Each of these 9 subjects appears in only one of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. None is long enough to carry a page by itself, so they are gathered here by letter. Anything that grows moves out to a page of its own.
a silver coin current in Italy during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The name means shield, and was derived from the heraldic shield, which it bore, of the prince who issued it. The scudo varied in value from 96 cents to $1.05. In 1859 Pope Pius IX struck a gold scudo worth $1.03. The present Italian coin of value is the lire, worth practically $5.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
a name popularly given to unshapely and repulsive fishes of different genera. The yellow sculpin belongs to a different family from the daddy sculpin, and it again is not the same as the common grubby of the New York and the New England coasts which rivals it in ugliness. All are unshapely with very large spiny heads, wide mouths, and slender, tapering bodies. These sculpins are of a dull, mottled color and are found in coast waters, both of the Atlantic and the Pacific, being especially abundant on the western coast where they are used sometimes by the Indians for food although held in contempt by the whites. Still another sculpin is the deep-water sculpin, or sea-raven. It is particularly hideous and is distinguished by a long, irregular dorsal fin, having about seventeen spines.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
in the manufacture of textiles, a name given to certain processes applied to raw fiber preparatory to carding. The scutching of flax separates the fibers from the woody particles adhering to them. The process is performed by means of a simple machine which beats off the woody particles. The scutching of cotton separates the fibers after they are opened up, cleanses them from fine foreign litter, and spreads them in a wide lap ready for carding. The scutching of silk disentangles and straightens refuse silk preparatory to carding.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
sil's and ka-rib'-dis, a promontory and whirlpool on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina, Italy. Scylla is a rocky promontory at the western extremity, toe, of the mainland. According to legend, it was the haunt of a monster of that name having twelve feet and six long necks and mouths, each mouth armed with three rows of sharp teeth. It barked like a dog. In reality, the promontory, while formidable, no doubt, to the ships of the ancients in time of storm, presents no unusual obstacle to the passage of modern ships. Charybdis is a dangerous whirlpool at the opposite side of the strait, off the coast of Sicily. It is a rapid eddy of dark waters caused by conflicting tides. Even to this day sailors aim to keep out of it. In mythology, it was represented as the home of a monster with upper parts like those of a woman and lower parts like those of a fish or serpent. The whirlpool is situated outside the harbor of Messina, not directly opposite the promontory. In the Homeric legends, the monsters are represented as situated so near together that unlucky sailors, aiming to keep out of reach of the horrid mouths of Scylla, were engulfed in the dark depths of Charybdis. "Between Scylla and Charybdis" is a traditional expression for a situation with implied danger on either hand.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
A native of Chios, who wrote a Periegesis, or description of the earth, in prose, and which is consequently different from the Periegesis in Iambic meter which has come down to us. Scyros (Scyro). An island in the Aegean Sea , east of Euboea, and one of the Sporades . Here Thetis concealed her son Achilles in woman's attire among the daughters of Lycomedes , and here also Pyrrhus , the son of Achilles by Deidamia, was brought up.
Only in 1000 Classical Characters
a name very vaguely used by ancient writers. It was sometimes applied to all the nomadic tribes which wandered over the regions to the N. of the Black and the Caspian Seas, and to the E. of the latter. In the time of the Roman empire the name Scythia extended over Asia from the Volga to the frontiers of India.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
a name applied to one or two members of the eagle family; but probably with most distinctive value to the cinereous or white-tailed eagle or erne, Haliaëtus albicilla, found in all parts of Europe. It is generally found inhabiting the seacoasts, and though livjou ing mainly on fish, yet makes inland neys in search of food, and seizes lambs, hares, and other animals. The head is covered with long drooping feathers of ashy brown color, while the body is of a dark-brown hue, streaked in some places SEA EAGLE with lighter tints, and having the primary feathers of the wing mostly black. The tail is rounded, and is of white color in the adult, but brown in the young bird. The bird feeds in Shetland in the Hebrides. The American band headed eagle, Haliaëtus leucocephalus, from its frequenting the seacoasts is also named the sea eagle. See EAGLE.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
a large seal, called also bottle-nosed seal and seal elephant. It is the largest of the seal family, being larger than an elephant. The average length of the male is 12 to 14 feet, but some of 20 and 25 feet are mentioned. SEA ELEPHANT The female is generally about 10 feet long. It gets its name from its size and from its proboscis, which stretches out a foot or more, somewhat like the trunk of an elephant. The males are slaty-blue or brown, the female olive-brown above and yellowish below. Their hair is coarse and useless, but their thick skin makes good harness leather. The blubber yields a fine clear oil as good as sperm oil, without bad smell or taste. In England it is used for softening wool and in making cloth. The sea elephant was once found in abundance at Heard's Island in the southern Indian ocean, and at the Falkland and South Shetland Islands and other islands in the south Atlantic, and the coast of California. It is now rare.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Aplysia, the name of a genus of gasteropodous mollusca. These animals are slug-like in appearance, and derive their popular name from the prominent character of the front pair of tentacles, which somewhat resemble the ears of a hare. The shell is either absent or is of very rudimentary character, and is concealed by the mantle. Four tentacles exist, and the eyes are situated at the base of the hinder tentacles. The sea hares are widely distributed throughout most seas, and generally inhabit muddy or sandy tracts. They emit a fluid of a rich purple hue. They are also known to discharge an acrid fluid of milky appearance, which has an irritant effect on the human skin. A. hybrida is the common British species.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia