Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/742

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Kaac Newton, that the hypothefis of Vortices is fitter to dl- fturb than explain the cceleftial motions. We mufl refer to the differ tation itfelf for the proof of thefe affertions. VOTE (Cycl.) — In elections of members of the houfe of com- mons, fuch Fates fhall be deemed legal, which have been fo declared by the laft determination in the houfe of commons ; which laft. determination concerning any county, fhire, city, borough, cinque port, or place, fliall be final to all intents and purpofes. Stat. 2. Geo, 2. c, 24. "UPLAND {Cycl.) — The Up/amis lie either on the tops of hills, or on their fides, or on the flopes of rifing grounds. They fometimes have a fandy foil, fometimes a rocky, gravelly, or loamy one, and fometimes they confift of tough day, or a black mould. They are ufed by the farmers either for grazing or corn, as they happen to he more moift or more dry ; and this difference depends upon their fituation and nature. Thofe lands which lie flat upon the tops of hills, are ufually the drieft, and thofe which form the Hopes or fides, are ufually the moifteft, becaufe of the wet that is continually ouzing through them. The chalky, and efpecially the clayey foils in thefe places, are moft of all fubject to be wet, especially in winter, becaufe they retain the moifture a long time ; though they have alfo the inconveniencies of the fandy and rocky lands in the fame fituations, chapping in fummer. The black mould, and the hazely loams in thefe places, arc the bell for corn, as well as for pafture, efpecially if the latter efcapes the common misfortune of being full of worms. Thefe lands nei- ther are wafby in winter, nor parched up in fummer. The Upland meadows have fome difadvantages, as they often need mending or feeding, which thofe that lie lower do not ; but then they make amends for this in their hay, which is al- ways much finer and fweeter than that of the low-lands. UPLOPER, a name given to one particular fpecies of pigeon, called by Moore, columba gutturg/a /aliens. It was firft brought to England from Holland, and much re- fembles that kind of pigeon called the Englifh Powter, but that it is fmaller. Its crop is very round, and in this it buries its bill. Its legs are very fmall and flender, and its toes are fhart, and clofe together, on which it treads fo nicely, that, when moving, any fmall thing might be put under the ball of its foot. The pigeons of this fpecies are generally all blue, all black, or all white ; feldom or never pyed. They are very fcarce in England, and in Holland have been valued at five and twenty guineas a pair.

They have their name from the Dutch word Ophpcn, which fignifies to leap up, and it was thus named from its manner of approaching the hen, which is always by leaping upon her. Moore's Columbarium, p. 37. UPRIGHT (Cycl.)— Upright South Dial. See the article

Prime Vertical, Cycl. UPULUS, in botany, the old Latin name for the lupulus, or hop. This word lupulus is not old Latin, but a more mo- dern name, formed on the word Upnlus. The original word Upulus alfo was formerly written opulus, being a climbing plant. The word was alio applied to other climbing plants, fuch as the white and black bryony. Some of the anttents called the hop upulus falittarius, becaufe of its twining about willow-trees. Pliny mentions it under this name. The words indeed ftand lupus faliftarius ; but this is a very plain error, knee xhe /alifiarius is joined to the word Upidus by Cato, Varro, and moft of the other writers of anti- quity ; but by no body to the word lupus. Cato in one place calls it ulva ; but this is evidently an error of the copy. The word ulva is the name of a fea-plant growing without ftalks, compofed only of tender leaves ; and it is here called a tall plant, climbing upon the willows. There is no doubt from this, and horn the fame author's ordering it to be ftrewed un- der cattle, by way of litter, that it was the Upulus or lupu- lus. See the article Lupulus. UPUPA, the Hoopoe, in theLinnsean fyftem ofzoologv, makes a diftir.a genus of birds, the char adterii tic of which is, the having a double crown of feathers on the head. Linnm Sy- ftem. Nat. p. 45.

Thefe birds are common in Germany, and fometimes feen in England, though but rarely. Its general weight is about three ounces. The beak is black, flender, fharp, and a lit- tle hooked i its head is adorned with an extremely beautiful and elegant creft, rifing two fingers high, and compofed of two feries of feathers, reaching from the infertion of the beak to the back part of the head ; and thefe can be raifed or depref- fed by the bird at pleafure. The tips of thefe feathers are or- namented with black and white, the reft is of a chefnut co- lour. Its neck is of a pale reddifh brown ; its breaft white variegated with longitudinal ftreaks, which difappear in the middle as the bird grows older ; the tail ia four fingers breadth . long ; it is compofed of ten feathers, and is black ; but has a large white fpot in it, of a lunated figure, the points Handing towards the extremity of the tail. Its wings, when folded, do not reach to the end of the tail ; and are ftreaked acrofs with white ; it feeds on beetles, worms, ants, &c. and is faid alfo to eat berries, and other vegetables. Ray's Ornith p. 100.

Mkhylus, Ariftotle, and many of the other old Greek writers Uil us, that the cuckow, when it has fung all the fummer,

acquires a plume of feathers on its head, and lofes its voice for the winter feafon, and is in this Hate called the Upupa or Hoopoe ; but there is no truth in this ftory, though the general opinion of thofe times.

In the fame manner they fuppofed the ficedula and melancsry- phos, or black cap, to change into one another ; becaufe the one appeared at that time of the year when the other went away. We have in this bird alfo another proof of the ignorance of thofe times in natural knowledge : they tell us that the callais or turquoife, which we call the Turkey-fane, was found in the melancoryphus only, becaufe the eggs of that bird are of the fame beautiful pale blue colour with that gem. URACHUS [Cycl. — The ufe of the Urachus is not yet difco- vered, according to Dr. Trew. Phil. Tranf. N°. 457. Sedt. 7. See the articles Allantois and Foetus. URANGSCOPUS, in zoology, the name of a fifh of the cu- cuius kind, called in Englifh the Jlar-gazer ; and by fome authois, callysnymus.

It is ufually caught of about feven or eight inches in Ien<nh but fometimes it grows to a foot ; its head is very large, bony* and rough, and of a fort of iquare figure; its body is long and rounded ; its upper part is all of an alh-colour ; its belly white ; its fcales are very fmall and thin, infomuch that many have fuppofed it had none. Thefe are difpofed in oblique ranges acrofs the body of the fifh, running toward the tail. The fide-lines are arched, and rife to tiie back fin, which is a great Angularity. Its face is flat, and feems turned upwards and its eyes are fmall and prominent, and are fo placed in the upper part of its head, as naturally to look up to the heavens whence it has its name Many of the flat fifh have their eyes placed as thofe of this nib. ; but the pupils in all thefe look fideways ; in this only they are turned ftrait upward. Its mouth is very large, and opens perpendicularly downward being placed in the fame direction with the eyes in the upper part of the head. It has a beard under its chin, like that of a man, and its jaws are furnifhed with very fharp teeth, as are alfo the inner parts of its mouth. Its whole head is covered with rougli tubercles, and it has two fins on the back, and two on its breaft. It is frequently caught in the Mediterra- nean, and is by fome faid to be a well- tailed fifh. Hefner. de Aquat. p. 159.

The reafon of the fituation of the eyes of the Urano/copus, is the providence of nature for a fifh which, always keeping at the bottom, has no where to look for prey but in the water above it. But if other fifh had been well examined, this pecu- liar name would never have been given to this. The eyes of the rana pi/catrix are placed in the fame manner, and thofe of a great number of other fifh, whofe cuftom it is to keep at the bottom, are more or lefs alfo thus iituated. According to the new fyftem of Artedi, this is a fpecies of the trachinus, and is diftinguifhed from the others of that genus, by the name of the trachinus with many beards on the lower jaw. The fifh defcribed by Willughby and others under the names of the fea-dragon and /ea-/pider, the draco-marinus and araneus-marinus, are of this genus. They are properly in- deed only the fame fpecies in different flates, and are diftin- guiflied from the Jlar-gazer by the name of the trachinus with the lower jaw longer than the upper, and with no beards banging from it. Amdi Gen. Pifc. 73. See Tab. of Filhes, 1^7°. 48. and the article Trachinus. URCEOLUS, in ecclefiaftical writers. See the article Aqu\zb

Manilis.

URCEUS, in antiquity, the name of a meafure of liquids, which

in different places was of different capacity j its moft ufual

ftandard feems to have been between twelve and fixteen ounces.

URCHIN, a common name given to the hedge-hog. See the

article Erinaceus. Sm-Urchin, in ichthyology. The echinus marinus of authors is, in fome parts of England, called the /ea-egg, and in others the jea-urchin, or hedgc-hgg. It is a genus of fifh, of which there are a great number of fpecies.

The manner of thefe creatures moving at the bottom of the fea, has been difputed among naturalifts ; the general opinion of the world has been, that they did it by means of their fpmes or prickles, which ferved them by way of legs ; but fome of late, particularly Mr. Gandolphe, pretend that the fpines of the Urchins are of no ufe to them on this occafion, but that they move by means of certain legs, like the legs of the ftar-nfli, which they occafionally put out when they walk, and at other times retract them into their body. The world was readily falling into this fyftem, particularly as Mr. Gan- dolphe affirmed, that he had been often an eye-witnefs to it ; but the indefatigable Mr. Reaumur tried the experiment him- felf, and often made himfelf an eye-witnefs of the contrary fad, having frequently feen them walk at the bottom of 3 fhallow bafon of fea-water, with no other affiftance than that of their fpines, and even having made them perform the fame motion, by the fame means, upon his hand. This curious enquirer into nature did not, however, flop here ; but took occafion from hence to enquire accurately into every circumftance of their progreffion, which is per- formed by fo uncommon means.

It is certain that the /en-Urchin does throw out at the lower 2 aperture