Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/325

 VENUS'S FLOWER BASKET years. The greatest acceleration and retar- dation of either planet amounts only *to a few seconds of arc. (For transits of Venus, see TEANSIT.) VENCS'S FLOWER BASKET, the common name of the euplectella speciosa (Gray), a very beau- tiful silicious sponge, found among the Philip- pine islands. The animal framework or skele- ton, which in the living specimen is covered with the usual fibre-gelatinous substance of the sponges, is made up of silicious fibres, running from base to top, surrounded by smaller ones, forming open meshes resembling a basket or network, or delicate lace-like fabric. It is of a regular cornucopia shape, from 6 to 15 in. high, about an inch in diameter at the base, which is attached to some submarine object, gradually increasing to nearly 2 in. at the top ; it is surmounted by a ridge about a quarter of an inch wide, and is closed above by a delicate network ; the shape is very elegant, and the structure light. It sometimes encloses a her- mit crab, which has entered for protection and been covered in by the growing sponge. By immersing the sponge in a dilute solution of chloride of soda or lime, the gelatinous film is VERA CRUZ 305 Venus's Flower Basket (Euplectella speciosa). removed, and the lace-like structure of pure silex is left untouched. The first specimen ob- tained was valued at over $150, but now they cost only a few dollars. VENCS'S FLY TRAP. See DIONJSA. VEJTOS'S GIRDLE, the common name of the cestus Veneris (Les.), an acaleph or jelly fish of the order of ctenophorce or beroid medusa?, allied to pleurobrachia. (See CTENOPHORCE.) It is gelatinous and free-moving, but elongated in a direction at right angles to the alimentary Venus's Girdle (Cestus Veneris). canal, forming a ribbon-shaped body 4 or 5 ft. long and 2 or 3 in. high ; the edges are pro- vided with vibratile cilia ; the mouth is below and in the median line. It is common in the Mediterranean, near Naples, appearing at night like a band of phosphorescent flame. VERA CRUZ. I. A state of Mexico, bounded N. "W. by San Luis Potosi, N. by Tamaulipas, E. by the gulf of Mexico, Tabasco, and Chia- pas, S. "W. by Oajaca, and W. by Puebla and Hidalgo ; area, 27,433 sq. m. ; pop. in 1873, 459,262. Capital, Jalapa. It is traversed by the Sierra Madre, and is generally mountainous, excepting the sandy coast region, about 30 m. wide. The highest peak is Orizaba or Cit- laltepetl (Star mountain), 17,176 ft. high, on the border of Puebla. The Cofre de Perote, near Jalapa, is 14,309 ft. high, and San Martin or Tuxtla 9,708 ft. All of these are volca- noes, and Orizaba is perpetually snow-capped. The principal rivers are the Panuco, Alvarado, and Coatzacoalcos, the mouths of all of which are obstructed by sand bars. There are sev- eral large lagoons on the coast, of which Ta- miagua is about 60 m. long and 20 m. broad. Alvarado, the largest in the south, is divided into smaller lagoons by many islands. The cli- mate is hot (80 to 85) and insalubrious on the coast, where yellow fever prevails from May to November; but in Jalapa, Cordoba, Orizaba, and other elevated places, it is agree- able and healthful. The soil of the interior is very fertile, and produces, according to eleva- tion, a vegetation ranging from tropical almost to arctic. Sugar is cultivated in all of the 18 cantons, coffee in 15, tobacco in 14, cacao in 11, and vanilla in 5. Cotton also is extensive- ly cultivated, as well as the cereals and fruits. The coffee is very fine, and the tobacco is said to equal the Cuban. Cattle are raised in great numbers. Among the mineral products are gold, copper, lead, and iron. The total value