Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/560

AMŒBA. with the "contractile vacuole." This process is excretion. But in the plasma film, where the food-stuff was burned, there is an increase of temperature. This heat is used in part in chemical work — in the building up of new living molecules from food stuffs. Here, then, is a great chemical laboratory in the protoplasm.

"The 'contractile vesicles' are cavities within the endosarc, of which ordinarily only one is present in the same individual, though there may be two or more. In position, the contractile vesicle, or 'pulsating vacuole,' as it is often called, is usually placed toward the hinder end of the body, as is also the nucleus."

Reproduction takes place by simple division, each amœba, as it reaches maximum size, splitting in two, as shown in the illustration. See, and.

AM'ŒBE'AN VERS'ES (Gk. a/ioiPawc, amoihiiius, alternate). A species of pastoral poetry in which two persons answer each other alternately, as in some of the Idyls of Theocritus and the Eclogues of Vergil.

AMOL, a-mol'. A Persian town, in the province of Mazanderan, situated on the River Heraz, a short distance from its fall into the Caspian Sea (Map: Persia, D 3). It contains a fine bazaar and a number of old tombs, including that of Mir Bursuk, who died in Amol in 1378, and whose memory is held in great reverence by the natives. Pop., about 10,000.

AHOLE, a-mo'ia. The Mexican name for soapwort (q.v.).

AMO'MUM (Lat. Gk. aiiu/iov, amonion, an Indian spice-plant). A genus of Zingiberaceæ, to which belongs the plant yielding Cardamom (q.v.) and Grains of Paradise (q.v.). Fruits allied to Amomum are described as Amomocar- pum, from Tertiary rocks of Europe.

AM'ON. A king of Judah, from about 639 to 638 B.C., son of Manasseh. After a short reign he fell a victim to a court intrigue. His death was avenged, and his son Josiah succeeded him on the throne. He was buried in the garden of Uzzah.

AMONTONS, a'moN'toN', (1663-1705). A French physicist and inventor. He devoted himself to physical research, investigating the phenomena of friction and perfecting many instruments used in experimental philosophy. With the aid of the barometer he studied the variations of atmospheric pressure, and by the use of a thermometer of his own invention, discovered independently, though simultaneously with Halley, that the boiling-point of water varies with the external pressure of the atmosphere, and hence with the elevation. He also invented an ingenious method of telegraphic communication, a new hygrometer, etc. He wrote: Remarques et expériences physiques sur la construction d'une nouvelle clepsydre, sur les baromètres, les ithermomètres, et les hygromètres (1695), besides contributions to the Mémoires of the Académie des Sciences.

AM'ORET. In Fletcher's Faithful shepherdess (q.v.), a shepherdess betrothed to Perigot at the "Virtuous Well," and, after many troubles, patiently borne, united to him.

AMORET, or AM'ORET'TA. In Spenser's Faerie Queene, the twin sister of Belphœebe(q.v.), brought up by Venus and Psyche. She loves Sir Seudamore, but is imprisoned by the enchanter Busirane; in the end, however, she is happily married, appearing as the type of feminine affection.

AMORETTI, a'mo-ret'ts, (1741-1816). An Italian naturalist and author. He was born near Genoa, and died at Milan. He was a member of the order of St. Augustine, professor of law at the University of Parma, and afterward curator of the Ambrosian Library at Milan. He is remembered chiefly for a good biography of Leonardo da Vinci (1784), and various treatises on natural science, including a study of the natural history and geography of lakes Como, Maggiore, and Lugano, entitled A Journey from Milan to the Three Lakes (1794).

AMORGOS, a-mor'gos (Gk. Ἀμοργός). The most easterly island of the Cyclades, Greece, having an area of 52 square miles, with its greatest length from northeast to southwest. The island is crossed by a mountain range, and yields olive oil, wine, fruit, and grain. Its chief town is Korax, or Chora, on the eastern coast. Amorgos was famous in antiquity for the fine quality of its flax. Population in 1889, 4000. Consult: H. Hauttecœur, "L'Île d'Amorgos," in Bulletin de la Société royale belge de géographie, Volume XXIII. (Brussels, 1899); J. Delamarre, "Amorgos," in La Revue de Philologie, Volume XXV. (Paris, 1901).

AM'ORITES. The name of a people of Canaan (II. Samuel xxi : 12; Amos ii : 9, 10), The name is known outside of biblical literature, occuring on both the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. The Egyptian documents speak of a people called the Amar. In the Assyrian monuments Nebuchadnezzar I. styles himself the conqueror of the "land of Amurru," while even earlier we know of Amurru from the Tel-el- Amarna tablets. The name was applied origin- ally to the highlands in the northeast and gradu- ally spread southward (Genesis xiv : 7; Deute- ronomy i : 7-44) and westward, where it met the term Canaan. From that time on considerable confusion took place in the use of the name. Sometimes the terms coalesce, Amorite being used for the whole of Canaan (II. Samuel xxi: 12 Amos ii: 9, 10); again some tribes are called Amorites in one place and another name in an- other (Joshua x : 5 ; Joshua xv : 63). In the nar- rower sense, the Amorites lived on the eastern side of the Jordan, and at the time of the inva- sion of the Jews had two kingdoms, under Og and Sishon, respectively. This land the Amorites had held against the Hittites on the north and the Moabites on the south. In two battles the Amorites were defeated and their land annexed to the territory west of the Jordan (Deuteronomy xxxi : 4). Although subdued, they were far from being exterminated, or else the injunction against intermarriage with the Amorites would have been unnecessary. And the injunction further proves their final history. They lived as tribu- taries among the conquering nation, as in the days of Solomon, and were most likely ab- sorbed.

The meaning of the name has been given in two ways. According to some scholars the root idea is "high," "lofty," "mountaineers," as opposed to the Canaanites, the lowlanders; while according to others the "high" is to be applied not to the locality but to the size of the men. Of the two, the first is preferable, though it should be added that there are strong objections to be urged against the explanation. Consult