Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/318

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PUD

PUG

of theſe galls; but he lias not mentiohed any of them being produced by a viviparous inſect, for the bringing up her nu- merous family: he has not omitted the bladders on the leaves of trees among the numbers of galls, but he has had no true idea of their origin; nor could this, indeed, have been any way found out, but by the obſervation that the creatures con- tained within them were of the ſame nature and origin with thoſe on the ſurface of the ſame or other leaves. There ſeems no doubt, but that each of the female pucerons found in the bladders of theſe leaves, has been herſelf the oc- caſion and the maker of that bladder in which ſhe is found ſo cloſe ſhut up.

It would be natural to ſuppoſe, that the creature formed her- ſelf this lodgment when ſhe found herſelf loaded with young, and under a neceſſity of being delivered of them : but this is not the caſe ; for a female puceron taken in this If ate, and placed upon a leaf, makes no attempt towards the making herſelf ſuch a lodging ; and there are taken out of the ncw-riſen blad- ders many Angle animals of this kind, which are ſo far from being about producing their young, that they are not full grown. Theſe, however, are always females. The method of the formation of them ſeems to be this: as ſoon as the female puceron is produced, ſhe fixes her trunk into the leaf to ſuck its juices ; the conſequence of this in all the pucerons is, that the ſurface of the leaf ſeparates a little from the nervous part : in the common caſes the creature takes no advantage of this, but only continues ſucking the juices ; but in this kind, the female, as ſoon as ſhe has made the ſepara- . tion between the parts of the leaf, gets into the cavity that is formed there, by enlarging the orifice firſt made by the trunk, till it will admit her body. When once in, ſhe works forward ^ in a ſtrait line, and the hole behind her ſoon cloſes up, as there

  • was no rupture, but only a ſtretching open of the parts of the leaf.

The female thus finds herſelf in a ſecure place, and the eleva- tion ſhe makes in the leaf is ſcarce perceivable, only appear- ing as an oblong final! ſpecies of gall. The mark of the aper- ture at which ſhe made her way in, is always to be ſeen at ſome diſtance behind her, tho* uſually very neatly cloſed up : thus the whole continues till the creature produces her young. But then the ſcene is quite altered ; the young ones begin to ſuck as ſoon as produced, and as they uſually ſeize upon the ſides of the ſmall gall, already formed for that purpoſe, this derives more juices than otherwiſe would flow into it ; and it begins to elevate itſelf much higher, and forms a tubercle of the ſhape of a nut or pear.

Its growth in this caſe is entirely analogous to that of the com- mon galls on the branches of trees, &c. and all the difference in the ſhape of the ſeveral bladders, is owing to the manner of the young pucerons ſucking : for if they ſuck much at its baſe, that enlarges and becomes the broadeſt part, as is the caſe in the conic and pointed ones ; but if they let this alone, and ſuck only the ſides and upper part, they ſwell while this does not, and conſequently this forms a ſort of pedicle to the grow- ing bladder. Reaumur's Hiſt. Inf. Vol. VI. p. 33.

Ba/tard-VucERON. See FiG-infecl, and Grub of the box.

•Earth Puceron. See Earth.

Grub Pucerons. See Grub.

YvcEROW-eater, or Lion Puceron. See Lion puceron.

Oak Puceron. See Oak.

Yer Puceron. See Ver puceron.

Wood Puceron. See Wood.

PUCKAUN beady, in natural hiſtory, a name given by the people of the Eaſt Indies to a peculiar ſpecies of orpiment, which they uſe in medicine.

They find it on the hills and on the banks of rivers. It is prepared by ſeveral tedious proceſſes, and then is given with ſucceſs in a diabetes.

PUDDINGS, in a ſhip, are ropes nailed to the arms of the main and fore yards, near the ends, and then at three or four due diſtances inwards one from another, in order to keep the rob- bins from galling or wearing aſunder upon the yards, when the top-ſail ſheets are haled home.

They call alſo thoſe ropes which are wound about the rings of anchors, to ſave the clinch of the cable from being galled with the iron, by this name ; ſo that when the ring is ſo ferv- ed, it is called the pudding of the anchor.

Pudding-/7«k. See the article Oculatus lapis.

PUDENDA (Cycl.) — It is remarkable, that among the fiſh-tribe all that are oviparous have no pudenda, properly ſpeaking ; that is, they have no penis or vulva, unleſs the ovaria of the females and the vaſicula? feminales of the males may be called by that name.

The viviparous fiſhes, on the other hand, as the cetaceous fiſhes in particular, and many kinds of the cartilagineous have the penis and vulva, diſtinctly and properly ſo called. Artcdi Ichthyolog. .

PUDIANO, called alſo pazdiano, and by others vermelho, apai- mixira, and tetimixita, a fiſh of the ſize of a middling pearch, but not ſo broad as that fiſh.

Its head is ſmall, its noſe pointed, and the upper part of its mouth furniſhed with very ſharp teeth ; its lower part with others extremely minute Its eyes are prominent, and the rays of its back fin are rigid and prickly. Its ſcales are ex- tremely ſmall, and ſo cloſely laid, that it ſeems ſmooth to the

touch. Its whole body Is of a gold-yellow ; but that the upper part of its head, and its back to the end of the back-fin, are of a very beautiful purple. The rim or edge of the belly-fin is alſo purple, and the reſt of a gold-yellow. It is a whole- ſome and well tailed fiſh. Ray's Ichthyol. p. 339. Mare- grave's Hiſt. Braſil.

Pudiano verde, in zoology, the name of an American fiſh of a very remarkable colour, and very well tailed and whole- ſome. See Tab. of Fiſhes, N°. 60.

It is of an oblong ſhape, and its uſual ſize is about ten fingers long, and three broad in the broadeſt part ; for towards the tail it is but about half that breadth. Its mouth is ſmall, and its upper jaw furniſhed with two long teeth, and a great num- ber of ſhort ones ; and its under one with four Jong ones, and a like number of ſmall ones. Its back-fin is very long, and is ſupported by prickly rays. It is of a yellow colour, and variegated with longitudinal Ilreaks of blue. Its tail is not forked, and is of a reddiſh brown, variegated with a bluiſh green, and has a border of green at the end. Its ſcales are broad, and are ſo diſpoſed, as to repreſent ſo many cubes. Theſe are all of a fine yellow, and each has a rim of a bright blue all round its edges ; and the whole fiſh is very elegantly variegated with blue, yellow, green, and white ſtreaks. Marggraveh Hiſt. Braſil. IVillughby's Hiſt. Piſc. p. 340.

PUFF-ball, the common Engliſh name for the fungus pulveru- lentus, or lycoperdon. See Lycopereon. The dull contained within this body, (which, when it is cruſh- ed, flies out in an inconceivably fine powder, in form of a cloud of ſmoak) when examined by the microſcope, appears to be a multitude of regulary figured, tho' extremely ſmall bodies. Theſe require the moſt powerful magnifiers to diſ- tinguiſh them, and are found to be little globules of an orange colour, and ſomewhat tranſparent; and ſo ſmall, that the cube of the diameter of a hair, would be equal to an hundred and twenty-five thouſand of them. In other ſpecies of this muſh- room, the globules are evidently ſeen to be ſo many puff-balk* being of a darker colour, and having each a little ſtalk or tail : by means of theſe ſtalks they penetrate into the ground, when ſhed from their parent plant.

The duſt of theſe muſhrooms is very hurtful to the eyes, and we have had inſtances of perſons being blinded for a long- time by it, with violent pain, ſwelling, and inflammation; and this is probably owing to the ſharpneſs of theſe almoſt inconceivably minute ſtalks or tails. Baker's, Microſcope, P- 255-

PUFFIN, in zoology, a name by which ſome call the anas arctica Cluſii. See Puffinus, infra.

PUFFINET, in zoology, the name of a bird known amonn- authors by that of the columba Groen'andica, or the Greenland or ſea turtle-dove.

It is common on the northern coaſts, and is black all over, ex- cept two ſmall ſpots on its head : but it is pretended by ſome, that in winter it turns white. Ray's Ornithol. p, 245.

PUFFINUS, in zoology, the name of a water fowl, with its three fore-toes connected by a membrane ; but its hinder ones looſe, and with a ſharp and crooked beak. It is called in Ene- liſh the puffin.

It is larger than the tame pigeon ; its head, neck and back are black : its breaſt and belly white : its beak is two fingers breadth long, and its baſe covered by a naked membrane, and has on each ſide a furrow, running from thence to the end of it: its wings are very long, and- its tail a hand-breadth long, and black : it is extremely common in the Iſle of Man, but is ſo fat, that its fleſh is accounted unwholeſome unleſs it is ſalt- ed : it is alſo common in the Scilly iſlands. They breed only in the culf of Man, an uninhabited part of the firſt mentioned iſland, and each female lays only one egg. They lay in rabbit holes, and as ſoon as the young are hatch- ed, they follow their parents all day to ſea, returning only in the evening. The people take them early in the morning, about the time of their going out, and that every man may remember how many he takes, he always cuts off one of the legs, and keeps it in his pocket; hence the vulgarly ob- tained opinion, that puffins have but one leg. Ray's Ornithol. p. 252.

PUGNAX avis, in zoology, the name of the bird called in Eng- liſh the ruffe, and the female of which is the reeve. It has its Latin name from its quarrelſome diſpoſition, the males beino- always fighting. See the article Ruffe.

PUGNITIUS, in zoology, the name of the common ſtickle- back, or barnſticle, called alſo from its ſpines aculeatus, and by ſome authors ſpinachia, turonilla, and centiſcus. It is a very well known fiſh, and is found every where in new dug ditches, C3V. where no body can perceive how it comes. Hence the vulgar have an opinion, that it breeds there equi- vocally and of itſelf, without the help of parents of its own kind ; and that from it all other fiſhes are bred. Theſe are idle opinions : the ſmalleſt animalcule is not pro- duced m putrid matter otherwiſe than by the egg of a parent animal; this origin will, therefore, hardly be believed of larger, and, as they are called, more perfect animals. Theſe ſmall fiſh are ſo far from peopling ponds with other fiſh, that they are very great devourers of the ſpawn of larger fiſh, and do infinite miſchief in ponds.

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