut leaf supported on a stalk three meters long. The inflorescence appears at a different time from the leaf, and consists of a stalk about 30 cm high supporting the spathe or flower 60 cm long, purplish-blue in colour, with a powerful carrion-like odour.
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Godwit is a popular name for birds of the genus Limosa of the family Scolopacidae. They are large, long-billed wading birds which breed in northern latitudes and migrate south in the winter. Godwits are found in grassy plains, wet meadows and marshes where they eat insects and crustaceans. The nest is comprised of a shallow hollow in the ground lined with dry grass.
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Goethea is a genus of small evergreen Brazilian shrubs of the family Malvaceae.
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Gold of Pleasure (Camelina sativa) is a cruciferous annual of the family Brassicaceae, with stem-clasping leaves and terminal racemes of yellow flowers which produce pear-shaped pods containing numerous small seeds. It is found in Britain in corn-fields, and was cultivated to a considerable extent on the continent of Europe for its seeds, which yield an oil formerly used for burning, for dressing woollen goods, making soft soap, and in painting. The stems yield a fibre formerly commonly used for making brooms.
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The Gold Spangle (Autographa bractea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 37 and 42 mm found in the northern parts of the Palaearctic flying from June to August.
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The Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm widespread throughout the non-polar Palaearctic as far as Japan in wet meadows, swamps and other watery habitats. One or two generations are produced flying from May to September.
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The Gold Swift (Hepialus hecta) is a moth of the family Hepialidae with a wing span of between 22 and 33 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from June to August in forests with an undergrowth of bilberry and oxeye daisies.
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The Golden Delicious apple was found as a seedling in West Virginia, USA, in the 1880's. The tree is in full bloom from early to mid-October and the fruit is harvested from late February to mid-March. It is a medium to large apple, green when harvested, ripening to a golden yellow colour. The skin has conspicuous lenticels. The flesh is green-white and crisp and the taste is sweet, fragrant and juicy. It is a superb eating apple. It is very good for baking, holding its shape, and excellent for use in salads. In certain areas and under specific climatic conditions the Golden Delicious has a delicate pink blush.
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The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetus), is the chief British species of eagle. It measures over 180 cm (6 feet) from tip to tip of the expanded wings, and 240 cm (8 feet) from the beak to the end of the tail. The adults have the body brownish, becoming darker with age; the feathers of the head and neck pointed, and of a golden-red hue. This species is found all over the northern hemisphere. It was once common in the Highlands of Scotland, but started becoming rare in the 19th century. The Kirghis and other tribes of Central Asia use the golden eagle to kill antelopes, foxes, and even wolves.
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Golden Gala is a specially selected variety of Royal Gala apple. It is in full bloom from early to middle October and fruit is harvested in mid- February. The fruit of the Golden Gala has a beautiful golden-yellow background skin colour with a slight red stripe. The flesh is cream and the texture is crisp. The apple has a unique, sweet, tangy flavour and a lovely aroma.
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The Golden Lion Tamarin or Golden Lion Marmoset (Leontopithecus rosalia) is a small monkey about 25 centimeters long excluding the tail, found in the coastal rain forests of Brazil. The golden lion tamarin is omnivorous, eating fruits, gum, nectar, insects, and small vertebrates and is diurnal and predominantly arboreal. They live in territorial family groups of one pair of sexually mature adults and their young, with the younger adults helping with rearing the very young. Destruction of the coastal forests during the 20th century and into the 21st century means the golden lion tamarin is now almost extinct, with perhaps less than 100 animals still in the wild in 2008.
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Golden Noble is a variety of Apple discovered in an old orchard in Downham, Norfolk. One of the best cooking apples which keeps little of its form when cooked. It is sharp, well flavoured with a creamy texture and is ideal for pies. Keeps until spring, when it becomes a rich eating apple.
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The Golden Plusia (Polychrysia moneta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 32 and 37 mm found in northern and central Europe mostly in the mountains. A single generation emerges in June and July.
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The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of dog developed on the Guisachan Estate during the second half of the 19th century from a yellow retriever of Flat-Coar Retriever ancestry with a Tweed Water Spaniel (now an extinct breed). Golden Retrievers are excellent family dogs with a good temperament for a gundog or family dog, but which need a daily run.
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Golden Spur is a dwarf variety of apple tree bearing a firm, golden green fruit.
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Golden-beetle is a popular name for several tetramerous beetles of the genus Chrysomela. There are some British species, but most are tropical. They are characterized by their brilliant colouring.
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The Golden-crested Wren (Golden-crested Regulus, Kinglet, Regulus cristatus) is a beautiful bird belonging to the family Sylviadae, distinguished by an orange crest. It is the smallest of British birds, being only 8 cm long, very agile and almost continually in motion. The upper part of the body is yellowish olive green and the under parts are pale reddish white. It lives mostly in tall trees, particularly the oak, yew, pine and fir.
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Golden-rod (Solidago) is a genus of plants of the family Compositae. They are chiefly natives of North America, which hosts some sixty species where they occur in every habitat. Most of the species have erect, rod-like, scarcely branched stems, with alternate serrated leaves, and terminal spikes of small yellow flowers. The only British species is the European golden-rod (Solidago virgaurea), which bears a long cluster of showy flower heads and is found in woods and thickets.
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Golden-saxifrage is a popular name for Chrysoplenium, a small genus of Saxifragaceae, consisting of annual or perennial rather succulent herbs, with alternate or opposite crenate leaves, and inconspicuous greenish axillary and terminal flowers. They are natives of Central and Northern Europe, the Himalayas, and parts of America. There are two British species.
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The goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a migrant duck which visits Britain during winter. The male is black and white with a rounded green-glossed head and a conspicuous white patch at the base of the bill. The female has grey-brown plumage separated from a dark brown head by a pale neck.
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The Goldenrod Brindle (Lithomoia solidaginis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 40 and 45 mm widely distributed through the northern and mild parts of the Palaearctic and also North America. The moths live in sparse pine forests with an undergrowth of heather, in peat- bogs and on the outskirts of woods and in clearings. The adult flies from August to Autumn.
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The Goldfinch (Fringilla carduelis or Carduelis Elegans) is a common British bird of the Finch family. It is about 13cm long and the plumage is a mixture of black, scarlet (around the forehead and throat), yellow and white colours. The colours of the female are duller than those of the male. During the 19th century it was a popular caged bird, being easily tamed and able to be taught tricks and manoeuvres. Its favourite food is thistle seeds (hence its French name, Chardonneret - a frequenter of thistles).
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The goldfish (Cyprinus auratus) is a member of the carp family found in east Asia.
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The goliath-beetles are beetles of the genus Goliathus which are native to Africa and South America and are so named on account of their remarkable large size which can reach 10cm. They are eaten in South America.
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The Gomuti Palm (Saguerus saccharifer) is the sago-palm and yields a bristly fibre known as gomuti or ejoo which is manufactured into cordage, and used for thatching. The sweet juice of the palm is fermented into a toddy by natives. The Gomuti Palm is also one of the chief sago producing palms.
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The gonads are essential reproductive organs.
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Gongora is a genus of evergreen epiphytal orchids with long racemes of pendulous flowers and long lanceolate leaves.
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Gonidia are the secondary, green, spherical cells in the thallus of lichens which distinguish lichens from fungi.
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A gonidium is a special groove or furrow at one or both angles of the mouth of many Anthozoa.
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Gonodera is a genus of beetle of the family Alleculidae found on flowering bushes at the margin of woods.
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Gonolobus is a genus of American shrubs belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae. They bear greenish or purplish flowers.
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A gonophore is a sexual zooid produced as a medusoid bud upon a hydroid, sometimes becoming a free hydromedusa, and sometimes remaining attached. In botany, a gonophore is a lengthened receptacle, bearing the stamens and carpels in a conspicuous manner.
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Good-King-Henry (Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus) is an erect or ascending perennial plant of the natural family Chenopodiaceae found throughout western and northern Europe in nitrogen-rich areas. It grows to a height of 80 cm and bears triangular leaves with wavy margins and prominent lobes at the base. The flowers are very small, greenish, usually hermaphrodite and are borne together on a long tapering spike.
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Goodyera is a genus of orchids.
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The goosander (Mergus merganser) is a large, elegant, sawbill diving duck found in Scotland, northern England and Wales. The male has a red, serrated- edged bill, green-glossed head, white body and a black back. The female has an orange-red head with a shaggy crest, and the body plumage is greyish. The nest is built in a hole in a tree, usually beside a large river.
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Goose is a popular name for the Anscrinoe sub-family of water birds of the family Anatidae in which the beak is roughly conical in shape. Geese differ from ducks in the plumage of both sexes is generally similar, and they often form a strong and lasting pair bond. The male goose (a gander) assists in the nesting and the raring of the young, vigorously defending his mate and the nest. A group of geese on the ground is known as a gaggle, and a group in flight as a skein.
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Gooseberry (Ribes grossularia) is a low branching shrub growing wild in Siberia and northern Europe. It is part of the family Grossulariaceae. the branches are armed with numerous prickles and bear three to five lobed leaves and inconspicuous flowers. The fruit is a succulent berry which makes rather good eating.
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The Gooseberry Sawfly (Nematus ribesii) is an insect of the Typical Sawflies family, Tenthredinidae of the super-family Tenthredinoidea, sub-order Symphyta, order Hymenoptera. The Gooseberry Sawfly develops on the leaves of gooseberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant and white currant bushes. There are between two and four generations a year, the first appearing in April.
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Goosefoot (Chenopodium) is a genus of plants, of the natural order Chenopodiaceae, indigenous to the temperate parts of the eastern continent. They are weedy plants common in waste places, and bear small greenish flowers, which are sessile in small clusters, collected in spiked panicles. Several species are found in Britain. Chenopodium. Bonus-Henricus, English mercury, or Good-King-Henry, is a substitute for spinage. The seeds of Chenpodium quinoa of Peru are used as food.
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The gopher (pouched rat) is a burrowing rodent of the genus Spermophulus found in the prairies of north and central America. They live in burrows and resemble the marmot. They have cheek pouches in which they carry food of plants, roots and seeds.
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The Goramy or Gourami (Osphromenuu olfax), is a fish of the family Anabasidae or climbing perches, a native of China and the Eastern Archipelago, but introduced into Mauritius, the West Indies, and Cayenne on account of the excellence of its flesh. It is deep in proportion to its length, and the dorsal and anal fins have numerous short spines, while the first ray of the ventral is protracted into a filament of extraordinary length. It is one of the few fish which build nests, which it does by interweaving the stems and leaves of aquatic plants.
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Gordius is the hair-worm genus of marine worms. The eggs are laid in water, but the larvae on emergence bore their way into the bodies of young insects, larvae etc. If thee hosts are swallowed by fish or other predators, the worms mature in the new host before finally quitting for a free life in water.
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Gordonia is a genus of trees belonging to the family Ternstroemiaceae. They are evergreen and bear pretty white or cream-coloured flowers.
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Gorgonia is a genus of corals belonging to the Gorgonidae family.
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The Gorgonidae or sea-fans are a family of corals belonging to the Alcyonarian division. The skeleton is horny and fan-shaped, but a certain amount of lime is always present.
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The gorilla (Troglodytes Gorilla) is the largest anthropoid ape attaining a height of about 5.5 feet and is found in west Africa. Although a gentle and vegetarian animal, myths prevailed from the mid- 19th century until the mid-20th century of it attacking and eating the natives.
The erect position is more readily assumed by the gorilla than by most of the other anthropoid apes, owing to the shape of the sole of the foot, which is not inverted, and is shorter and broader;
but the ordinary gait is on all-fours. It has a ferocious-looking cast of features, due to the prognathism of the jaws, the extremely prominent supra-orbital ridges, and retreating forehead. Gorillas make a sleeping-place somewhat like a hammock, connecting the branches of a tree by means of the long, tough, slender stems of climbing plants, and lining it with dried fronds of palms or long grass. This abode is constructed at different heights from the ground, but there is never more than one such nest in a tree. The gorilla, like the chimpanzee, has thirteen ribs, whereas man and the orang have twelve. The gorilla and chimpanzee also have eight bones in the carpus or wrist, while the others have nine. The bones of the arm are much longer than in man, and the upper arm is longer than the forearm; the leg bones are shorter than in man. In the proportion of its molar teeth to the incisors and in the form of its pelvis it approaches somewhat closely the human form. The Phoenician navigator Hanno found the name in use in the 5th century BC in West Africa.
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Gorse (Ulex) also known as furze or whin is a genus of plants of the family Leguminosae, native to western Europe. They are low shrubby plants, the common gorse (Ulex europicus) having a stem generally 80 cm to one metre high, much branched and most of the leaves converted into spines. The flowers are solitary and yellow. The fruits are hairy pods. The common gorse is often very abundant in barren, heathy, sandy, and gravelly soils throughout the west of Europe. It often covers exclusively large tracts of country, and makes a splendid appearance when in flower. It was formerly used for fuel, and sometimes the tops of the branches were used (especially the young tops) as fodder for horses and cattle, after having been beaten or bruised to soften the prickles. The dwarf-furze (Ulex nanus) is found in many parts of the British Isles.
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The goshawk (Astur palumbarius) is a raptorial bird of the genus Astur. It grows to around 60 cm long, has deep brown plumage with a white belly and was much used in falconry. It flies low and pursues its prey in a line after it., or in the manner called 'raking' by falconers. The female was generally flown by falconers at rabbits, hares, etc, and the larger-winged game, while the male was usually flown at the smaller birds, and principally at partridges.
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The Gothic Moth (Naenia typica) is a rare moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 33 and 40 mm flying from June to August.
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The Gotland Pony or Skogsruss, is an ancient breed of Swedish pony. They stand 12 hands high, occur in various solid colours, are placid and good natured but often obstinate, and are athletic jumpers and quick runners.
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Gouania is a genus of tropical shrubs belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. The genus includes the chaw-stick of Jamaica.
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Goura is a genus of large pigeons native to Papua New Guinea comprising about six species known as crowned pigeons which are remarkable for their large size and open erect crest with which the head is adorned. They spend most of their time on the ground and nest in low branches.
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Gourd (Cucurbita) is a genus of plants of the family Cucurbitaceae. The genus includes edible species such as the marrow, pumpkin, water melon and also inedible species grown for their decorative appeal.
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Govenia is a genus of tropical American orchids.
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Goyocephale was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Goyocephale was about 2 metres long, walked on its hind legs and had four or five broad spines low down at the back of its head which also had thickened bones at the top of the skull, which together with the broad hip bones suggest that Goyocephale may have regularly head butted other animals.
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Grabowskia is a genus of South American shrubs belonging to the family Solanaceae.
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Gracilia is a genus of small longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Gracillariidae is the narrow-winged leaf miners (blotch miners) family of insects of the order Lepidoptera.
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The grain-moth is two species of very small moth whose larvae eat grain in granaries. The moths have narrow, fringed wings of a satin lustre.
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The graining is a fish of the dace kind found chiefly in the Mersey and its tributaries and in some of the Swiss lakes. The nose is more rounded than that of the dace, the eye larger, and the dorsal fin commences half-way between the point of the nose and the end of the fleshy portion of the tail. It seldom weighs more than half a pound; in habit and food it resembles the trout.
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Grakle is a genus of birds of the order Passeres and of the starling family. They are found in India and New Guinea. One of the genus is the Indian mina bird (Grakle. musica), which can be taught amusing tricks and can imitate the human voice. It is of a deep velvet black, with a white spot on the wing, yellow bill and feet, and two yellow wattles on the back of the head. A considerable number of other birds not belonging to this genus have also been called grakles, such as the purple grakle, or crow-blackbird of America.
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Grallae is the Waders order of birds. They are characterized by a long leg and tarsus, the lower portion of the leg generally devoid of feathers. The bill is long or moderate. They have three or four toes, more or less connected by a membrane at the base, sometimes lobated. The Grallae are adapted by structure for feeding in marshes, on the muddy or sandy sea-shoe, or on the banks of rivers and lakes. Some species feed on fish, and they have unusually long legs and powerful bills. The majority have great power of flight and lay their eggs on the ground.
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Grallatores is an order of birds. They are generally wading-birds and frequent the banks of streams and marshes. They have long legs and a long beak. The order includes the snipe, stint, and ruff; the red-shanks, green-shanks, sand-pipers; the curlews, phalaropes, stilts, and avocets; the plovers, oyster-catchers, turnstones, lapwings, coursers; the jacanas, the bustards; the rails
and coots; and the cranes. They are generally known as wading-birds, as they frequent shores and banks of streams, marshes, etc.
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Grammoptera is a genus of small longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), represented by three British species.
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The grampus are several marine cetaceous mammals allied to the dolphins.
Grampus are found in the Atlantic and North Sea. They grow to about eight metres long, and are very thick in proportion to their length with a black back and white belly. On each shoulder is a white spot. Grampus are carnivorous and voracious and will attack even whales.
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The Granary Weevil (Sitophilus granarius) is a species of Snout Beetle (Curculionidae) that are a serious pest of stored grain, chiefly wheat and rye.
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The Granny Smith apple derives its name from a real granny Smith, Mrs Maria Smith, who discovered this seedling in her garden in Australia in the 1860's.
Granny Smith is in full bloom from middle to late October and is harvested from late March to late April. It is a medium to large apple, varying in colour from light to bright green. In cooler areas it will develop a red blush. The lenticels are well developed. The flesh is firm, white and crisp. The taste is slightly tart, yet sweet. It is an excellent eating apple and good for baking, and excellent for sauces or purees.
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Grant's Zebra is a subspecies of Burchell's Zebra with black stripes and legs striped to the hoof.
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The grantia is a member of the calcarea class.
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Grapes are the fruit of the vine plant.
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Grape Hyacinth (Muscari racemosum) is a bulbous her of the family Liliaceae. It is native to Europe and South Africa and has a short flower stem bearing many round dark blue flowers.
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The grapefruit or shaddock (Citrus decumana) is an evergreen tree of the family Rutaceae. It produces a pale yellow globular fruit which may be eaten.
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Graphium sarpedon is a black with colourful speckled stripes across both wings, Swallowtail butterfly of the family Papilionidae, found in the warmer regions of Asia, especially in central and southern China and southern Japan. Unlike many other Swallowtail butterflies, Graphium sarpedon is devoid of spurs.
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The Grapple Plant (Harpagophytum procumbens) is a Cape prostrate perennial herb of the family pedalinae. Its purple flowers are funnel-shaped. The fruit is large and armed with strong, sharp hooks which, when they come into contact with the lips of browsing animals, cause intolerable pain.
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Grapsidae is a large family of crabs found all over the world with a quadrilateral carapace.
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Graptodytes is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae with four species living in Britain. They live chiefly in the sludge of stagnant pounds and slow-flowing streams.
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Grass (Graminaceae) is an extensive family of endogenous plants comprising about 250 genera and 4500 species. The roots are fibrous; the stem is usually cylindrical and jointed varying length from a few centimetres to 30 metres in the case of the bamboo, (in the sugar-cane the stem is solid, but porous), and coated with silex; leaves, one to each node or joint, with a sheathing petiole; spikelets terminal, panicled, racemose, or spiked; flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous, destitute of true calyx or corolla, surrounded by a double set of bracts, the outer constituting the glumes, the inner the paleoe; stamens hypogynous, three or six; filaments long and flaccid; anthers versatile; ovary solitary, simple, with two (rarely three) styles, one-celled, with a single ovule; fruit known as a caryopsis, the seed and the pericarp being inseparable from each other.. The family includes many of the most valuable pasture-plants, all those which yield corn and the sugar-cane. The nutritious herbage and farinaceous seed furnished by many of them render them of incalculable importance, while the stems and leaves are useful for various textile and other purposes.
The more important divisions of the natural order of grasses are: (1) Panicaceoe, including the Paniceoe (millet, fundi, Guinea grass); the Andropogoneoe (sugar-cane, dhurra, lemon-grass) ; the Rottboellieoe (gama-grass); etc. (2) Phalarideoe (maize, Job's tears, canary-grass, foxtail-grass, soft-grass, Timothy grass). (3) Poaceoe, including the Oryzeoe (rice); Stipeoe (feather-grass, esparto); Agrosteoe (bent-grass); Aveneoe (oats, vernal grass); Festuceoe (fescue, meadow-grass, manna-grass, teff, cock's-foot grass, tussac grass, dog's-tail grass); Bambtiseoe (bamboo); Hordeoe (wheat, barley, rye, spelt, rye-grass, lyme-grass).
In its popular use the term grasses is chiefly applied to the pasture grasses as distinct from the cereals, etc. but it is also applied to some herbs, which are not in any strict sense grasses at all, e.g. rib-grass, scurvy and whitlow grass. After the culture of herbage and forage plants became an important branch of husbandry, it became customary to call the clovers, trefoils, sainfoin, and other flowering plants grown as fodder, artificial grasses, by way of distinction from the grasses proper, which were termed natural grasses. Of the pasture grasses, some thrive in meadows, others in marshes, on upland fields, or on bleak hills, and they by no means grow indiscriminately. Indeed the species of grass will often indicate the quality of the soil; thus, Holcus, Dactylis, and Bromus are found on sterile land, Festuca and Alopecurus on a better soil, Poa and Cynosurus are only found in the best pasture land.
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The Grass Eggar (Lasiocampa trifolii) is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae with a wing span of between 40 and 55 mm found in the warmer parts of temperate Europe and in Asia Minor. One generation is produced flying from July to September, the male flying in early evening and the female at night.
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The Grass Emerald (Pseudoterpna pruinata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in central and southern Europe and western Asia flying from June to August.
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Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) is a perennial herb of the family Saxifragaceae. It is a bog plant native to Europe, north Africa, north and west Asia and North America. It has large solitary white flowers.
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The Grass-tree (Xanthorrhoea, Black-Boy) is a genus of Australian plants of the family Liliaceae. They have shrubby stems with tufts of long grass-like wiry foliage, from the centre of which arises the tall flower-stalks which sometimes reach a height of five metres and bear dense cylindrical spikes of blossom at their summit.
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Grass-wrack (Sea-Grass, Zostera marina) is a phanerogamous plant belonging to the Naiadeae, forming green beds at the bottom of the sea where it is shallow. The ash contains soda.
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The grasshopper or cricket are various leaping insects of the genus Gryllus or Acheta, of the order Orthoptera nearly akin to the locusts. They are characterized by long and slender legs, the thighs of the hind legs are large and adapted for leaping; by large and delicate wings and by the wing covers extending far beyond the extremity of the abdomen. They are generally of a greenish colour.
There are several species. The house-grasshopper is the Acheta (Gryllus) domestica; the field-grasshopper is the Acheta (Gryllus) campestris; the mole-grasshopper is the Gryllotalpa vulgaris. The house-grasshopper of Europe is about 25 mm long, with antennae of about 38 mm long, of a pale yellowish colour mixed with brown. By the friction of the peculiarly-formed wing-covers the males produce that stridulous sound by which these insects are so well known, and which has become associated with ideas of cheerful domestic comfort.
They live in holes and crevices near fire places or in other warm situations, whence they come out at night to feed on crumbs and other fragments of food. The field-grasshopper makes a similar noise. The house-grasshopper was introduced into the United States, and there are several species of field-grasshopper there also.
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The Grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) is a bird with a large, conical bill, large, flat head, short tail, buff face and breast white belly and undertail coverts. It is found in open fields and forages on the ground.
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Gratiola is a genus of plants of the family Scrophulariaceae containing about twenty species of herbs, widely distributed through the extra-tropical regions of the world. Gratiola officinalis grows in meadows in Europe. It is extremely bitter, and acts violently both as a purgative and emetic, and in overdoses it is a violent poison.
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Grayling (Thymallus) is a genus of fish of the family Salmonidae. The Common
Grayling is found in unpolluted fast-flowing streams and shallow rivers in England and Wales and also Scotland where it was introduced and scattered over Europe from Finland to North Italy, and also over part of Asia.. Grayling prefer rapid streams where the water is cool and clear, and the bottom sandy or pebbly, and it requires on the whole deeper water than the trout, to which it has a certain similarity in habit. The general colour is yellowish-brown, including the fins; several deeper brown lines run along the body; under the belly white. The colour often varies in different streams. It is a favourite fish of the angler. In North America there is also a grayling, Thymallus tricolor, good for food as well as for sport.
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The Grayling Butterfly (Hipparchia semele) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found throughout Europe.
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The Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found in warm oak forests and steppes in Europe and Asia.
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The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a very large American heron of the order Grallae, family Ardeidae, with a long neck and legs, long sharp bill. The adult has a grey-blue back, wings and back of neck with a white cheek; black eye stripe and cap. The neck is curled up in S-curve in flight. It hunts fish, other small vertebrates, crustaceans.
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The Great Brocade (Eurois occulta) is a larger moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 50 and 60 mm found in Northern Europe and Asia, and also Alaska and Canada.
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The Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a graceful water bird of the family Podicipedidae, coloured grey-brown above with a glossy white underside. The toes are lobed.
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The Great Dane is a breed of German dog, the largest of the mastiff breeds. Originally they were bred in Germany as boarhounds for hunting, they are also employed as pets and as watchdogs.
Great Danes stand one metre at the shoulder and have very strong jaws (capable of tearing a refrigerator door off to reach meat inside). A clumsy breed they are generally good-natured.
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The Great Egret (Casmerodius albus) is an American, large all-white heron with a long yellow bill and long black legs of the order Grallae, family Ardeidae. It is a fairly common permanent resident near and in a wide variety of wetlands habitats of southern California and nests throughout most of California; in southern California it is especially common at Salton Sea, and the Colorado River.
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Great lettuce (Lactuca virosa) or greater prickly lettuce or wild lettuce as it is also known is a highly poisonous, narcotic, annual, sometimes biennial herb of the family Compositae with an erect leafy, white or reddish stem which branches at the top. The leaves are stiff, bluish-green in colour and have prickly toothed margins and a prickly midrib beneath. The basal leaves are stalked, oval and arranged in a rosette. The stem leaves are alternate, clasp the stem at their base and are held horizontally. The flowers are numerous, short-stalked and yellow. Great lettuce was formerly used as a narcotic before opium was discovered, and is still used to adulterate opium.
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Great masterwort (Astrantia major) also known as Astrantia and mountain sanicle, is a poisonous European perennial herb with a black, woody rhizome and an erect, slightly branched stem. The basal leaves are arranged in a rosette, are long-stalked, shiny dark green, palmately lobed and coarsely toothed. The stem leaves are similar to the basal leaves, but smaller. The flowers are white, pinkish or greenish and clustered in simple umbels which are surrounded by a conspicuous white or reddish whorl of petal- like involucral bracts. The fruit is a rectangular achene with a comb-like keel.
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The Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer) is an ocean bird of the Divers family, Colymbidae. It is the largest of the Divers (between sixty and eighty centimetres long), and visits British seas in winter when its colouration is a mottled-grey on the upper parts with a white throat. In summer the upper parts are black with square white spots, the head an neck glossy black with a band of black and white stripes on the throat.
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The Great Oak Beauty (Boarmia roboraria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 40 and 50 mm found in deciduous forests of the Palaearctic flying from May to August in two generations.
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The Great Prominent (Peridea anceps) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 50 and 65 mm distributed throughout the temperate zone of Europe in deciduous and mixed forests flying from April to June. The caterpillar lives on Oak.
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Great stag is the term given to a five-year old red deer.
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The Great Tortoise-shell (Vanessa polychloros) is a British butterfly.
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The Greater Horntail (Urocerus gigas) is one of the largest Hymenopterous insects in Europe, growing to 32 mm long and with a wing span up to 44 mm. It is a forest species of insect of the family Siricidae, found in light and sunny places with fallen trees, flying on sunny summer days, and sometimes as early as May. The Greater Horntail occurs in most of Europe, temperate Asia and in North Africa.
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The Greater horseshoe-bat (Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum) is a larger species of bat, the wing-span being about 33 cm and the wings broad with rounded ends. The ear is large, broad at the base, and tapers to a sharp point, the front edge being curved so that the point is directed backwards. The hind edge has a well developed lobe, the antitragus, at its base; there is no tragus. The upper incisor, and the first upper, and second lower premolars are minute. The fur is thick and woolly and extends a short distance on to both surfaces of the wing membrane. The colour is medium brown above, rather lighter below, often with a yellowish or pinkish cast. The range of the species extends from south England through central Europe and Asia to Japan. In Britain it is confined to the south of England and it is not known in Scotland or Ireland. It is most plentiful in the south-west and south Wales where it is a constant inhabitant of the limestone caves. Summer colonies sometimes occur in house roofs, cellars and perhaps hollow trees, the caves
in which hibernation takes place being deserted at that season. The species is gregarious and there is a segregation of the sexes in the colonies at least during the summer. The food consists of the larger as well as smaller insects, and especially beetles. Large prey is pouched against the wing- membrane during manipulation since there is no tail-pouch; and it is often taken to the roost to be eaten. Wingless and other insects are often picked up off the ground, the flight frequently being only a few inches above it. The single young is born in late June or July and probably does not breed until it is three years old. Hibernation lasts from October to the end of March, but within the hibernating caves the bats often shift their quarters at intervals during the winter, when it is possible that they feed upon insects hibernating in the caves.
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The greater white-toothed shrew, or house shrew (Crocidura russula) is a west European species of shrew recognisable by its white teeth white; rather narrow skull elongated in the uni-cuspid tooth region; three uni-cuspid teeth (the third being relatively large); gradual, blurred division between the reddish upper and paler underside; isolated long sparse hairs on the tail.
Greater white-toothed shrews are found in dry ground, grassland, the fringes of woods, gardens and hedges, commonly entering houses, farm outbuildings etc. The animals build a nest of dry grass (or man-made materials in houses) lined with leaves, situated under cover. Predominantly nocturnal, the greater white-toothed shrew feeds on insects and other invertebrates, very occasionally eating small vertebrates, such as lizards and young rodents. A fairly social animal, pairs form in the breeding season and are aggressive to other individuals; during winter, communal nests form, where up to six individuals sleep together. The breeding season lasts from February to November or October in colder areas, and the animals reach sexual maturity at about three months. After a gestation period of between 28 and 33 days a litter of between two and ten young is produced, there may be four or five litters in a year.
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Grebe is the common name of the birds of the genus Podiceps, family Podicipedidae, characterized by a straight conical bill, no tail, a short tarsus, toes flattened, separate, but broadly fringed at their edges by a firm membrane, and legs set so far back that on land the grebe assumes the upright position of the penguin. The geographical distribution of the genus is very wide, these birds haunting seas as well as ponds and rivers. They are excellent swimmers and divers and feed on small fishes, frogs, crustaceans, and insects; and their nests, formed of a large quantity of grass, etc, are generally placed among reeds and sedges, and rise and fall with the water. Five species are British, the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), the little grebe or dabchick (Podiceps ruficollis), the Sclavonian or horned grebe (Podiceps cornutus), the red-neck (Podiceps rubricollis), and the rare eared-grebe (Podiceps auritus). The three last are winter visitors, but the two first remain all the year. Nine species are North American, some of them (crested grebe, horned grebe) being the same as those of Europe. The great crested grebe is about 55 cm long, and has been called the satin grebe from its beautiful silvery breast-plumage, formerly much esteemed as material for ladies' muffs.
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The Green Arches (Anaplectoides prasina) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 40 and 50 mm found in wooded regions where it produces a single generation that flies from June to August.
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Green Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is a central Asian annual herb of the family Polygonaceae with an erect, green, hollow and branched stem. The leaves are alternate, sagittate and have undulate margins, the upper leaves are sessile and the lower leaves stalked. The flowers are greenish in colour and arranged in racemes in the axils of the uppermost leaves. The fruit is a rough surfaced, four-sided achene with wavy toothed margins.
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the Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 22 and 27 mm found in central and northern Europe and western Asia flying from May to July in forests.
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Green Gage is a variety of plum, introduced to Britain from France by a person named Gage. It is large, of a green or yellowish colour, and has a juicy, greenish pulp of exquisite flavour.
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The Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found throughout the Palaearctic region where it produces either one or two generations depending upon the climate. The butterflies can be found on dry hillsides rich in blackthorn, in high mountains and in peat- bogs. The caterpillar feeds on a variety of plants including broom, bramble and bilberry.
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The Green Oak Tortrix (Tortrix viridana) is a moth of the family Tortricidae with a wing span of between 18 and 23 mm found in oak forests in northern Africa, Europe and Asia Minor flying from June to July. The caterpillars develop on the young leaves of oak trees, often defoliating a tree.
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The Green Pug (Eupithecia rectangulata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 15 and 20 mm found throughout Europe and Asia where ever apple and pear trees grow, flying from June to August.
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The Green Silver-Lines (Pseudoips fagana) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in the Palaearctic producing a single generation that flies from May to July.
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The Green Tree Boa is a species of snake of the Boa genus found in South America where it hunts by ambush, waiting in trees. The Green Tree Boa gives birth to live young, not from eggs, and grows to about 3 metres in length.
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The Green Tree Python (Chondropython viridis) is a species of snake found in humid rain forests of New Guinea and north-eastern Australia. The Green Tree Python hunts by ambush, coiling itself around a branch in a tree while it waits for prey which includes birds and mammals. The Green Tree Python grows to about two metres in length and lays eggs, bewteen 11 and 25 at a time, which the mother incubates for about fifty days until they hatch.
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The Green Turtle is an amphibian of the order Reptilia, order Testudines. It is one of the largest of the seven species of sea turtle. Although once common in the worlds warmer seas, it is now threatened with extinction.
Green Turtles have a thick, heavy and bony shell covered in plate-like scales and a salt gland near the eye through which it gets rid of excess salt water. The feet are modified into powerful flippers that propel it through water, and are used for walking on land.
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The Green Velvet Bud Gall Wasp (Cynips longiventris) is a is a hymenopterous insect of the family Cynipidae widespread in central, western, south-western Europe, southern Russia and the Middle East. The Green Velvet Bud Gall Wasp produces a white gall with brown stripes on various species of oak, within which the larvae develops and pupates, the adult emerging in December.
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The Green Woodpecker (Picus virdis) is a large, pale, bright coloured bird of the Woodpecker family Picidae, natural order Piciformes. The Green Woodpecker has a cylindrical, barrel-shaped body with pale green, brownish plumage and a striking yellow rump and a red cap to the top of its head. The Green Woodpecker spends most of its time on the ground feeding on ants, ant eggs and larvae. The Green Woodpecker nests in a large hole in a tree, and is to be found near woodlands, feeding in grassy clearings before flying back to the trees when danger approaches. Green Woodpeckers are found in England, Wales and across Europe, but are absent from Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia except the southern parts.
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The Green-backed Heron (Butorides striatus) is a small American heron of the order Grallae, family Ardeidae, with short yellowish legs and a short neck; greenish-blue back; neck rusty on side and back, white on front. The young are streaky brown and white on the front and brown on the back. It stalks invertebrate and fish prey, which it stabs with its pointed bill.
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Green-brier (Smilax rotundifolia) is a thorny climbing shrub having a yellow- green stem and thick leaves with small bunches of flowers. It is very common in America.
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The Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 35 and 45 mm found in deciduous forests and forest-steppes across Europe and Asia flying from September to October.
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Green-dragon (Arisoema Dracontium) is a North American herbaceous plant of the arum family (Araceae). It is also known as wake-robin.
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The Green-Underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis) is a rare butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in North Africa, Europe, Palaearctic Asia and North America south as far as New Mexico, living in dry meadows and the outskirts of woods and clearings.
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The green-winged orchid (Orchis morio) is a perennial herb of the family Orchidaceae with rounded tubers and an erect leafy stem. The leaves are lanceolate, broadest at the middle. The leaves at the bottom are arranged in a rosette, those at the top are sheathed and erect. The flowers are violet-red in colour and borne in a loose terminal spike.
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The greenfinch (Chloris chloris) also known as the Green-Linnet or Green Grosbeak, is a bird of the finch family common in Europe and north Africa. It frequents hedges, gardens, and small plantations, and feeds on grain, seeds, or insects, Its song is not melodious, but it easily becomes tame. It builds in hedges, bushes, and low trees, the nest being of green moss and coarse fibrous roots, lined with finer roots, horse-hair, and feathers. The eggs (four to six) are bluish white, spotted at the larger end with purplish gray and dark brown. The general colours of the male are green and yellow, those of the female inclining to brown.
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The greenheart (Nectandra Rodioei) is a tree of the family Lauraceae. It is native to Guiana where it is also called the bebeeru. The bark contains the alkaloid bebeerine.
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The greenshank (Totanus glottis) is a species of sand-piper often called the whistling snipe from the shrill note it utters when first disturbed. It breeds commonly in the Hebrides and sometimes in northern Scotland and is a visitor to the coasts and marshes of Britain.
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Gregarina is a member of the gregarinida order.
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Gregarinida are an order of Sporozoa. They are parasites which live in invertebrates, and are found in the gut, colon and tissues.
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Gregarinidae are a class of minute animal organisms comprising the lowest forms of Protozoa found parasitic in various animals, especially the cockroach and earthworm. The Gregarinidae consist of an outer colourless transparent membrane, with only faint signs of a fibrillose structure inclosing a granular mass in which there is a nucleus surrounded by a clear space.
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Grevy's zebra (Hippotigris grevyi) is a species of zebra found in small isolated areas of north-east Africa. It is recognisable from the other zebra species by the long ears and long narrow head. Typically they have narrow and closely spaced black and white stripes and a white belly.
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The Grey Arches (Polia nebulosa) is a largish moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 45 and 55 mm found in the temperate zones of Europe, Asia and North America flying from May to July.
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The Grey Chi (Antitype chi) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 32 and 37 mm found in the temperate region of Europe flying from August to October.
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The Grey Dagger (Acronicta psi) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 40 mm found in Britain and Europe flying from May to August.
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The Grey Gurnard (Trigla gurnardus) is a common British fish of the Gurnard genus.
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The Grey Meerkat, or Suricate (Suricata suricatta) is a greyish coloured species of Meerkat sometimes kept as a pet.
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The Grey Mountain Carpet (Entephria caesiata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in northern and mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. A single generation flies from June to August.
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The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is the larger of the two native British seals. It is a large mammal, up to three metres in length, and although streamlined in the water, is cumbersome on the land. The head in both sexes is rather dog-like in appearance, with the male having a thick neck and convex profile. The adult colouration varies greatly, but is usually some shade of blue-grey with irregular and individual patterns of blotches and spots. The pups, which are born in late summer or autumn, are white in colour with a brownish-grey snout.
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The Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithopane ornitopus) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 32 and 38 mm found in the temperate and warm zones of Europe and Asia in deciduous forests and forest-steppes where it flies from August until winter when it hibernates before flying again until May.
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The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a predominantly grey-coloured mammal of the family Sciuridae, order Rodentia characterized by a long bushy tail, large dark eyes, short snout with long whiskers. The grey squirrel is found in woodlands and parks with trees where they forage for food on the ground, and nest in a drey built high in the treetops. Grey squirrels are skilled acrobats and are renowned for their games, chasing each other up and down trees, juggling with twigs and performing somersaults and mid air twists. The purpose of these games are to help the animals keep coordination finely tuned, and to perform finely executed courtship displays.
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The Greyhound is a variety of dog distinguished by a greater length of muzzle than any other; very low forehead, short lips, thin and long legs, small muscles, contracted belly and semi pendant ears.
There are several varieties, as the Irish greyhound, the Scottish, the Russian, the Italian, and the Turkish. The common greyhound is of an elegant make of body, and is universally known as the fleetest of dogs. A good hound has a fine, soft, flexible skin, with thin, silky hair, a great length of nose, contracting gradually from the eye to the nostril, a full, clear, and penetrating eye, small ears, erect head, long neck, chest capacious, deep, but not wide, shoulders deep and placed obliquely, ribs well arched, contracted belly and flank, a great depth from the hips to the hocks of the hind-legs, fore-legs straight, and shorter than the hinder. The name appears to have no reference to the colour, but is derived from the Icelandic grey, a dog.
Greyhounds were originally used for coursing, for which their peculiar shape, strength, keenness of sight and speed make them exceedingly well fitted, but are now bred for racing, being the fastest running dogs. As a pet Greyhounds are very gentle and affectionate - but should be kept away from small mammals such as pet rabbits - but require wide open spaces to run about in.
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The Greylag Goose, wild goose, fen goose or stubble goose (Anser anser) is the typical species of 'grey' goose, and supposedly the fore-runner of modern domestic geese. They have a large, ovate body, long neck, a stout beak which is high at the base and bent down at the tip. The plumage is grey- brown in colour and the bill orange-yellow. From the difficulty in catching these geese comes the expression 'wild goose chase'.
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The gribble (Limnoria lignorum) is a small marine isopod crustacean which is very destructive to submerged wood, such as the supports of piers.
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The Griffon Bruxellois (known in America as the Brussels Griffon) is a breed of small companion dog believed to have originated from the Affenpinscher breed. Although there are variations in colouring, the true
Griffon Bruxellois is pure red in colour, the Griffin Belge being a black or black and tan coloured variety. They are an intelligent, easy to train and sensitive breed, originally kept as stable dogs to hunt vermin but became more popular as companion dogs riding in horse-drawn carriages.
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The griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is an Old World vulture of the family Accipitridae, found in Southern Europe, West and Central Asia, and parts of Africa. It has a bald head with a neck ruff, and is 1.1 metres long with a wingspan of up to 2.7 metres.
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A grilse is a young salmon after it returns to the sea from the fresh water for the first time.
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Grindelia is a genus of perennial and biennial herbs and small shrubs found in South America. The early growth of most of them is covered with a glutinous varnish. They have alternate light-green, coarsely-toothed leaves with a clasping base. The distinctive mark of the genus is the limb of the calyx, consisting of two to eight rigid, narrow awns, which fall early. The dried leaves are used as a sedative and expectorant.
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Griselinia is a genus of trees and shrubs belonging to the family Cornaceae. They bear thick, leathery leaves and panicles of small flowers.
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The grison or huron (Galictis vittata) is a small weasel found in South America, and extending northwards to Mexico.
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Grist is the collective noun for a group of bees.
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The Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae, found throughout most of the temperate parts of the Palaearctic region in flowering meadows, bogs, and other grassy places where it produces two generations that fly from April to August. The caterpillar lives during the autumn, the pupa hibernates.
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The Groenendael is a breed of Belgian shepherd dog developed both for herding and as a guard dog. The Groenendael has a long black coat, stands about 65 cm tall, and is protective towards its owners though wary of strangers.
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Common gromwell (Lithospermum officinale) is a perennial herb of the family Boraginaceae, with a short, non-stoloniferous rhizome and an erect, much- branched, densely leafy stem. The leaves are alternate, sessile, lanceolate and have distinct lateral veins beneath. The flowers are small, creamy- white and arranged in monochasial cymes growing from the upper leaf axils. The fruit consists of four bright white coloured smooth, ovoid, very hard nutlets.
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The Groningen is a Dutch breed of good-natured versatile farm horse developed from a cross of native mares with Oldenburgh, East Friesian and Friesian stallions. The Groningen is also suitable as a heavy-weigh riding horse and stands between 15.2 and 16 hands high and is bay, brown or black in colour.
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Grosbeak is a general popular name for birds of at least three groups belonging to the conirostral division of the Insessores. The first comprises the cross-bills; in the second group is the East Indian representative genus Paradoxornis, with the beak large and parrot-like, but not crossing; the third group includes the pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucledtor) and the bullfinch. The term grosbeak was given to birds which had beaks proportionally larger than in the most familiar forms.
The scarlet grosbeak (Pyrrhula erythrina) is a small Passerine bird nearly related to the bullfinch, common in northern Europe and occasionally seen in Britain. The males have very bright plumage, from whence they derive an alternative name of rosy finch.
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Grossulaceae is a tribe of plants of the family Saxifragaceae, comprehending the gooseberry and currant of gardens, and consisting, in fact, of only one genus, Ribes natives of most parts of the world except Africa and the tropics.
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Ground Dove is a name given to several species of pigeon and especially the Chamoepelia of warmer parts of America. They resemble the gallinaceous birds in living mainly on the ground, their feet being better suited for walking than perching.
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Ground Ivy also known as Tun-hoof, Hedgemaids and Cats-foot (Nepeta glechoma or Glechoma hederacea) is a common British perennial herb of the family Labiatae, with a long creeping rooting rhizome, and ascending or erect flowering stems. The leaves are opposite, rounded, cordate to reniform, long- stalked and crenate. The flowers are large and purple and grow in pairs or groups of four in loose whorls at the base of the leaves. The flower has a straight corolla tube and two notched lips. It was once used as a flavouring in ale.
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The Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis) is a rare moth of the family Lasiocampidae with a wing span of between 25 and 35 mm found throughout non-polar Europe and western Asia flying from July to August.
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Ground Squirrel is a name for squirrels of the genus Tamias. They differ from other squirrels in possessing cheek-pouches and living in burrows and somewhat resembling the marmot. They are well known in America, but species are also found in Asia and Africa.
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Ground-hog is another name for the aardvark.
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Ground-nut is another name for peanut.
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Ground-pine is a herbaceous Labiate plant, so called from its resinous smell. The name is also given to some lycopods or club-mosses.
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Groundsel (Senecio) is a genus of plants of the family Compositae native to Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. The plants are emollient, have a slightly acid taste and is rejected by most animals except pigs and goats and particularly rabbits which love to eat it. The plants are a common weed in Britain where they spread by means of small fruits equipped with simple white ephemeral hairs which enable them to scatter in the wind.
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The grouse is a fowl like bird common in North America and north Europe of the family Tetraonidae whose distinguishing mark is a naked band, often of a red colour, in place of an eyebrow. They are wild, shy and almost untameable living in families in forests and barren regions and feeding on berries, buds and leaves. They are polygamous, the male abandoning the female, and leaving to her the whole care of the progeny. The eggs number eight to fourteen. The largest species is the capercailzie or wood grouse. Other British species are the black grouse, the red grouse, commonly called simply the grouse, and the white grouse or ptarmigan.
The black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) is about the size of a common fowl. The male has the outer feathers of the tail curved outwards, so that the tail is lyre-shaped. It chiefly lives in high and wooded situations, feeding on various kinds of berries. The female is commonly called gray hen. To this genus belong several species peculiar to North America, the most remarkable of which is the pinnated grouse or prairie hen (Tetrao cupido), which inhabits open desert plains in particular districts of the Union. The male is furnished with wing-like appendages to his neck, covering two loose, orange sacs, capable of being inflated. Another species is the cock of the plains.
The grouse with hairy feet and which undergo seasonal change of plumage form the genus Lagopus. Of these the red grouse (Lagopus scoticus) is the most important. This bird, also called the moor fowl, is found in the Highlands of Scotland, also in Wales, the north of England, Ireland, and the Scottish islands. It pairs in the spring; the female lays eight or ten eggs. As soon as the young have attained their full size they unite in flocks of forty or fifty, and are extremely shy and wild. This bird attracts large numbers of sportsmen every August to the Scottish moors to take part in the grand sporting campaign which follows 'the twelfth.' The ptarmigan or white grouse (Lagopus mutus or vulgaris) is. ash-coloured in summer but its hue changes to a pure white in winter. It is found in Scotland and in the most northern regions, imhabiting the tops of mountains.
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Growth is the idea of an animal increasing in size, weight or complexity etc.
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Grub is a term applied to the soft worm-like larvae of various insects.
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Grugru is the larva of the Calandra palmarum, or palm weevil found in the tropical parts of America. It is about the size of a thumb and is often cooked and eaten.
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Gruidae is the Cranes family of birds of the order Grallae. They are characterized by a long, straight, elongated bill; long legs; four toes of which the third and fourth are slightly connected by a membrane at the base and the third toe is short.
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The grunt (grunter, pig-fish, red-mouth) is an American fish of the family Haemulonidae which emits a grunt when taken out of the water, hence it's name.
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Grus is a genus of birds which includes the crane.
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Gryllus is a genus of orthopterous insects.
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Grynobius is a genus of beetle of the family Anobiidae, ranging from four to six millimetres in length.
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Grypus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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The grysbok (grisbok, grey buck, Antilope melanotis) is a species of antelope found in southern Africa. It reaches a height of one metre in length and 50 centimetres in height at the shoulder. It is reddish-grey in colour and is hunted for food.
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The Guacharo or Oil-Bird (Steatornis Caripensis) is a bird of the goat-sucker family. It is nocturnal and a native of South America. It is the size of a common fowl with a curved and toothed bill and long pointed wings. Guacharo feed upon fruit, becoming so fat that Indians kill them for their oil.
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Guaiacum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae native to the West Indies and the tropical parts of America. They are ornamental, evergreen, hardwood trees and the resin of some varieties is used in medicine as a cure for syphilis. Guaiacum officinale has wood that is exceedingly hard, of a pale yellow colour near the exterior, and blackish brown at the heart, heavier than water, and well known under the name of lignum vitae. Among other uses it is employed in the construction of ornamental articles of furniture, being susceptible of a fine polish.
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The guan is a gallinaceous bird of the family Cracidae, genus Penelope. The sides of the head and front of the throat are naked and wattled, the wattles being capable of inflation. The guans perch on trees descending in search of grain and fruits. They are native to Brazil and Guiana, and there was a suggestion in the 19th century of breeding them in Europe as poultry.
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The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a wild member of the camel family found in South America.
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Guarana is a climbing shrub of the family Sapindaceae. It has divided compound leaves, yellow panicles and bears pear-shaped fruit. South American Indians made a beverage from it which is slightly narcotic and a tonic.
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The Guatemalan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum abnorma) is a species of Milk Snake found in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The species is distinguished by a broad white band on the snout of a glossy black coloured head.
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Guava is the popular name of the genus Psidium, which are tropical trees of the family Myrtaceae.
Psidium Guaiava (the guava tree) is a small tree, with square branches, egg-shaped leaves, and large white axillary flowers, which are succeeded by fleshy berries, which are either apple or pear shaped in the two principal varieties. The pulp is of an agreeable flavour, and of this fruit is made a delicious and well-known jelly. There is also a product called guava cheese. The fruit of the guava is high in vitamin C.
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The gudgeon (Gobio) is a freshwater fish found in Europe and north Asia. It belongs to the carp family (Cyprinidae) and has short dorsal and anal fins without spines. On each side of the mouth is a small barbel.
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The Guelder Rose is the common name given to the trees of the genus Viburnum, especially Viburnum opulus, which has flat cycmes of white flowers in summer, followed by red, globose fruit.
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The guereza (guerza, Colobus guerza) is an Ethiopian monkey with shirt, glossy black fur with long silky white fur on the flanks. It frequents lofty trees in the mountains of Ethiopia.
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The Guernsey is a fawn-coloured breed of domestic dairy cattle with white markings and short horns.
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The Guernsey Lily (Nerine Sarniensis) is a beautiful plant with purple red flowers and native to South Africa. It is of the family Amaryllidaceae. It is called the Guernsey Lily because some of its bulbs were washed ashore in Guernsey from a ship wreck and took root.
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Guettarda is a genus of evergreen tropical American trees and shrubs belonging to the family Rubiaceae.
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Guignotus is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae.
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Guilielma is a genus of tropical American palms, with hairy, feather-like leaves, and spiny trunks and leaf stalks. They bear clusters of large edible fruits.
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The guillemot is a web-footed bird of the Alcidae family. The guillemot has a straight, compressed and pointed bill covered with feathers as far as the nostrils. The wings are pointed and very short and the legs are short and placed far back. Guillemots eat fish and nest on sea cliffs.
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Guinea Pepper (Xylopia aromatica) is a lofty tree of the custard-apple family. Its fruit, consisting of dry carpels is used as pepper.
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The Guinea-fowl (pintado) is a genus of gallinaceous birds of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants). They are originally natives of Africa. The common guinea-fowl (Numida meleagris), now well known as a domestic fowl, has a grey slate-coloured plumage varied with round white spots. It is about the size of a common fowl, and is of a noisy and quarrelsome disposition. Its eggs are esteemed. Among the other species of guinea-fowl may be mentioned the Numida vulturma (or Acrylium vulturinum), by far the most beautiful, with somewhat vulturine head and neck;
the Numida mitrata, found in eastern Africa and in Madagascar; and the Numida cristata, a native of South Africa.
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Guinea-grass (Panicum maximum) is a very tall species of grass native to Africa and of the same genus as the millet, it grows to between two and three metres high.
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The Guinea-pig is a rodent mammal of the family Cavidae (the Cavies). It is native to South America and rather stupid, but terribly cute and often kept in Europe as a children's pet. The South American Indians prefer to cook it roasted on a spit over an open fire and eat it.
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Guinea-worm (Filaria Medinensis) is a parasitic worm of the order Nematoda. It is white and about the thickness of string and varies in length from 15 centimetres to one meter and it is found in the intertropical regions of the Old World. It is frequently found in the tissue of the human body below the skin, and produces a painful ulcer, out of which a small portion of the worm issues to eject its eggs. It is then carefully extracted by winding it round a stick once or twice every day, care being exercised not to break the worm.
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Gulf-weed (Sargassum) is a genus of seaweeds (Algae) of the sub-order Fucaceae, of which one species, Sargassum Bacciferum, grows on tropical coasts, and accumulates in great floating beds, but does not propagate when detached. It derives its popular name from the exploded idea that it is borne on the Gulf Stream from the Gulf of Mexico. Several areas of the ocean exhibit great quantities of this and other weeds floating on the surface. One such, the Sargasso Sea, is in the North Atlantic Ocean, lying south-west of the Azores, and north of the tropic of Cancer.
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Gull is the general name of a family of birds distinguished by their straight bill, bending downwards towards the point, and marked below the under mandible by a triangular prominence, by their large wings, slender legs, palmated feet, and small hind toe. They swim well, but cannot dive. Their flight is rapid and long sustained. They are extremely voracious, and feed on every kind of animal food, putrid or fresh. Their principal food is fish, which they catch with great agility, darting down like an arrow. They breed only once a year, laying two to four eggs. The species are exceedingly numerous, and resemble each other greatly. Among the principal are the common gull which breeds on the coast, or inland in moory districts; the lesser black-backed gull; the black-headed gull, of which the masked gull is only a variety; the ivory gull; the Iceland gull, distinguished by its white quill feathers from the herring gull, the great black-backed gull; the burgomaster; the little gull; sabine's gull; the kittiwake, etc.
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Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer) is a tall, sticky, evergreen shrub cultivated in Portugal and yielding a gum with a balsamic odour. The opposite leaves are linear-lanceolate, green and hairless above, densely white-felted beneath and shortly stalked. The flowers are solitary with three sepals and white crumpled petals.
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Gum-tree is another name for Eucalyptus.
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Gumming is a disease which attacks the vine, plum, peach, cherry and other trees. It is very contagious, and is due to a fungus, Coryneum Beijerinckii, which converts the cell-walls and contents into gum, as in the production of gum arabic.
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Gundelia is a genus of Asiatic composite plants with thistle-like leaves and large, handsome purple flowers.
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The gunnel (butterfish, Centronotus gunellus) is a fish of the Blennies family. The common gunnel resembles an eel and is about ten centimetres long, is brown in colour and has black spots on the base of the dorsal fin.
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Gunnera is a genus of plants of the bread-fruit family, one species of which Gunnera scabra, a native of South America, somewhat resembles the rhubarb, and is used as an ornamental plant. It has large rough leaves, astringent roots, while its leaf-stalks are a substitute for rhubarb.
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The Guoxia is an ancient breed of Chinese pony, known to be at least 2000 years old. They are placid, good natured and small, standing 11 hands high. They are often bay, roan or grey in colour and were formerly used for riding while picking fruit among orchards. They are not the most elegant of pony, but are tough and hardy and make excellent children's riding ponies.
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Gurnard or Gurnet is a popular name of acanthopterous fish of the genus Trigla. The head is angular and wholly covered in bony plates. The body is elongated, nearly round and tapering. There are two dorsal fins, the pectoral fins are large and the teeth are small and numerous.
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The Gute sheep is the most primitive breed in the collection of breeds that make up the Swedish Landrace breed group. These breeds belong to the North European Short Tailed Breeds and are related to such breeds as the Finnsheep, Romanov, Spelsau, Shetland, Faroe, Orkney and Icelandic sheep. Landrace sheep on the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea were little affected by the importation to Sweden of several long tailed foreign breeds during the 18th and 19th century. The native sheep had a coarse wool of several colours. The vast majority of the rams were horned while females could be either horned or hornless. Few sheep were truly polled, i.e. having depressions on the head at the horn sites. Before 1911 four-horned animals existed. Around 1920 selection among the pure Gotland landrace started, to produce sheep, that were polled in both sexes, with a curly coat and of a uniform grey colour of a decided shade. This selection eventually resulted in the modern Swedish Pelt (sometimes referred to as Gotland Pelt). The Swedish name of that breed
is Palsfar.
After a couple of decades only a few horned sheep with the original type of wool were left. Around 1930 Edward Graelert founded a flock of horned sheep, collected mainly from the north of Gotland. After some years four others, Nils Dahlbeck, Carl Fries, Konrad Hellsing and Arvid Ohlsson also became involved with preserving horned sheep. In 1940 probably less than 20 adult sheep existed in horned flocks on Gotland. In the beginning of the breed a few more horned animals were bought in from polled flocks.
The numbers of Gute sheep have steadily increased and numbers in 1996 were around 4500 ewes and 500 rams in 450 flocks in Sweden with some flocks in Denmark and Germany as well. The most common colour is grey. Dark grey animals have black legs and head while light grey ones also have white and tan hair on these parts of the body. Grey sheep have light hair around the eyes and muzzle. Black sheep occur but it is not certain if these are true black or just very dark grey.
White sheep are seldom pure white, but instead they often have tan patches on the neck and other parts of the body. A few individuals with less common colours have been seen. Almost all non-white sheep have white markings. This can vary from only a small white star on the forehead to a blaze and white tail and white legs. It seems that the light grey sheep have larger white areas than the dark grey ones. Some sheep are piebald.
The wool is coarse, and may be straight or wavy. It is a mixture of fine wool, long coarser hair and kemp fibres. On the neck and along the throat the sheep have long thick mane hair, much more in males than in females. The grey wool is a mixture of white and black fibres, the fine wool is then white and the coarser hair black. In light grey individuals many fibres are tan. In dark grey individuals some of the finer wool is black. The sheep never have wool in the face or on the tip of the tail. Most sheep shed their fleece partly or entirely in the beginning of the summer.
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The gutta-percha tree (Isonandra gutta) is a large tree, some 20 metres tall of the family Sapotaceae growing in South-East Asia, including at one time in Singapore, but excessive cutting of the trees there instead of tapping them for their resin led to their extinction on Singapore. It's resin (gutta- percha) is tapped and used as a form of rubber.
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Guttiferae is a family of exogenous trees and shrubs which generally secrete an acrid yellow resinous juice. They are found in hot and humid regions, chiefly South America.
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The gwyniad (Coregonus pennantii) is a freshwater white fish, occurring in Lake Bala in Wales. It is related to the powan.
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Gymnetron is a genus of tiny Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) that live in flowers.
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The Gymnoblastea are an order of Hydrozoa. They are marine colonial forms in which the coenosarc is enclosed within a perisac. The perisac is not extended to form hydrothecae.
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In botany a gymnogen is a plant with a naked seed, the older term for gymnosperm.
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Gymnopleurus is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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A gymnosperm is a plant with a naked seed - the term being used in contrast to Angiosperm - there being no proper ovary the seeds being fertilised by the pollen coming into direct contact with the foramen of the ovule without the intervention of a stigma. The gymnosperms include pines and firs, yews, cycads, etc.
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Gymnostachys is a genus of plants belonging to the family Aroidaceae and found in Australia.
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Gymnostachyum is a genus of evergreen East Indian herbaceous plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae. They bear spike-like racemes of flowers.
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In botany the gynaeceum is the term for the pistil taken in a collective sense, precisely as the stamens form the androeceum, the petals the corolla, and the sepals the calyx.
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Gynandria is one of the classes in the artificial system of Linnaeus, characterized by having the stamens and pistils consolidated in a single body, as in orchids.
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Gynandrophthalma is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) that live on hawthorn and willow.
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Gynerium is a genus of grasses of the tribe Arundineae which includes Pampas Grass (Gynerium argenteum). A Brazilian species, Gynerium saccharoides produces sugar, though it is not the true sugar cane.
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Gypaetus is a genus of birds which includes the Bearded Vulture.
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Gypsophila is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They bear small flowers in graceful panicles.
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The Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) is a moth of the family Lymantriidae, and a dangerous pest of deciduous trees throughout the northern hemisphere. In 1869 the species was taken to North America for experimentation, only to escape into the wild where it quickly established itself.
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Gyrencephala is one of the four subclasses into which Owen divided the mammalia, characterized by having the hemispheres of the cerebrum covering the greater part of the cerebellum and the olfactory lobes. It comprehends the Quadrumana, Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Proboscidea, Sirenia, and Cetacea.
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Gyrinidae is the whirligig family of beetles. There are three genera of whirligig beetles in Europe, and twelve species found in Britain. They spend much of their time on the surface of water where they swim often very fast, sometimes slowly, round in circles. Their last two pairs of legs are modified to act like oars and their eyes are divided horizontally to enable them to see above and below the water simultaneously.
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Gyrinus is a genus of eleven species of whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae) of about 6 mm length found in stagnant water.
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Gyrocotyle is a cestoda.
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Gyrohypnus is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, characterised by a strongly developed frontal process on the head.
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Gyrophaena is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae. They have a short glossy body and live mostly in mushrooms and tree fungi.
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Abbreviations
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