Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/467

 SET

Thefe creatures, fuppofed to be living hairs, are a peculiar fort of infects, which are bred and nourifhed within the bodies of other infects, as the worms of the ichneumon flies are in the bodies of the caterpillars. Aldrovand defcribes the creature, and tells us it was un- known to the antients, but called feta aquatha, and vermis fetarius by the moderns j either from its figure refembling that of a hair, or from the fuppofition of its having once been a hair of fome animal. We generally fuppofe it, in the imaginary ftate of the hair, to have belonged to a horfe, but the Germans fay it was once the hair of a calf, and call it by a name fignifying vitulus aqualicus, or the water- calf.

Albertus, an author much reverenced by the common peo- ple, has declared that this animal is generated of a hair ; and adds, that any hair thrown into a ftanding water will, in a very little time, obtain life and motion Other authors have diflented from this opinion, and fuppofed them gene- rated of the fibrous roots of water plants, and others of the parts of grafshoppers fallen into the water. This laft opi- nion is rejected by Aldrovand, as the moft improbable of all, yet in reality it comes neareft the truth of any of them. Standing and foul waters are moft plentifully ftored with them ; but they are fometimes found in the cleareft and pureft fprings, and fometimes out of the water, on the leaves of trees and plants, as on the fruit-trees in our gardens, and the elms in hedges. They are from three to five inches long, of the thicknefs of a large hair, and are brown upon the back, and white under the belly, and the tail is white on every part. JUnvand. de InfeQ. Phil. Tranf. N° 83. See the article Amphisbjena aquatha. SETAH, in botany, a name ufed by the oldeft writers for the acacia. It is an orginal Hebrew word, and is explained by the lexicographers, by a thorn growing in the defert. It is rendered by Theodotion acantba, one of the names of the acacia. SETICAUD^E, in natural hiftory, a term ufed to exprefs fuch flies as have one or more hairs growing out at their tails. There are many fpecies of thefe, diftinguifhed by their having one, two, or three hairs. SETINUM, in botany, a name given by fome to the larch- tree, and by others to fome other trees. The reafon of giv- ing it as the name of a tree is, that Diofcorides mentions the agaric as growing on it, according to the accounts of fome writers of his time. But it is an error in the copies of that author, that has given rife to this imaginary name of a tree. The author fays only, that i: grew fometimes on beams, and other timber, when expofed to the weather. He has exprefled beams by the word Jlilechis, and tranfcrib- ers have made this fetrnos, or fetinum. This appears not only from fome of the old manufcript co- pies retaining the word properly written, but alfo by the ac- counts the Arabians give of this drug. Avifenna and Sera- pion have both copied the words of this author, and they do not render the word in the original author, fignifying the place of growth, or production of the agaric, by the name of any particular tree, but both fay that it was formed of the putrefaction of trees and beams of timber, when they had been eaten by worms, or corrupted by wet ; and they add from the fame author, that the production of agaric feemed like that of the fungufes.

From this, and from Pliny's account, it appears that the female agaric of the antients was not a fungus, or any thing like our agaric ; but by Diofcorides's defcription of its tex- ture, and Pliny's account of its giving light like a fire in the night, it appears to have been only a peculiar kind of rotten wood, which they knew by that name. The other, or male agaric, was yet more unlike to ours, it being a root of fome kind, and in fhape refembling the filphium. SETSE, in botany, the name of a Chinefe tree, called alfo chit/e, and much efteemed by the people of that country for its beauty, and for rhe goodnefs of its fruit. In the pro- vinces of Cantong and Honan there are whole plains cover- ed with thefe frees, many of which grow to the fize of our wallnut-tree. The fruit ripens every where in the Eaft, where the tree grows, but it is of a much more delicious fla- vour in fome places than in others. The leaves are of the colour and fhape of thofe of the wallnut-tree, only that they are more round at the ends. The fruit is fometimes round, fometimes pointed at one end, fometimes oval, fome- times flat, and not unfrequently compofed of two pieces, as !' y rere .' an. d refembling two apples cut and joined together. 1 he rind is always green, never changing yellow or red, and the fruit keeps its frefhnefs all the winter. They are about the fize of the orange, and the fkin is very tender and thin, and the fruit has a mixed tafte of the fharp and the lufcious. It is very wholefome and good. Obferv. furies t-outumes de l'Afie. p. 10/ 8. SETTEE, a veffel, very common in the Mediterranean, with one deck, and a very long and fharp prow. They carry, lome two mafts, fome three, without top-mafts. Their yards and fails are all like the mifen. The leaft of them are of lixty tons burthen. They ferve to tranfport cannon, and provifion for fhips of war, and the like. Suppt, Vol. II.

SEX

SETTING, (Cycl.) the term ufed by fbortfmen to exprefs A manner of attacking partridges, in order to the taking them* by means of a dog peculiarly trained to that purpofe. The jelting-Aog generally ufed is a long land-fpaniel, taught by nature to hunt partridges more than any other game, and hi his untaught ftate running over the fields, in fearch of them* with an alacrity that is truly wonderful; yet by art this creature is brought under fuch excellent command, that he will, in the midft of his higheft career, attend to the leaft hem from his mafter, and ftand ftiil to look, in his face, and take his orders by the flighteft fignals ; and when he is fo near his game, that it is almofl in his mouth, he will ftand ftock ftill, or lie down on his belly, till his mafter arrive, and he receives his directions.

The fettmg-Ao^ being taken to the haunt of the partridges* is to be caft off, and fen t to range; but he muft be made to keep near the fportfman, and not to run wildly on, but to beat all the ground regularly. On being reproved for ranging too wildly and too far, he will keep clofe the whole day, and at times look up in his mafter's face to know if he does right or wrong. If in the dog's ranging he flop of a fudden, the fportfman is to make up to him, and as there "is certainly game before him, he muft be ordered to advance; if he refufe this, and look back and {hake his tail* it is a fignal that they are clofe before him, and the fportf- man is then to take a circumference, and look with a care- lefs eye before the dog's nofe to fee where they, are, and how they lie; then going up, and ftaking down one end of the net, he is to command the dog to lie ftill, and to draw the net gently over, the birds, then making in with a noife, he is to fpring them, and they will be entangled and taken as they rife. It is a rule with fair fportfmen, when they take a covey In this manner,always to let the cock and hen go. Sett ing of brick. See the article Bricks. SET TLING a deck, at fea, a term for taking a deck lower

than it was at firft. SEVENTH {CycL) — Seventh, inmufic. In thorough baffes the feventh, whether double, ample, major, or minor, is marked by a figure of 7 ; but if it be accidentally fiat, or minor, thus, b y, or 7". If fharp, or major, thus, ^ 7, or 7 $f. Again, if when it is natundly minor, it be marked with a flat, it muft be diminished. D'mimifred Seventh, inmufic. See the article Diminished 1

fevenih. SEVERAL (Cycl.)— Several inheritance, in law, an inheri- tance conveyed, fo as to defcend, or come to two perfons feverally, by moieties, or other parts. Several tenancy, tenura feparalis, a plea, or exception taken to a writ that is laid againft two perfons as joint tenants, who are fevc-ral. Bro. 273. B'.ount, Cowel. SEVERANCE (Cycl.) — Severance of corn. The cutting and carrying it from off the ground ; and fometimes the fetting out the tithes from the reft of the corn, is called feveranee* 2 Cro. 325. SEVIL, in the manege. The fevi I of the branches of a bridle is a nail turned round like a ring, with a large head, made faft in the lower part of the branch, called gargouitle. See the article Banquet. SEVIR, among the Romans, an officer who, according to Pi- tifcus, commanded a whole wing of horfe ; tho' others make him only the commander of a troop, turmis, a divifion anfwer- ing to our regiments. Seviri, were alfo magiftrates in the colonies, fo called, from

their being fix in number. Pitifc. in voc. SEW, in the fea language. When a Ihip at low water comes to He on the ground, and to lie dry, they fay {he hfcivcd ; and if {he be not quite left dry, they fay (\ieftws to fuch a part. SEWEL-corcKifc, a name given by the natives of Ceylon to a fpecies of cinnamon, which, when chewed, is of a muci- laginous nature, like the caftia: this dries well, and is very firm and hard, and has the appearance of a very fine cinna- mon ; but it has very little tafte, and a difagreeable fmell. The natives take advantage of the handfome appearance of this kind of cinnamon, and are very apt to mix it with the good kind, to the great detriment of the buyer. Philof. Tranf. N 3 409. SEXANGLE, in geometry, a figure having fix fides, and

confequently fix angles. SEXTANS, (Cycl.) a word ufed by pharmaceutic writers for the fixth part of a pound, that is, two ounces troy-weight, or fixteen drachms, It is alfo ufed by fome authors for a, fixth part of any other {landing weight, or meafure. SEXTERY lands, are lands given to a church, is'c. for main- tenance of the fexton. Blount. SEXTULA, a word ufed by fome pharmaceutic writers to ex- prefs the fixth part of an ounce, that is, four fcruples, or one drachm and one fcruple. SEXTUS oculi, in anatomy, a name given by Fallopius to one of the mufcles of the eye, called by Aibinus, and others, the obllquus oculi inferior, and by fome the obliqitus oculi brevis. See the articles Oeliqltus inferior, and Eye. Sextus thoracis, in anatomy, a name given by Fallopius, and others, to a mufcl^riow generally known by the name of the triangularis fierm.

alii SEXUA-