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Germany, and even on modern-built brick arches, as has of late been found on opening the vault under the terrace at Windfor. This, and the preceding inftance, give us unquefti- onable evidence of the prefent, and daily formation of thefe bodies. Hi/l's Hift. of Foff. p. 367.
STALAGMITE. See the article Stalagmoscieria.
STALAGMODIAUGIA, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of fpars. The word is derived from the Greek r«- jwe/fi*?, a drop, and hetvy^ pellucid. The bodies of this genus are the purer kinds of what authors call Jialagmita, or drop-ftones.
They are fpars found in form of fmall balls, each competed of numerous crufts, and confiderably pellucid and cryftalline. Of this genus there are three known fpecies. 1. A white one with numerous thin crufts, and a fmooth furface, found in many parts of Germany, and in England. 2. A greyifh white one with thicker crufts, and a rougher furface. And 3. a yellow thin-crufted one with an echinated furface. Thefe are both found in the fubterranean caverns of Eng- land, and many other places, and the former of them is the confetti di Tvvoli of the Italians. Hill's Hift. of Foff. p. 370.
STALAGMOS, a term ufed by authors to exprefs a diltilla- tion of rheum from the head.
STALAGMOSCIERIA, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of fpars. The word is derived from the Greek ra?wjf*Ssj a drop, and omegas, opake, and expreffes an opake fpar, which has received its form from the dropping of water.
The bodies of this genus are the coarfer kinds of what are called by authors Jlalagmita, and are fmall round manes, compofed of numerous thin crufts, and of an opake and coarfe ftrufmre.
Of this genus we have only two known fpecies. 1. A fmall brownifh white one with a fmooth coat, found in Saxony, and fome parts of England. And 2. a fmall brownifh white one with thin crufts, and a large nucleus. This is found in fmall maffes in Yorkfhire, and is the fubftance of which the famous Ketton-ftone of Rutland is compofed. Hill's Hift. of Foff. p. 373.
Scotland affords a vaft variety of the Jlalagmita. One cave, about eight miles diftant from Aberdeen, on the fea-fidc, has its whole roof crufted over with Jlalaclita, of a foot in length, hanging down like the fringe of a bed. The floor alfo is as deep covered with congeries of Jlalagmitee. The upper coat, both of thefe and the JlaLclites, is of a fea-co- lour, but the inner parts are as white as fal prunellas. The water which drops from thefe is of a very peculiar nature, for it is fo acrimonious, that if it touch the fkin but ever fo flightfy, it makes it fmart. Near this cave there is an- other^ hollow rock, in which the JlalaEtiim make a very beautiful figure : they are all formed into long and thick co- lumns, and ftand perpendicularly, fo that they reprefent the pipes of an organ j when broken, they are all found to be hollow within. The rock, and all the ftone thereabouts, is of the limeftone kind.
STALK, among botanifts, that patt of a plant which rifes immediately from the root, and which ufually fupports the leaves, the flowers, and the fruit.
The term jlalk is ufed on all occafions ; but in fpeaking of the graffes, and gramineous plants, where the word culm is ufed in its place, to diftinguifli that peculiar kind of Jlalk which is general to all thefe plants, and is not found in any others. See the article Plant.
The terms ufed in defcribing the jlalh of plants, are ; a fimple Jlalk, one which runs up undivided from the root to the top.
Naked Jlalk, one that has no leaves. Follofe Jlalk, one with leaves on it. Ramoje Jlalk, that which fends out branches. Erccl /talk, that which rifes ftrait up. Oblique /talk, that which is flanting. Voluble /talk, that which twirls round other things. Flexuous [talk, that which bends.
Reclinate /talk, that which ftoops towards the ground. Procumbent /talk, that which lies on the ground. Creeping, or [armentous [talk, that which emits roots as it runs along.
If the [talk be rounded in fhape, it is called round ; if it make two angles, anclpital; if three, trigonal; if four, [quare ; if more, polygonal. If the [talk be lightly ridged and furrowed on the furface, it is faid to be [mated ; if more deeply, canaliculate; if full of protuberances, fcabrous ; if lightly hairy, villofe ; if more roughly, hifpld.
In the branched [talk, if the branches rife erect, it is expreffed by afcendant; if they fpread, by diffufe; if they are very large, it is called brancbiated.
If the [talk divaricate, or, inftead of fending out branches, it divide into them, it is called a compsjite /talk. If thefe divarications proceed by pairs, or if every branch be divided only into two others, it is called dhhotomons; if it part into two feries of branches, it is expreffed by the term di- ftichous; if it part into a multitude of ramifications, is called jiibdivided.
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All thefe terms are ufed alfo In expreffing the different ffateS of the culm, which having no articulations, is called equal ; when fcaly, fqnammofe. Stalk, ox/talking, among the fportfmen, a term ufed to exprefs the manner of making approaches to their game behind fome animal, or the relemblance of fomc animal, or other objeclj which may be more familiar, or left terrible to the creature than the body of a man would be. The beft, of all methods for [talking, is by means of a real living horfe, trained for the purpofe. This horfe mould be chofen of the talleft and largcfl kind ; no matter how old he is, but he muft be well trained, and ready at command; And as there is much art required to the reclaiming a horfe that is by nature wild, and apt to be frighted by noife and fire, as is the cafe when the gun is fired over him, the firfl: attempt toward the training him muft be the chaining up his head to a tree, and firing the gun feveral times very near him : at firfl he will be frighted, and kick and caper about, but after this has been praiffifed many days together, he will by degrees become fo tame, that a gun may be fired under his neck without ftarting, or taking any notice of it.
When he is thus taught to bear the noife of a gun, one great matter is obtained j what remains, is the teaching him to go in a proper manner, moving gently, and feeding as he goes, and to ftand ftill and feed when the fportfman would have him : this is only to be done by much practice^ and by his obfervi'ng the motions and checks given him as fignals on this occafion. The horfe muft be always naked for this fport, for the fight of a faddle and bridle on a horfe give the birds an alarm, and they will rife and take wing, when they would otherwife have flood perfectly quiet : he muft therefore only have a little flip tied about his iower chap, by means of which he may be guided as the fportf- man fees occafion ; and the perfbn who ufes him, muft al- ways take care to go juft upon a level with his fhoulders, and to guide his own feet by his. Some take their aim under the [talking horfe's belly, but this expofes them too much to the fight of the birds, who often fly away before they can take aim ; but the better way is to take the level before the creature's brcaft, where the whole body of the man remains as much concealed, as it was before the taking the aim.
The horfe being properly trained, will walk flowly along in any fort of ground, as flubble-fields, moorifb places, or the banks of rivers, and will always feed, or pretend to feed, as he is directed. The fportfman is to, conceal him- felf and his gun behind the horfe's fore fhoulder, bending his body low by his fide, and keeping the whole body of the horfe always full between the fowl and himfelf. When by this means the fportfman is come fo near to the birds, that the gun will reach them with ftrcngth to kill, he is never to attempt advancing any nearer, that they may not be dif- turbed. Some recommend the mooting over the horfe's buttocks, and fome over his neck, but ihe beft way is under the neck, and before the breaft ; for by this means the body of the fportfman is covered by the fhoulder, and his legs by the legs of the horfe. It is proper alfo to take out a fpaniel, but he muft be one that is well trained to the fport, and that will lie ftill and clofe behind his matter's heels, for if he is feen, the birds will immediately be gone. When the birds are fliot, the dog will bring them to his rhafter, and as they often fall in places where a man cannot come at them, this creature is of very neceffary fervice. This is the beft of all methods of Jlalking, but as fuch a horfe is difficult to train, and chargeable to keep, and is not always to be had, there are many other contrivances introduced to fupply the place of it ; among thefe the prin- cipal are the Jlalking wheelbarrow, the Jlalking bufh, and the Jlalking hedge. The firft of thefe is to be thus con- trived : take a wheelbarrow, made on purpofe of light firj and fet round about it boughs and bufhes in fuch a manner, that you may fit in it, and not be difcovered by the fowl, and drive it along without giving them difturbance. The fportfman is always to take a fpaniel well trained to the fport along with him on this occafion, and when he knows the haunts of the birds, he is to level through the boughs that are placed about it, and fend out his fpaniel for the birds he kills.
The Jlalking bufh is to be contrived of feveral bufhes Well platted together, with all their leaves on ; it is to be Fattened to a flake, which is to have an iron point at the end : the whole is to be of the height of 2 man, and thickiet with boughs all the way, from top to bottom. When the fportf- man fees his game before him, he is to advance flowly with this artificial bufh between him and them ; when he is come within a proper diftance, he is to fix the bufh into the ground, by running in the iron fpike, and then to fhoot through the boughs.
The Jlalking hedge' is generally made about nine feet long, and a yard and half high : it is to be made of fmall wands, fo woven togelher, as to give room for the placing of green boughs among them, that it may refemble a great growing hed^c. This is to be carried before the fportfman, and, in 3 F f f She
