Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/252

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la bit fup-erioris, five anftrifior ales nafi, and Albinus the de- prejfsr alt nafu See the article Depressor.

PINNATED leaf, among botanifts. See ihe article Leaf.

PINNATIFID haft among botanifts. See the article Leaf.

PINNATUS, in heraldry, a term ufed by the Latin writers on thefe fubjeefs, to exprefs that fort of line in arms which is called by our heralds the embattled line, or crenelle. Ic is alfo called by fome tinea p'tnn'ts afperaia, and by Sylvefter Petro Sanclo murales pinnule. When this line is only embattled on one fide, it is properly expreffed by this word ; but when it is embattled on both fides, as in fome arms, it is called bre- tejje and centre bretejfe. See the article Embattled.

PIN r (Cycl.) — In the Englifh beer meafure, the pint is the eighth part of a gallon; confequently contains 355 cubical inches. Tr. Pradr. Geom. p. 117. See the article Gallon. As to the pint ufed in Scotland, there are different opinions concerning the number of cubical inches it contains. Dr. Gregory makes them 109 ; others, from feveral carefu' men- furations of the ftandard kept at Edinburgh, mak - the Scotch pint to contain 1031-0; and thofe in common ufe are fa id to contain betwixt 105 and 106 cubical inches. Another ex- periment was made wlt.i a cafk, which was found to contain 46! Scotch pints, and i8r 5 Englifh ale gallons. Suppofing this menfuration juft, the Scotch pint will be to the Englifh ale gallon as 289 to 750; and if the Englifh ale gallon be fuppofed to contain 282 cubical inches, ihe Scotch pint will contain 108.664. fuch inches. Tr. Pratt. Geom. p. 1 14. The Paris ptnte is nearly equal to an Englifh wine quart. Tr. Pratt. Geom. p. 117. PINTADO, or Afra avis, in natural hiftorr, a name given by the antient Roman authors to the Guinea hen. Varro, Columella and Pliny, with many others, make the pintado and the mekagris the fame fpecies of bird ; but Sueto^ nius, Scaliger, and fome others, are of opinion, that the an tients meant two very different birds by thefe names; and th' latter of thefe authors endeavours to bring Varro over to his fide, by altering the pointing in the paifage of that author which relates to it.

The bird is of late become very common in England, and breeds with us in great plenty. The hen lays her eggs and fits upon them In the fame manner with the common hen ; but the eggs are fmaller and not fo white as the hens eggs, but have a tinge of flefh colour and fome black fpots. They are not fo tame and domeftic as our own fowls, and particu- larly they will not lay in houfes ; but get into the hedges and among bufhes, where they lay and hatch ; but this is the oc- cafion of great lofs among them, the wild vermin deftroying a great part of their young brood. The female alfo is lefs careful about the great bufinefs of hatching and taking care of them, than any other bird we are acquainted with. She will often leave her neft when the eggs are near hatching. and never return to it again ; and often will defert the young as foon as hatched, if fhe remains at her neft till that time. The beft method, therefore, is to fet other fowls upon the eggs of this kind. The young fowls of this kind are very beautiful ; they look like fo many partridges. Their beaks and legs are red,, and their whole plumage is at that time of the colour of the partridge. See Tab. of Birds, N°. 21. The hen, if her neft is found, and the eggs at times taken away, but fo as always to have one there, will continue to lay till fhe has depofited an hundred, or fometimes an hundred and fifty eggs, which are very well-tafted. This is a very attiveand fprightly bird, and of an unquiet and troublefome difpofition to the owner. It runs very fwiftly in the man- ner of the quail and partridge ; but its wings are fhort, and it is not made for flying; yet at night it will not rooft among other fowl, but gets upon a houfe or tree, or any other high and fafe place. The cry of the bird is fharp and dif- agreeable to many ears, and it is almoft continually making it. It is of a quarretfome difpofition, and will be miftrefs of the yard : its agility, and the fharpnefs of its beak, generally obtain it the victory with what ever bird it fights. The pintado is fo common in America, that many have fup- pofed it native there ; but this is not the cafe. The origin of the bird is in Guinea, and the firft that were ever brought into America, were brought in the year 1508, with the car- goes of negro flaves. The Spaniards neither at that time nor ever fince, have attempted to tame them, or render them a domeftic ufeful bird, but let them go loofe and wild in the favanhas ; where they have increafed to fuch prodigious num- bers, that they may well appear native, and are feen in vaft flocks together, and are called marroon pintades, by the Spaniard* and French. Obferv. furies Cout. de 1'Afie, p. 190. PINUS, the plre-tree. See the article Pine. PIONY, paonia, in botany. See the article Pteonia.

The feveral forts of this plant are all very hardy, and will grow in almoft any foil and fituation ; they are propagated by parting the roots, which multiply very fail. They fhould be planted in Auguft, or the beginning of September, and will then flower the fucceeding fummer. The oiF-fets fhould not be too fmall, and mould all have a fair bud or eye. The fingle kinds may aifo be propagated by fowing their feeds in Auguft in a light earth, and managing them in the method

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of all other feedling plants. There may probably be fome good varieties of the flowers produced this way. The fingle Portugal pieny is of fo fweet a fmell as to deferve a place in any garden, tho* but a fingle flower. Aiilter's Gard. Di&.

Piony-root, is a celebrated medicine in nervous cafes. We have inftances well attefted, of epilepfies cured by it alone. It is good alio in all diforders of the head, in hyfteric com- plaints, and obftruttions of the vifcera.

PIPE [Cycl.)— The Turkifh tobacco-pipe is very long, the tube is made of wood or reed, and the bowl of earthen ware; thofe they carry with them when they travel, they have made in two or three joints, to put into a bag; they cover the tube fometimes with cloath, and dip it in water to make it fmoak cool. Pocrck's Egypt, p. 18'.

Pipe, in mining, is where the ore runs forwards endways in a hole, and doth not fink downwards or in a vein. Hc,ughtoii* Compl. Miner in the Explan. of the Terms.

PIPER, 'pepper. Baldseus tells us, that the pep-er thrives beft in the cooleft and molt fhadowy places, and that the plant has a weak ftem like that of the vine, which muff, be fupported by fomething to climb upon, Thefe commonly grow about fix clufters on every branch, each clufter is a foot long, and in colour like unripe grapes. They gather it while green in Oc- tober and November, and expofe it to the fun to dry, by which means it grows black in a few days. Baldaus de Ind. Orient, p. 99.

Piper chiaptt, in botany, a name given by fome authors to the clove berry-tree, or <.affm caryophyllata. Redi, Lat, p. 132.

Piper ^Jamaica, the pepper-tree of Jamaica. See the article PlMIENTA.

Piper ?ngroritm, negro pepper. The plant called at prefent by this name is the capiicum, or Guinea peppi', a remarkable herb, bearing large pods as red as coral, of which the Cayan butter is made in America. But this is not the plant that was an- tiently known by this name. Avifenna and Serapion, both mention a plant which they call fulful aljuaden, the Englifh of which is, the pepper of the black people. But this was properly what has been fince calkd the Ethiopian pepper; a fon ol hot feeds approaching to the nature of the common pepper, and contained feveral together in pods. Avifenna tells us, that the plant properly and rightly called piper nigrorum, had pods like thofe of the kiJncy-bean, which were of a black colour, and that the feed was hot and biting to the tafte like pepper. 1 here was alfo another thing called by the fame name, that is, the %etem of thefe authors; this was brought from Barbary, and was a fruit of a high flavour, of the big- nefs of a vetch, and was yellow on the outfide and white within. Serapio a'folutely diftinguifhes this by the name of zetetn, from the other piper nigrorf.m, properly fo called ; yet Guillandinus has been the occafion of many errors in regard to thefe fruits, by attributing to the zelem the things which that author exprefsly fays of the other piper nigrogrum, or Ethiopian pepper : it is not eafy from the accounts we have left, to fay what it is; but they have left defcription enough, of it for us to fay what it is not, and- to find tKat they have all been miftaken, who have fuppofed it to be either the root tarfi, or the bulbus of the Arabians, which laft was as large as a pear.

Piper tavafci, m botany, the clove-berry-tree, or cajjia caryo- phyllata ; a tree whofe bark is ufed in medicine. Hernand. p. 30.

PIPERAPIUM, an old name of a plant found in Apuleius, and faid to have its name from its heat to the ralle; which was fb offenfive to the bees, that if a piece of it were hung up in their hive it would drive them all out. '1 his is a very ftrange account, and as we meet with nothing to countenance it in any other author, there is reafqn to fuf- pecr it to be an error; and there feems this foundation for it. The acorus root is faid by Diofcorides to be the root of a plant allied to the papyrus, or paper reed of the river Nile; and is thence called by that author pa'yraceus. Avifenna and Serapion copy this, and liken the acorus plant to the papyrus ; but in all the copies of the Greek author, it is often found written smspaxuw. This word pepcracion, may have been form- ed by Apuleius into piperafium, by way of amendment, and all the reft might be occafioned by this.

PIPERITIS, in botany, a name given by fome authors to the momordica, or male balfam apple, Tottrtf. Mat. Med. p-357-

PIPERIVORA rtw'j, in zoology, a name given by fome au- thors to the toman, or Brafilian magpye, from its feeding on pepper. Rays Ornithol. p. 88. See the article To-jcan.

PlPRA, in zoology, a name given by Ariftotle, and other an- tient writers, to the pi cm varim major, the great fpotted wood-pecker, or witwall. See the article Pic us.

PIQUE, in natural hiftory, a name given by the Spaniards to an infect of the fize of a flea, called by the Indian, tung. It is common in the Eaft and Weft Indies, and eats its way into the flefh under the nails, &c; Sec the article Tung.

PIQUETTE, among the florifts, a term ufed for a certain fort of carnations, which have always a white ground, and are fpotted, or as they call it, pounced with fcarltt, red, purple, or other colour*.

PIQUI-