Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/897

 SHIP WORM being due chiefly to the prolongation back- v:inl oftoach respiratory tube, the si|tlionsof which uro provided with two calcareous tri- angular flattened platen, the palette*, which arc- always turned to the external aperture. Tlio lust known species is the teredo mim/ix (Linn.), whoso calcareous tubes are from 1 to 2^ ft. long. They attack wood immersed in Ml water, boring in the direction of the grain, and turning out only for a hard knot, or a companion whose presence they detect by the sense of hearing; the dust of tho rasped wood is introduced by tho foot into the cavity of the mantlo and swallowed, and is usually found filling tho long intestine. They are ovovivip- arotifl, and tho young after leaving tho body of tho mother have a smooth bivalve shell, swim by means of long vibratilo cilia, and creep by the tongue-shaped foot ; they soon attach themselves to wood and begin to bore, secreting the calcareous tube as they go along ; they grow in the wood and enter it when young, as is evident from the external aper- ture being too small to admit tho body of tho enclosed adult. From the tropical seas they have been introduced into the temperate waters of Europe and America, and in many places have been exceedingly destructive. Tho best protection has been found to bo metal sheath- ing and broad-headed nails; and in some cases ky.'inizing or otherwise poisoning the timber has prevented their attacks. Other species have been found whose tubes extend from 3 to ft., with walls ^ to ^ in. thick, and some- SIIIRAZ 871 perforates floating wood. Tho perforations are general! y for a few feet below low-wnt.-r mark, and in preference in tho direction of tin- grain between tho annual rings; and their Ship Worm (Teredo navalls). times diverging into two ; one burrows in tho husks of cocoanuts and other woody tropical fruits floating on the ocean, making very crook- ed channels. For details see the abstract of a paper read before the national institute at Washington, D. 0., by James Jarvis, giving tho results of his experiments since 184!) on various kinds of timber, in the "Annual of Scientific Discovery" for 1857, p. 359. An- other pile or timber worm is a minute sessile- eyed crustacean, of tho order isopoda, and genus fiiiiiiorfu (I, each). The best known spe- cies is ihc /,. f<-r,-t>r>in* (Leach), j to i in. long, rounded at each end, with sides parallel ; there are 14 segments, tho h'st two much the largest, tho seven next to the head each hearing a pair of short le^s ; there are two pairs of jaws and a pair of strong mandibles, which are the boring organs ; the general color is olive gray. It can swim as well as creep. All WOOO6B structures immersed in salt water are attacked by it, especially sen bulwarks, and the piles and piers, >f bridges, docks, uiul canals; it rarely Wood Perforated by Ship Worm. numbers are so great that by tho time one has perforated an inch the timber is riddled. They are common on both sides of tho Atlantic, and are everywhere destructive. They may bo guarded against in tho same manner as the teredo. These creatures have their uses in disintegrating sunken vessels and substances which would obstruct navigable channels. Mill! t/, a city of Persia, capital of Farsistnn, in a beautiful and well cultivated plain, about 4,750 ft. above tho sea, 217 in. 8. by E. of Ispahan, and 115 m. E. N. E. of Bushiro; pop. about 40,000. There arc few other Persian cities so substantial in construction, or so at- tractive in appearance and surroundings. The walls are nearly 4 m. in circumference, and the buildings within are constructed principally of stone and a mixture of sun-dried and kiln- dried bricks. Among the finest are the cita- del, the mosques sur- mounted with domes of green ai d blue, the bazaars, and tho largest of tho ten college*. Considerable portions of Shiru are ruined and dilapidated. The adjoining plain is ex- ceedingly fertile, abounding in fruits and flow- en, and the rose gardens of tho suburbs are celebrated throughout the world. The posi- tion of Shiraz on the trade route between U pahan and tho Persian gulf makes it a place of considerable commercial importance; mid it is a station of tho Indo-European telegraph. In addition to rose water, wine of a very fair quality resembling Madeira, and tobacco of remarkable fragrance, are the chief industrial products of vegetable origin, (ilass bottles and sword cutlery are manufactured, mint, and its lapidaries are renowned for tl H kiH Shiraz was founded in the 7th century, Captured by Tamerlane in I:ts7. and made the ( ,.,pital of Persia by Kerim Khan in 1760, WfiO greatly enriched and beautified the city, was visited by severe earthquakes in -I'-, IS" I, and 1858, tho last one being very dcstruc