Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/788

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rifing fun, for this pkce they are Cure to frequent. He is to take out a hawk and a ("mall net at the end of a Hick ; when he elpies a bird he is to fhew the hawk, on which it will fquat down, and on his approaching nearer and mak- ing the hawk flutter over the place the bird will only lie lb much the clofer, fo that he may go up and lay the net over it;, and thus take it without hurting it. The beft IVood-larh that are kept in cages have been caught in this manner. A better way of taking numbers of them is to prepare a net made in the fame manner as the com- mon net for taking partridges, only with the mefhes much fmaller ; three or lour peribns are to go out with this, and one of them is to take out a hawk, which ferves in the fame manner for the larks as the fetting-dog does for the par- tridges*

Where-ever a flock of thefe larks is feen together, as is very common, the whole flight keeping with the female till the next coupling feafon, the hawk is to be fhewn, and on his hovering, they will all lie ftill, and the net may be eafily drawn fo compleatly over them, that not one can efcape. The belt time for taking this bird for the cage, is in July, or the preceding or following month ; thole that are put into the cage at this time fing prefently, but their ibng time is not laiting, for they foon fall to moulting, in which ftate many die ; but if they get over it, they common- ly prove very healthful afterwards, and become very tame and familiar, and fing fweetly. Thofe which are taken in the latter end of September, are generally very ftrong and fprightly ; but they do not fing till after Chriltmas. Thofe taken in January and February finally prove the beft of all ; they generally begin finging in two or three days, or at the utmolt in a week after they are taken. The method of keeping them in health in the cage, is this, there muft be two pans of food, the one containing meat, the other oatmeal and hempieed. A very good food is the following j boil an egg very hard to the crumb of a half- penny loaf, and as much hempfeed ; let the egg be chopped very (mall, and the hempfeed bruifed in a mortar j when thefe are mixed, the bread is to be crumbled in among the reft, and the whole is to be rolled together with a common rolling-pin, and kept for ufe.

There muft be fome fine fmall gravel ftrewed at the bottom of the cage, and renewed at fartheft once in a week. This will prevent his feet from getting hurt by being clogged with the dung ; and his bafking in this will keep him alfo from growing louiy, after which few come to good. There muft be a perch in the cage, and it muft be either lined with green bays, or made of fine matting, which the lark is very fond of.

When the bird is firft taken, fome meat muft be ftrewed up- on the fand in the bottom of the cage, for the bird will be fometimes almoft famifhed before he finds the meat in the pan.

The cock-bird of this kind is known from the hen by the loudnefs and length of his call, by his tallnefs as he walks about the cage, and by his doubling his notes in the even- ing, as if he was going with his mate to rooft. A better rule than all others, however, is his finging ftrong j for the hen TVood-lark fings but very weakly. Both the cock and hen of this kind are tender, and fubjec"t. to many diforders i the principal of thefe are cramps, giddi- nefs of the head, and breeding lice. Cleanlinefs is the beft cure for the firft and the laft of thefe complaints, but we know of no cure for the other. A good ftrong bird how- ever, will often laft very well five or fix years, and often improve all the time,

VfooD-Loufe. See the article Mulepedes.

WooD-Mite, in natural hiftory, the name of a little animal frequently made the fubjeft of microfcopical obfervations, and 'by fome called the Wood-hup ; though that lefs properly, as there is another larger animal generally known by that name.

The Wood-mite is in fhape and colour very like a loufe, and is frequently found running very nimbly, but always by ftarts and jumps, on old books and rotten wood. The eyes of this creature are of a fine gold colour, and can be thruft out or drawn in at pleafure ; and when examined by the microfcope the periftaltic motion of the guts is feen very diftin£tly, and beautifully ; and what is more wonderful, there is obferved a very diftinir, and regular motion in the train.

This probably is the fame animal with the pediculus pulfa- torius, deicribed by Mr. Derham, as one of the death- watches. Baker's Microfcope, p. 185.

WooD-P^ir, in zoology, the Englifh name of a fpecies of Picus. See the article Picus.

"WooD-Pucerons, in natural hiftory, a name given by Mr. Reaumur, to a fmall fpecies of infect, of the puceron kind, of a greyifh colour, and diftinguifhed by its two hollow horns on the hinder part of its body.

Thefe animals very much refemble, both in fhape and fize, the pucerons of the alder; but as thofe live always on the furface of the ftalk, thefe make their way deep into the wood of a tree.

Mr. Reaumur found large quantities of thefe lodged at a confiderable depth in the wood of fome elms, after they were cut down ; the paffages by which they had made their way in, were not to be found ; but they were lodged in large and long holes, of the diameter of a goofe-quil, and running many inches along the tree in a longitudinal diredtion. All the pucerons found in thefe places, appear to be females and none have wings ; they all have vaft numbers of youno- ones of different degrees of maturity within them, and thele may be forced out by preifing their bodies. Reaumur's Hift Inf. V. 6. p. 61.

WToou-Rufe, in botany. See the article Asperula;

WoQD-Sorrel, in botany, the name of a fmall plant, common in our woods, and having the fame fharp four tafte with forrel; but agreeing with that plant in no other particulars. See the articles Oxys, and Sorrel.

WooB-Spite, in zoology, an Englifh name given by many to the common green Wood-pecker^ the picus viridis of au- thors. See the article Picus.

WOOFF, {CycL) a name given in fome parts of England to the fea-wolf, or lupus pifcis, called by Gefner anarrhicas Willugbby's Hift. Pifc. p. 13©. See the article Lupus Morinus*

WOOL {CycL)— Wool-M;, in natural hiftory, rnafTes of Wool compacted into firm and hard balls, and found in the ftomachs of iheep, as the hair-balls are in oxen and other animals.

Thefe are doubtlefs formed in the fame manner as thofe hair-balls, of the outer covering of the animal, but they are much more uncommon ; they are found in numbers three four or five in the ftomach of the fame animal. Their outfide has commonly much of the appearance of a puff-ball, and is ufually either in part or wholly covered with a very thin and foft blackifh fmooth fkin ; the inner fubftance is entirely Wool, but that wrought together as clofely as the hatter does his furs in the making them into hats.

They are ufually foft, fmooth, and fdmewhat elaftic, of a pale buff-colour, very light, and of irregular figures rather cubic than globular, and feldom of any great iize, an inch in diameter being their common ftandard. Mercian's Nor- thampt. p. 451.

WOOLLY-f a/hnum, in natural hiftory, a name given by the Eaft-Indians to a fpecies of native red arfenic, or orpiment found in that part of the world.

It is of a paler colour than the red orpiment of Germany. Woodw. Cat. FoiT. V. 2. p. 23.

WORK [CycL)— -Work, in the manege. To work a horfe, is to exercife him at pace, trot, or gallop, and ride him at the manege.

To work a horfe upon volts, or head and haunches in or between two heels, is to paffage him, or make him °-o fide-ways upon two parallel lines.

WORMS {CycL) in the Linnaean fyftem of nature, a clafs of animals, whole diftinguifhing character is, that they have the nuifcles of their body in one part affixed to a folid bans. Linnai Syft. Nat. p. 33.

Worms, in hufbandry, are very prejudicial to corn-fields eating up the roots of the young corn, and deftroying great quantities of the crop.

Sea-falt is the beft of all things for the deftroying them. Sea-water is proper to fprinkle on the land where it can be had ; where the falt-fprings are, their water does as well - and where neither are at hand, a little common or bay fait melted in water does as well.

Soot will deftroy them in fome lands, but it is not to be depended upon, for it does not always fucceed. Some far- mers ftrew on their lands a mixture of chalk and lime - and others truft wholly to their winter fallowing to do it if this is done in a wet feafon, when they come up to the fur- face of the ground, and fome nails with fliarp heads be driven into the bottom of the plough. If they are troublefome in gardens, the refufe brine of falted meat will ferve the purpofe, or fome wallnut leaves fteeped in a ciftern of water for a fortnight or three weeks, will give it fuch a bitternefs that it will be a certain poifon to them.

A deco&ion of wootl-afhes, fprinkled on the ground, will anfwer the fame purpofe ; and any particular plant may be fecured both from worms and fnails by ftrewing a mixture of lime and afhes about its roots. It is a general caution among the farmers to fow their corn as mallow as they can, where the field is very fubject to worms, Mortimer's Huf- bandry, p. 328.

Generation of 'Worms. See the article Generation.

Aquatic Worms. Of thefe there are fome which transform themfelves into flies, but which depart much from the man- ner in which the generality of the fly-worms efFecl: this change.

Thefe are of the third clafs of fly Worms, and have an in- variable head, and have no teeth or hooks meeting one an- other. They are ufually found in ponds, or in waters that have but a flow current. Their head is fmall, long, and

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