TREAD, _v._ To walk on, to feel under the foot; to press under the
foot; to track; to crush under foot; to put in action by the
feet; to love as the male bird the female.
TRESPASS, _v._ To transgress, to offend; to enter unlawfully on
another’s ground.
TRESPASS, _s._ Transgression, offence; unlawful entrance on
another’s ground.
TRESPASSER, _s._ An offender, a transgressor; one who enters
unlawfully on another’s grounds.
_Military Trespassers._—Killing or taking game, without leave from the
lord of the manor, under his hand and seal, subject to penalties as
follow:—
Officer 5_l._ Officer within whose command the offence is committed by a
soldier, 1_l._ to the poor of the place, and (being convicted by a
justice of peace, and the penalty demanded by the constable or overseer)
the officer must pay it within two days, or forfeit his commission.
By this act, an officer, although invited by his friends to shoot on
their land, may be sued for the above penalty by the lord of a manor,
who has, perhaps, no right to sport there himself.
_Notices of Trespass._—May be personally served, or left at the place of
abode of the party trespassing.
Verbal notices are quite sufficient, if accurately proved.
All notices to come from the tenant and not from the landlord, who
cannot support an action of trespass upon the land, of which he is not
the occupier.
Gamekeepers, or other persons, may be deputed to serve either verbal or
written notices, by lords of manors, occupiers of land, &c.
_Instructions how to warn off a Trespasser._—The following is the proper
form of a notice to be sent to, or served on, any person in particular.
To (name the person’s christian and surname) of (name
his residence).
I hereby give you notice, not to enter or come into or
upon any of the lands, woods, underwoods, shaws, or
coverts (or into or upon, any of the rivers, ponds,
pools, waters, or water-courses) in my occupation in the
parish of (name the parish, or if the lands lie in more
than one, the several parishes) in the county of (name
the county or counties) as, in case of your doing so, I
shall proceed against you as a wilful trespasser.
Witness my hand this (name the day of the month) day of
— 18—.
(Sign your name.)
TREVIS, _s._ An instrument of restraint for horses.
The trevis is the very utmost limit of restraint, and is seldom used but
by smiths to shoe very violent and powerful horses: whenever recourse is
had to it, the greatest caution is necessary to bed and bolster all the
parts that are likely to come in contact with the body. On the continent
I have seen horses very dexterously shod in this machine, and apparently
put in under no other necessity than either to avoid labour, or,
ridiculous as it may seem, to prevent the clothes of the smith from
being injured or dirtied by the common method. Horses have been
destroyed by the trevis, as well as by casting; or, at least, their
aversion to the restraint has been such, that they have died under their
own resistance; it, however, has a very decided advantage over casting,
as it is seldom the vertebræ are fractured by it; and it might be so
framed, I am convinced, as to render it a most efficient restraint for
the performance of many operations, and might be further used as a
slinging machine in many cases requiring suspension, which might here,
by the adjustment of machinery, be made to act in many ways favourable
to the horse and the practitioner. The side-line is now very generally
used, not only in minor operations but also in those more
important.—_Blaine._
TREY, _s._ A three at cards.
TRIBE, _s._ A distinct species as divided by family—or any other
characteristic.
TRIGGER, _s._ A catch to hold the wheel on steep ground; the catch
that, being pulled, looses the cock of the gun. Hair triggers
are generally used in duelling pistols and rifles.
Let the triggers of all your guns be made to go nearly alike; for, if
one requires too hard a pull, it is a sad check to shooting; and, if it
goes too easy, you are liable to the accident of firing the gun before
it is fairly brought to the shoulder. Any tolerable mechanic may rectify
these extremes, by filing, more or less, the part where the scear
catches the tumbler. The most accurate way to regulate the pull of a
trigger, as well as that of a cock, is by a small stilliard, which will
draw out and regulate those of twenty guns to the same focus.
The triggers are now kept well in their places, by the constant pressure
of little springs, and you must therefore push them back before you can
let in your locks.—_Hawker._—_Vide_ SAFETY TRIGGER, _Appendix_.
TRIM, _v._ To fit out; to dress, to decorate, to shave, to clip.
It is necessary here to make some remarks on the absurd and mischievous
practice of trimming horses’ legs; that is, cutting off parts which were
designed by the Almighty for a useful purpose, that of defending the
pastern; whereby they expose an important part to injuries. The fetlock,
as it is termed, is found in all horses, especially in those of the
northern breed, and from its position is an admirable guard against
thorns, furze, flints, or other bodies, to which the pastern, without
it, is so much exposed. The only excuse for this foolish practice is,
that it is customary, and makes a horse look clean about the legs; and
this notion is carefully preserved, and impressed upon the minds of
those inexperienced in horses, by the men employed to operate on the
occasion. To such an extent is this absurd practice carried, that in
Exeter it has become a distinct profession, for there is one man I know
who appears to make it his sole employment. The hairs covering the back
part of the legs, and fetlock joint, are always indicative of the
horse’s breed. In those of northern climates it is strong, abundant, and
an excellent protection against accidents. In the Arabian and barb it is
thin, silky, and highly ornamental. The English race-horse being a
mixture of the Arab and the barb, with a very small proportion of the
northern blood, has this ornament in nearly as great a degree as the
Arab or barb. The English hunter has it in a less degree, but in
sufficient quantity and strength for the defence of the pastern against
furze, thorns, and flints; but there are many who thin or trim out the
fetlock and pastern in such a manner, in order to make the horse appear
well-bred, that it is made inadequate to the purpose for which it was
intended. Hence it is that punctures and wounds in the back part of the
pastern are so common as we find them. Wounds of the pastern, from the
imprudent practice I have just described, often occasion severe
lameness, and sometimes of considerable duration. They are generally
occasioned by small thorns, which having entered the sheath of the
tendon, are, from the hardness of the perforans tendon, turned on their
side, and rendered less injurious than they would otherwise be; but even
then the irritation they occasion is such as to produce a dreadful
degree of lameness, and even locked jaw. This severe injury, however, is
not common; more frequently the entrance of the thorn is effectually
resisted by the sheath, so that the point is turned upward or downward,
and the thorn laid flat on its surface. But most commonly the thorn is
turned in an oblique direction, by entering the skin, and both the
tendon and its sheath escape injury. Whenever these accidents occur, it
is of the utmost importance to remove the thorn as speedily as possible,
and this can be done most readily with the instrument named dissecting
forceps. The thorn will always be found in an oblique direction, and
must be sought for accordingly. The search will always be successful, if
careful, and in time. After the thorn has been extracted, an emollient
poultice should be applied as long as it is necessary.—_White._
TROLL, _v._ To troll, to run round; to fish with a rod which has a
pulley towards the bottom.
Trolling, in the limited sense of the word, means taking jack and pike
with the gorge hook; live-bait fishing, when a floated line is used; and
snap-fishing, when the angler so places his baited hooks, that,
immediately he feels a bite, he strikes with much force, and generally
throws over his head, or drags the jack or pike on shore, instead of
playing his victim till he is exhausted.
Trolling is a valuable branch of fishing, affording the angler several
months’ amusement during the year, and it may be practised without
danger to the health, when every other mode of angling ceases to be
either profitable or prudent to follow; for as the winter approaches,
fish seldom rise to the surface of the water, but leave the sharps,
shallows, and scouers, for the more deep and still parts of rivers or
other waters; the fly-fisherman may then lay by his tackle till the
ensuing spring is well advanced.—_Salter._
TROT, _v._ To move with a high jolting pace.
TROT, _s._ The jolting high pace of a horse.
TROUT, _s._ A delicate spotted fish inhabiting brooks and quick
streams.
[Illustration]
This very elegant species is plentifully distributed through the British
waters, and varies in weight from a few ounces to fifteen or even thirty
pounds.
The general shape of trouts is rather long than broad; in several of the
Scotch and Irish lakes and rivers, they grow so much thicker than in
those of England, that a fish from eighteen to twenty-two inches will
often weigh from three to five pounds. The trout is a fish of prey, has
a short roundish head, blunt nose, mouth wide, and filled with teeth,
not only in the jaws, but on the palate and tongue: the scales are
small, their back is ash colour, the sides yellow, and when in season,
is sprinkled all over the body and covers of the gills with small
beautiful red and black spots; the tail is broad.
There are several sorts of trout, differing in their size, (for in many
of the smaller streams there are trouts that always continue small, but
are very great breeders,) shape, and hue; but the flesh of the best is
either red or yellow when dressed; the female fish has a smaller head
and deeper body than the male, and is of superior flavour. In fact the
colours of the trout and the spots vary greatly in different waters and
at distinct seasons, yet each may be reduced to one species. In Lyndive,
a lake in South Wales, are trout called coch-y-dail, with red and black
spots as big as sixpences; others unmarked, and of a reddish hue, that
sometimes weigh nearly ten pounds, but are ill-tasted. In Lough Neagh,
in Ireland, are trout called buddaghs, which rise to thirty pounds; and
some (probably of the same species) are taken in Ulleswater, in
Cumberland, of still greater weight; and both those are supposed to be
similar with the large trout of the lake of Geneva, a fish says Mr.
Pennant which I have eaten of more than once, and think very
indifferent.
* * * * *
A trout taken in Llynallet, in Denbighshire, which is famous for its
excellent kind, was singularly marked and shaped; it measured seventeen
inches in length, depth three and three quarters, and weighed one pound
ten ounces; the head thick, nose sharp, both jaws as well as the head,
of a pale brown, blotched with black; the teeth sharp and strong,
dispersed in the jaws, roof of the mouth, and tongue (as is the case
with the whole genus, except the gwinniad, which is toothless, and the
grayling, which has none on the tongue), the back was dusky, and sides
tinged with a purplish bloom, both above and below the side line, which
was straight, and marked with deep purple spots, mixed with black. The
belly was white; the first dorsal fin was spotted; the spurious fin
brown, tipped with red; the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins of a pale
brown; the edges of the latter white; the tail very little forked when
extended.
Some peculiar remarks upon the various sorts of trout in the northern
counties of England, and of their growth and age, have been given by a
very experienced angler, to the following effect:—That he does not
undertake to determine whether the river or burn trout are of one
species: in many points the trout taken out of the same river and same
pools will agree, and in some shall vary; so that, if the difference
were owing to the water or food, he could say nothing against their
being of one species: he believes they spawn promiscuously together, are
all similar in shape, in the number of their fins, and their fins being
disposed in the same places. Whether the colour of the spots make any
specific variety, he leaves to the decision of naturalists; but, in his
opinion, the so much esteemed char, both red and white, is only a meer
or marsh trout, and the colour perhaps owing to the sex. In several of
the northern rivers he has taken trouts as red and as well tasted as any
char, and whose bones, when potted, have dissolved, like those of the
char. That about Michaelmas he had caught trouts of a coppered hue,
without spots; the flesh when dressed, was like bees-wax, and well
tasted: that likewise in April he took one of these trout twenty-eight
inches and thick in proportion, which boiled yellow, but was equally
good; and this he thinks was the bull trout mentioned by Walton, and
several authors, as extraordinary both for its size and goodness, and to
be found no where but in Northumberland. He records a still larger fish
caught in the same river (the Cocquet) by him in September, near
Brenkburn Abbey; the length, which was nearly a yard, did not strike
this gentleman so much, as the bright spots upon the lateral line; by
which it appeared to him to be an overgrown burn trout, and neither a
salmon, salmon-trout, nor the same with those two he thought were the
bull trout.
Walton mentions the Fordwich trout taken in the river Stour, of which
only one instance was ever known of their being caught by the angle, and
are said to be delicious eating; one weighing twenty-six pounds, and of
a most beautiful colour, was taken with a net in December 1797; they
grow to a larger size.
* * * * *
The burn or river trout, with plenty of food and good water, grows
rapidly; several experiments were made in ponds fed by river water, and
some by clear springs, into which the young fry have been put at five or
six months old (that is, in September or October, reckoning from April,
when they first come from the spawning-beds) at which time they will be
six or seven inches long; in eighteen months the change has been
surprising; he has seen a pond drained ten months after being thus
stocked, which was in July, when the fish were fifteen months old; some
were fifteen or sixteen inches, others not more than eleven or twelve;
the fish were returned into the pond, and it was again drained the March
following, when some were twenty-two inches, and weighed three pounds;
others were sixteen inches, and some not more than twelve.
* * * * *
In March, or, if mild open weather, in February, trouts begin to leave
their winter quarters, and approach the shallows and tails of streams,
where they cleanse and restore themselves to health; as they acquire
strength they advance still higher up the rivers, until they fix upon
their summer residence, for which they generally choose an eddy, behind
a stone, a log, or bank that projects forward into the water, and
against which the current drives; whirlpools and holes into which sharps
and shallows fall, under roots of trees, and in places shaded by boughs
and bushes; in small rivers they frequently lie under sedges and weeds,
especially in the beginning of the year, before their perfect strength
is recovered; but when in their prime, they feed in the swiftest
streams, and are often found at the upper end of mill-pools, at locks,
flood-gates, and weirs, also under bridges, or between two streams
running from under their arches, and likewise in the returns of streams,
where the water seems to boil; in the decline of summer, they lie at
mill-tails, or the end of other streams, and in the deep water.
* * * * *
Trout spawn, or deposit their ova and seminal fluid in the end of the
autumn or beginning of winter, from the middle of November till the
beginning of January; their maturity depending upon the temperature of
the season, their quantity of food, &c. From some time (a month or six
weeks) before they are prepared for the sexual function, or that of
reproduction, they become less fat, particularly the females; the large
quantity of eggs and their size, probably affecting the health of the
animal, and compressing generally the vital organs in the abdomen. They
are at least six weeks or two months after they have spawned before they
recover their flesh; and the time when these fish are at the worst is
likewise the worst time for fly-fishing, both on account of the cold
weather, and because there are fewer flies on the water than at any
other season.
* * * * *
It has been remarked by many other people, as well as myself, that, of
all fish in existence, there is not one that you can partake of so many
days in succession, without ceasing to enjoy it, as a trout, provided it
be fresh caught, and well in season. Almost every sportsman, and every
fishmonger, has his own way of fancying that he can tell when a trout is
in season. As to the red spots on the skin having any thing to do with
it, the very idea is absurd and fallacious. But the more general
criterions are a small head and high crest, a full tail, and the roof of
the mouth, or, what is still better, the flesh under the tongue being
rather of a pink colour. Another excellent criterion, which was
explained to me by Mr. Joseph Miller, the fishmonger in Piccadilly, is
the smallness and tightness of the vent; for the better the trout is in
season, the smaller will be that vent-hole, which is formed just before
the under or belly-fin. And, after all, I prefer this, and one other way
of deciding; which is by the bright and silver-like appearance of the
scales. Take twenty trout, and, I think, if you dress them all, and
previously mark that one on which the scales shone the brightest, it
will prove to be the best fish. This may be frequently ascertained, even
before you land a trout, as a bright one, on being first hooked,
generally gives two or three leaps out of the water.
Before you send trout on a journey, always have them cleaned and gutted,
and let them be laid on their backs, and closely packed in willow (not
flag) baskets, and with either flags or dry wheat-straw. Packing in damp
grass or rushes is apt to ferment, and therefore liable to spoil your
fish.
* * * * *
Salmon and trout were here to be found among the rest. Indeed the people
asserted there were nine kinds of the former, for all of which they had
names, each kind making its appearance in the river at different periods
of the year. This must of course be a mistake, as so many varieties of
that fish do not, I imagine, exist.
Altogether I caught thirty-seven trout and salmon, their aggregate
weight being two hundred and twenty-six pounds, or on an average
something better than six pounds a-piece. The greatest number I killed
in any one day were seven, and the largest I took was eighteen pounds;
this weight was however comparatively nothing, for in the river below
the falls salmon were occasionally taken in nets weighing forty, fifty,
sixty, and even seventy pounds.
The trout are very fine at Trolhattan; I have killed them upwards of
twelve pounds’ weight. They are about the best grown fish I ever saw in
my life.
* * * * *
The high flavour and red colour for which the fish taken in Lochleven
are so famed, are understood to arise from the ford by which they are
supported in the loch; it being a general rule that while the flesh of
trout is white in clear and limpid waters, the same sort, when found
where the rivers pass slowly through a tract of foul or meadow ground,
have less or more redness in their colour. A considerable part of the
bottom of Lochleven is spongy, from which aquatic plants rise in great
abundance; and in many parts, towards the beginning of autumn, cover the
surface of the water with their flowers. But the circumstance to which
the high colour of the Lochleven trout is chiefly ascribed, is the vast
quantity of a small red shell fish which abounds in the bottom of the
loch, and especially among the aquatic plants; its form is globular, and
the trouts when caught have often their stomachs full of these
shell-fish. They generally lie in deep water, and will not rise to any
kind of fly or hook however baited: it has been remarked also, that in
Lochleven are discovered all the different species of river trout, and
after they have remained some time in the loch, and approached towards
one pound in weight, they become red in flesh. (_Vide_ FISHING, ROD,
WORM, &c., &c.)—_Daniel_—_Davy_—_Lloyd_—_Wild Sports, &c._
TRUMP, _s._ A trumpet, an instrument of warlike music; a winning
card; a card that has particular privileges in a game.
TRUMP, _v._ To win with a trump card.
TRUSS, _s._ A bandage by which ruptures are restrained from lapsing.
TRUSSING, _s._ Term applied to a hawk when she raises a fowl into
the air, and descends rapidly again.
TUMBLER, _s._ One who shows postures or feats of activity; a pigeon.
TUMID, _a._ Swelling, puffed up; protuberant, raised above the
level; pompous, boasting, puffy, falsely sublime.
TUN, _s._ A large cask; two pipes, the measure of four hogsheads;
any large quantity proverbially; a drunkard, in burlesque; the
weight of two thousand pounds; a ton.
TURBITH MINERAL, _s._ Subsulphate of mercury, yellow mercurial
emetic, or vitriolated quicksilver.
This mercurial preparation is seldom used in veterinary practice, being
apt to irritate the stomach and bowels, and bring on violent purging;
but it has been recommended as a remedy for farcy.
The dose is from half a drachm to a drachm.
It is given as an emetic to dogs, when they have swallowed any poisonous
substance, or at the commencement of the distemper.—WHITE.
_Turf_, _s._ A clod covered with grass; a part of the surface of the
ground; a kind of fuel; a racecourse. _To be on the turf_, to be
engaged in horse-racing.
_Turnip_, _s._ A white esculent root.
_Turnpike_, _s._ A cross of two bars armed with pikes at the end,
and turning on a pin, fixed to hinder horses from entering: a
gate erected on the road to collect tolls to defray the expense
of repairing roads.
_Turnspit_, _s._ He who anciently turned a spit; a dog used for this
purpose.
_Turpentine_, _s._ The gum exuded by the pine, the juniper, and
other trees of that kind.
Of turpentines there are four kinds, viz. Chio, Strasburg, Venice, and
common turpentine; the two last only are employed in veterinary
medicine. They are effectual diuretics, and possess a considerable
carminative power. Common turpentine is a principal ingredient in
digestive and detergent ointments. By distillation we obtain from it the
oil, or, as it is sometimes termed, the spirit of turpentine, a medicine
of great utility. In doses from two to three or four ounces, it
frequently cures the flatulent colic or gripes; and, when combined with
camphor and other stimulants, makes a good embrocation for indurated
swellings, strains, and bruises. When properly mixed with mustard, it
forms an embrocation that has been found serviceable in counteracting
internal inflammation. I have seen it applied to obstinate ulcers with
good effect. It is a useful ingredient in blistering-ointment and
liniments.
* * * * *
In speaking of the turpentines, Dr. Paris says they all possess the same
chemical as well as medicinal properties, viz. Canada turpentine, or
Canada balsam, as it is sometimes improperly called, is obtained from
the Pinus Balsamea. 2dly, Chian or Cyprus turpentine, from the Pistachia
Terebinthinus. 3dly, Common, or horse turpentine, from the Pinus
Sylvestris, or Scotch fir. 4thly, Venice turpentine from the Pinus
Larix; from the twigs of this species of fir the essence of spruce is
made. True Riga balsam is made from the shoots of the Pinus Cembra,
previously bruised and macerated for a month in water. The same fir also
yields Briançon turpentine.
Venice turpentine is generally made by mixing oil with the common
turpentine, which is easily done when the latter is melted.
Venice turpentine is sometimes employed as an ingredient in cough
medicines. The dose is about half an ounce. But if given as a remedy for
flatulent colic, or as a diuretic, a larger quantity is necessary. It
makes a good detergent ointment, if mixed with about a fourth or a third
part of red precipitate, finely powdered.
Dr. Latham considers it a valuable medicine in epilepsy. As a veterinary
medicine it is certainly of great value; and though in a few cases, when
given internally, it has produced violent effects, merely, I believe,
from bad management, yet, when judiciously administered, it may be
employed in a dose of four ounces, with advantage and safety.
I have long discontinued the use of oil of turpentine in my practice as
a remedy for flatulent colic, gripes, or fret; finding the preparations
of opium far more effectual.—_White._
TURTLE, _s._ The sea tortoise.
TURTLE DOVE (_Columba turtur_, LINN.; _La Tourtourelle_, BUFF.),
_s._
[Illustration]
Length somewhat more than twelve inches; the bill is brown; eyes yellow,
encompassed with a crimson circle; the top of the head is ash-colour,
mixed with olive; each side of the neck is marked with a spot of black
feathers, tipped with white: the back is ash-colour, each feather
margined with reddish brown; wing coverts and scapulars reddish brown,
spotted with black; quill feathers dusky, with pale edges; the fore part
of the neck and the breast are of a light purplish red; the belly,
thighs, and vent, white; the two middle feathers of the tail are brown,
the others dusky tipped with white; the two outermost also edged with
the same; the legs are red.
The note of the turtle dove is singularly tender and plaintive; in
addressing his mate the male makes use of a variety of winning
attitudes, cooing at the same time in the most gentle and soothing
accents; on which account the turtle dove has been represented in all
ages as the most perfect emblem of connubial attachment and constancy.
The turtle arrives late in the spring, and departs about the latter end
of August; it frequents the thickest and most sheltered parts of the
woods, where it builds its nest on the highest trees; the female lays
two eggs, and has only one brood in this country, but in warmer climates
it is supposed to breed several times in the year. Turtles are pretty
common in Kent, where they are sometimes seen in flocks of twenty or
more, frequenting the pea fields, and are said to do much damage. Their
stay with us seldom exceeds more than four or five months, during which
time they pair, build their nests, and rear their young, which are
strong enough to join them in their retreat.—_Bewick._
TUSH or TUSK, _s._ The long tooth of a fighting animal, the fang,
the holding tooth.
TUSKED or TUSKY, _a._ Furnished with tusks.
TWINE, _s._ A twisted thread; twist, convolution; embrace; act of
convolving itself round.
TWINLING, _s._ A twin lamb, a lamb of two brought at a birth.
TWITCH, _v._ To pluck with a quick motion, to snatch.
The twitch is a very necessary instrument in a stable, though, when
frequently and unnecessarily used, it may have the ill effect of
rendering some horses violent and vicious to resist its future
application. In many instances blindfolding will do more than the
twitch; and some horses may be quieted, when the pain is not excessive,
by holding the ear in one hand, and rubbing the point of it with the
other. A firm but soothing manner will often engage the attention and
prevent violence; but it is seldom that either threats or punishment
render an unruly horse better. Inexperienced persons guard themselves
against the hind feet only, but they should be aware that some horses
strike as truly and as terribly with their fore feet: it is prudent
therefore, in all operations, to blindfold the animal, and the more so,
as by this he becomes particularly intimidated, nor will he often strike
without an aim. Barnacles are a sort of clams used by smiths, into which
they introduce the nose in the manner of a twitch. They are only
admissible when a person is so situated as to be wholly without
assistance.—_Blaine._
TWITTER, _v._ To make a sharp tremulous intermitted noise; to be
suddenly moved with any inclination.
TYMPANUM, _s._ A drum, a part of the ear.
TYRO, _s._ One yet not master of his art.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VALERIAN, _s._ A plant, of which cats are immoderately fond.
VAPOUR, _s._ Anything exhalable, anything that mingles with the air;
wind; fume, steam; diseases caused by diseased nerves;
melancholy, spleen.
VARNISH, _s._ A matter laid upon wood, metal, or other bodies, to
make them shine.
As moisture is at all times destructive to wood, it is essential for the
angler to guard all in his power against its influence on his rod; for,
admitting that a shower of rain will not spoil it, yet if not protected
by varnish, it may soon be deprived of its elasticity, which is the
chief requisite of any, and more particularly of a fly-rod. Variety of
methods are used in preparing varnish; the one here mentioned is said to
be excellent.
_Varnish Recipe._—Half a pint of linseed oil, and a little India rubber
scraped fine; put them over a slow fire, and stir them well together,
until the rubber is dissolved, then boil and skim it, apply it warm, and
do not use the rod until quite dry. The appearance upon the rod will be
like a fine thin bark; it will preserve the rod from being worm-eaten,
and from other injuries, and is very durable.
_Another._—Half an ounce of shell, and the same quantity of seedlac
powdered fine in a mortar; put into separate phials, with half a pint of
good spirits of wine in each, and placed in a sand heat to dissolve;
during the process, shake the phials often; when each is dissolved, mix
them together in a larger bottle, with half an ounce of gum benzoin;
increase the heat, and the dregs will subside; then warm the wood, and
with a camel’s hair brush apply that part of the varnish which is become
fine; the third coat will remain on the surface, and securely protect
the rod from injury.—_Old Receipts._
VARNISH, _v._ To cover with something shining.
VASCULAR, _a._ Consisting of vessels, full of vessels.
VAULT, _v._ To leap, to jump.
UDDER, _s._ The breast or dugs of a cow, or other large animals.
VEAL, _s._ The flesh of a calf killed for the table.
VEGETABLE, _s._ Anything that has growth without sensation, as
plants.
VEGETABLE, _a._ Belonging to a plant; having the nature of plants.
VEHICLE, _s._ That in which any thing is carried; that part of a
medicine which serves to make the principal ingredient potable;
that by means of which anything is conveyed.
VEIN, _s_. The veins are only a continuation of the extreme
capillary arteries reflected back again towards the heart, and
uniting their channels as they approach it.
VEINY, _a._ Full of veins; streaked, variegated.
VELOCITY, _s._ Speed, swiftness, quick motion.
VELVET, _s._ Silk, with a short fur or pile upon it.
VELVET DUCK, DOUBLE SCOTER, or GREAT BLACK DUCK, (_Anas Fusca_,
LINN.; _Le Grand Macreuse_, BUFF.) _s._
[Illustration: THE VELVET DUCK.]
The velvet duck is larger than a mallard, weighing about three pounds
two ounces, and measuring above twenty inches in length.
They spread themselves in small numbers along the shores of Western
Europe, as far as France, where they sometimes appear in company with
the large flocks of scoters, and are often caught in the fishermen’s
nets with those birds; but they are seldom met with on the British
shores.
* * * * *
The bill broad, with a black knob at the base; the rest of the bill is
yellow; the nail red; the edges all round black; the plumage is black,
inclining to brown on the belly; under each eye is a white mark passing
backwards in a streak; across the middle of the wing is a band of white;
legs red; claws black. The female is more inclining to brown, and the
protuberance on the bill is wanting; forehead and cheeks under the eye,
dull brownish; behind that a large oval spot of white; whole upper parts
and neck dark brownish drab; tips of the plumage lighter; second ones
white; wing quills deep brown; belly brownish-white; tail hoary-brown;
the throat white, marked with dusky specks; legs and feet yellow.
This species much resembles the scoter, only that bird has no white
feathers about it, and the colour of the bill is somewhat different. In
the windpipe of this bird is a singular bony swelling, the size of a
small walnut, situated about two-thirds of the length from the larynx;
immediately under the larynx is another oblong bony cavity, of nearly an
inch in length; at the divarication the parts become bony, but not
greatly enlarged. This is peculiar to the male sex.—_Montagu._