Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/792

 778 PACA PTHE 16th letter and the 12th consonant of the English alphabet. It is the lead- ing or most prominent of the labial mutes, and is pronounced by closely compressing the lips until the breath is collected and then letting it issue. P is frequently interchanged with B, and in English words of Teutonic origin cor- responds as a rule to B in the root. The ex- ceptions to this rule are very numerous, how- ever, as Eng. sleep, Anglo-Saxon slapan, Moaso- Gothic slepan ; and on the other hand, when P occurs in words of Greek or Latin deriva- tion, it is found to be the same in the original language ; thus, Eng. paternal, Lat. pater, Gr. Trarf/p. The dialects of upper Germany fre- quently pronounce B as P, and those of lower Germany make the contrary change. In Runic writings the character representing the sound of P is almost identical with our B. The un- doubtedly pure sound of P is found in none of the Semitic languages except the Ethiop- ic, its representative in Arabic, Hebrew, and Syriac partaking more of the ph or f. It is common in Chinese. Besides 5 and f, this letter is also interchangeable with m,, pf, c, lc, q, t, and pt. Followed by h, it is equiva- lent to the Greek 0, and pronounced f, as in physic. In some words borrowed from the Greek, as psalm, it is silent in English, though sounded in Greek (where it forms with * a single character, tfj) and other languages. As an abbreviation in Latin inscriptions, P. stands for Pjuiblius, proconsul, pontifex, pius, perpe- tuus, patronus, pedes, pondo, posuit, ponendum, post, &c. P.P. signifies pater patrice, pro prwtore, prcepositus, primipilus ; P.O., patres conscripti. In numismatics, it is the mark of ancient coins struck at Dijon. The numerical value of P among the ancients has been vari- ously explained. As the initial letter of Ktvre it seems at first among the Greeks to have in- dicated 5 ; afterward it denoted 80. Among the Romans, according to Baronius, it stood for 7 ; but according to Uguccio it was equiva- lent to 0, 100, and according to others to G, 400, or with a horizontal mark over it to 4,000, 40,000, or 400,000. PAAIZOW, Henrietta von, a German novelist, born in Berlin in 1788, died there, Oct. 30, 1847. Her family name was Wach, and she married a Prussian officer, from whom she was separated. She acquired fame by her anony- mous Godwie Castle (Breslau, 1836; 5th ed 1849) and-/&. JRocTie (1839 ; 3d ed., 1843). A complete edition of her novels has been pub- lished, together with Brief e an ihren Verleger and her biography (36 vols., Berlin, 1855 : new ed., Stuttgart, 1874 et seq. PICA, a rodent of the agouti family, the only well determined species of the genus coslo- genys (111.). In this genus the zygomatic arch is enormously developed, the superior maxilla- ry portion presenting a large hollow beneath, giving the skull somewhat the appearance of a snapping turtle's; the outside of the arch in the male is wrinkled and roughened with small wart-like confluent excrescences, growing rougher with age ; the malar bone is deeper than long ; the molars are longer than broad, the crowns having four or five deeply indent- ing folds of enamel, and the incisors are slen- der. The 0. paca (Rengg.) is about 2 ft. long, stout-bodied, with short limbs ; the head is large and broad, with an obtuse hairy muzzle ; the eyes large ; the ears moderate and sparing- ly clothed with hair ; feet naked below, five- toed, the inner toe very small, and with broad nails except on the inner; the tail a naked fleshy tubercle. The hair is coarse, closely ap- Paca (Coelogenys paca). plied to the skin, of a brown color on the up- per parts and limbs, and white below ; three, four, or five longitudinal white bands on the sides, broken into spots; in some specimens the color is blackish brown above and yellow- ish white below, and in others more rufous. The mamnifB are two pairs, one pectoral, the other inguinal. The zygomatic cavity is lined by a continuation of the skin of the face, and opens externally on the cheek ; its use is not well ascertained ; beneath this is a cheek pouch, opening into the mouth in front of the molars. They inhabit South America from Cayenne to Paraguay, and are sometimes found in Peru east of the Andes, and in some of the West Indian islands. They are generally seen singly or in pairs on the borders of the forests and rivers after sunset, remaining concealed during the day in burrows which they dig like rabbits ; the food consists of leaves, fruits, and tender plants, and sometimes sugar cane and melons ; they are good runners, swimmers, and divers ;