Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/991

 LEO

The artanita, or leontopetalon, of the anticnts, is generally eSteemed a fynonymous name for the cyclamen, or fow bread, and is ufed as fuch by moft authors; but if the Arabian writers are understood of it in this feufc, it will be hard to reconcile their works with thofe of the Greeks on the fubject of this plant. See Cyclamen. Avifenna treats of the artanita, which he renders cyclamen, but the plant by no means agrees with the cyclamen, being the fame with the leontopetalon of Diofcorides and the Greeks ; and after an account, which cannot belong to any plant but this, there follow the virtues properly belonging to the cycla- men. Avifenna, who appears in all his writings to have been very well acquainted with plants, perceives his own error in this chapter, and lays the fault upon the translator from the Greek. From this circumftance we find, that the works of the Greek phyficians were, in his time, tranSlat- ed into the Arabic language ; and that both this author, and Serapion, ufed thefe translations, and not the originals. Avi- fenna, Lib. 2. c. 62.

Avifenna, in the abovementioned chapter, obferves that the plant, known in his time by the name of artanita, had not the leaft rcfemblance with the artanita here mentioned, by the interpreter of Diofcorides, whofe works he ufed ; but that it was plainly the leontopetalon of Diofcorides, that was here defcribed under that name. But in the remaining part of the chapter, we are let into another fignification of the word artamta, which is, that it was among the Arabians a name given to the Jlruthiu?n of the Greeks. Avifenna fays, that it was a plant of the thiftle kind, armed with Short but very numerous thorns, and that its root was ufed in the cleanfing of wool. If this was the artamta of the times of Avifenna, it is plain that the artanita of thofe times was the Jlruihium of the antient Greeks, and the herba lanaria of the Latins, not the candift, as had been by fome fuppofed. Phny, from Theophraftus, tells us alfo, that the lanaria, or Jlruthium, was a thorny plant. The origin of this error feems not difficult to trace up from the earlier times; for in fome of the old rrianufcripts of Diofcorides yet extant, with Arabic remarks, there Stands the word Ixirthanithe in Arabic characters againft the leon- topetalon. The old interpreter of this author, from whofe Arabic translation Avifenna acknowledges that he took his account, has plainly given this name for the leontopetalon, though it belonged to the next chapter, which was of the Jlruthium ; of which word it was the proper Arabic inter- pretation.

It feems that the two adjoining chapters had been joined into one, and that the Arabian interpreter not perceiving this, had given the fynonymous names in the two languages amifs. This is a thing that might eafily happen in the copies of any of the Greek authors, where the chapters are not divided from one another, as in our books, by fpaces, or the name of the fubject treated of placed in capitals at the top ; but only by a red letter, for the beginning of the name of the plant, about which a chapter was to treat. This only mark we find often omitted through the carelefsnefs of the copyists, and two chapters, or more, blended into one, both in the works of Diofcorides and Theophraftus.

This feems to have happened to the chapters of Jlruthium and leontopetalon, in the prefent inftance. Strutkium and arthanita we find, by Avifenna, are names of the fame plant, an herb whofe roots were ufed in the wool trade ; and "the interpreter understanding the word artanita to mean cyclamen, gives the virtues of cyclamen, as belonging to it; and to compleat the error, adds the figure and characters of the leontopetalon from Diofcorides, on account of its fi- militude in fome refpects to the cyclamen. The roots both of the one and the other are black and tuberous, and like a turnep. See Struthium.

LEONTOPODIUM, Bon's foot, in botany, a name given by fome to a genus of plants, otherwife called gnaphalium. See Gnaphalium.

LEONURt/S, lions-tail, in botany, the name of a genus of plants ; the characters of which are thefe. The flower con- fifts of one leaf, and is of the labiated kind ; the upper lip is imbricated, and much longer than the lower. From the cup there arifes a piftil, which is fixed, in the manner of a mail, to the hinder part of the flower; this is furrounded by four embryo's, which afterwards become fo many feeds, and ripen in a long tubular hufk, which was the" cup of the flowers.

The fpecies of leonurus enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe. 1. The fideritis leaved perennial African leonurus with large purple flowers. 2. The catmint leaved annual American leonurus with fmaller purple flowers. 3. The origanum leaved Canada leonurus. Tourn.lnR. p. 187.

LEOPARD. This creature, when carefully examined, is found to be very like a cat ; particularly its head, teeth, tongue, feet, and claws. Its actions alfo are all like a cat's; it boxes with its fore feet, as a cat does her kittens ; leaps at its prey as the cat does ; and will fpit much in the Same manner.

LEP

All the hopard kind, as they walk, keep the claws of their fore feet turned up from the ground, and Sheathed, as it were, in the Skin of the toes, whereby they preferve them Sharp for the Seizing their prey.

Notwithstanding the natural fiercenefs of the leopard, numbers of them are bred up tame, and kept for the Great Chain of Tartary's ufe, for the hunting of deer and other beads. They are moft numerous in Africa and Syria. Grew's Muf. p. 12.

Leopard'j bane, in botany. See Doronjcum.

LEPA, in our old writers, a mcafure which contained the third part of two bufhels. Whence we derive a feed-leap* Du Cange. Blount.

LEPAS, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of Shell fifli, the fame as patella. See Patella.

LEPASTRUM, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of foffils, of the clafs of the feleniiet, compofed of filaments arranged into broad plates, and thofe difpofed in the form, of a radiated ftar.

The word is derived from the Greek te*i«, a fcale or plate, and «V«>, a ftar. Hill's Hi it. of FoST. p. 123. Of this genus there are two known fpecies ; the one a bright brownifh white kind, with thinner flakes, the other a white dull looking kind, with thick flakes. They are both found on the fhores of Sheppey ifland in Kent, and form themfelves in the cavities of the feptarise, called by authors Indus Helmontii ; and the feptairse with thefe affixed to them, have been accounted a feparated fpecies of that body, and called the Starred waxen vein, or Indus Helmontii Jlcllatm. The world in general has erred as to the origin of thefe beautiful foffils, they having been fuppofed to be talcky fpars; whereas, their want of elaftieity, the great character of talc, and their not fermenting with acids, which is the fundamental distinction of the fpars, prove them to be not at all of the nature of either of thefe bodies 3 and expe- riments on them, plainly Shew them to be a felenites of a particular kind. Ibid. p. 148.

LEPIDIUM, dittander, in botany, the name of a genus of plants ; the characters of which are thefe. The flower con- ilfts of four leaves, and is of the cruciform kind. The piftil arifes from the cup, and becomes at length a feed veflel of a fpear- pointed Shape, and divided into two cells by an in- termediate membrane, to which there adhere valves. The feeds contained in this capfule are ufually of an oblong figure.

The fpecies of lepidium, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe. 1. The common great broad leaved lepidium. 2. The low hoary field lepidium, called by many the umbelliferous draba, or BabyloniSh crefs. 3. The low'lefs hoary lepidium of Aleppo. 4. The grafly leaved lepidium, called by authors iberis, or fciatica crefs. 5. The Spanifh Shrubby five leaved . lepidium. Tourn. Inft. p. 215.

LEPIDOC ARPODENDRON, a name given by Boerhaave to a genus of plants, called by Linnsus Uucadendron. See Leucadendron.

LEPIDOTES, in natural hiftory, the name of a ftone car- rying a rcfemblance to the fcales of fifties. The word has been ufed by fome, as the name of thofe Stones which are compofed of Small flakes, or fcales of talc, and by others to exprefs the ftones containing fifh, or the impreflions of fiSh, found in many parts of Germany.

LEPIUM, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of foffils, of the clafs of the gypfums ; the characters of which are, that the bodies of it are moderately hard, compofed of very fmall particles, and of a dufky hue.

Of this genus there is only one known fpecies, and that is the leaft valuable, and moft impure of almoft all the clafs of gypfums. It is of a rude, coarfe, and irregular Structure, a little foft to the touch, and in colour of a whitifh grey; the two colours being irregularly blended in the different mafTes, and making fome of a regularly deep colour, through- out great part of them, others merely white, with veins and fpots of grey, and fomctimes there is mixed among this a greenifh or reddifh caft. It is found in mafles of fix or feven inches in diameter, and of a very rugged fur- face. It fplits horizontally more eafdy than in any other direction, and will neither give fire with fteel, nor ferment with acid menftrua, and is ieen to be compofed of irregularly Shaped flattiSh particles.

It is found in great plenty in Germany, and is one of the many fubftances which, from their ufe in fufion and carting, the Germans called fpaad. We have it in great- plentv in Derbyfhire, and it is burnt into a fort of plaifter of Paris for the coarfer works; hut it calcines very Slowly and un- equally. Hill's Hift. of Foft. p. 114.

LEPORARIA aquila, a name given by fome authors to the melanactos, or black eagle, from bis deftroying great num- bers of hares. IVillughby's Orniiholog. p. 30.

LEPORINUM genus, in zoology, the name of a genus of animals, fo called from their general refemblance to the hare in fhape, and other particulars; the characters by which they are distinguished from other quadrupeds are thefe. They have feet divided into claws; they feed on vegetables ;• and

they