TUR
T U R
Accofdingto the new fyftem of Artedi, this is a fpeciesof the pleuronectes, and it is difltnguifced by him by the name of the Wholly fmooth pleuronectes, with the eyes on the right iide. See tbcarticlesHippoGLossus and Pleuronectes.
TURCICA Terra, Turkey Earth, in the materia medica, a very fine bole or medicinal earth, dug in great plenty in the neighbourhood of Adrianople, and ufed by the Turks as a fu- dorific and aftringent, and famous among them in peftilential difeafes. It is- fometimes brought over to us alio, made up into flattiih orbicular manes, of two or three drams weight, and fealed with fome Turkifli characters. This earth is of a fomewhat lax and friable texture, yet confiderably heavy, of a greyifh red colour, but always redder on the furface than within ; extremely foft, and naturally of a fmooth furface. It breaks eafily between the fingers, and melts freely in the mouth, with a confiderably ftrong aftringent tafte. It adheres but fiightly to the tongue, raifes no effervefcence with acids, and burns to a dufty yellow colour. Hill's Hift. of Foff. p. 1 5. Many authors who have written of the materia medica, and offoffils in general, have indifcriminately called the various kinds of Lemnian earth by this name ; but the true Terra Tur-
, ciea, deferibed by Schroder, Wormius, &e. is a different fub- ftance, though not fufficiently charaetcrifed by thofe authors to diftinguifh it from all the other earths,
TURCOIS (Cyel.)— Seethe Appendix.
TURDUS, in the Linnasan fyftem of zoology, the name of a genus of birds, of the order of the pafleres. The diftinguifh- ing characters of this genus are, that the tongue is jagged, and has a rim or margin round it ; the bill is of a conic pointed figure, a little convex, and naked at the bafe. Linntsi Syit. Natur. p. 49.
This genus comprehends the thrufli, black-bird, and ftarling. The diftinguifhing characters of this genus, according to Mr. Ray, are thefe : They are of a middle fize between the pigeon and the lark. Their beak is moderately long and thick, and is a little bent downwards ; their mouth yellow within ; their tail long; and their food both vegetable fubftances, and infects in common. Mod of thefe birds fing very melodioufly, and may be taught to imitate the human voice in fpeaking. Ray's Ornithol. p. 137.
There are three fubdiftinctions of the Turdus kind : 1. The thruft), called by authors fnnply Turdus. 2. The merula, or black-bird, diftinguifhed by its dark colour : And 3. The ftrurnus or ftarling, known by the breadth and flatnefs of its beak. We have four (pedes of thrum in England : 1, The Turdus vifcivorus major, or mifiel-bird. %. The vijeivorus minor, or fong-thrufti, or mavis. 3. The Turdus pillaris, or field-fare. And 4. The Turdus iliacus, or fwine-pipe. See the articles MissEL-Bird, Mavis, FiELD-Fare, and
SwtJSiBrPipt.
The two firft of thefe build and remain the whole year with us, the others only vifit us in winter. Id. ibid.
Turdus Cb'tappts, in zoology, the name of a bird of the Weft Indies, oddly and imperfectly defcribed by Nieremberg, and faid to be very dexterous at rilling a pine with acorns, which are its only food, by making holes in its bark. Thefe it fixes in fo nicely, that it is not eafy to get them out ; and thefe are its ftorc, which it eats occafionally. It is, from this practice, called alfo pajjer faber. Ray's Ornithol. p. 303.
Turdus, in ichthyography, the name of a genus of fifties, of the clafs of thofe which have only one back-fin, the anterior rays of which are prickly ; the hinder ones foft and fmooth. Of thefe fifties there are feveral fpecies, which may properly be divided into two orders ; the firft, of thofe which are fmaller and broad ; the fecond, of thofe which are larger and oblong. Of the firft order are the tinea marina, or wrafle. See the ar- ticle Wrasse. The wenda, or Turdus tiiger. See the article Merula. The lepras, and pira pixanga, which fee. And the Turdus viridis or verdsne. See the article Ver.- done. Ray's Ichthyogr. p. 320.
Of the fecond order are the pave. See the article Pavo. And the Tardus viridis major, and Tardus fujeus macula/us. The Turdus viridis major, or great green wrajfe, is of a fine green on its back and fides, even to the fide-lines ; and the lower part of the fides and belly are of a pale whitifh yellow, variegated with greyifh and pale blue fpots. Its body is long, and hot much unlike that of the pike in figure. Its back-fin is long, and has thirty-two ribs, the anterior nineteen of which are rigid and prickly, the hinder twelve foft, flexile, and ra- mofe. The fcales arc large, the eyes fmall, and the teeth very large and ftrong.
The Turdus fufcus macuhfus, or brown fpotted wrafle, fcarce at all differs from the other, except in colour. It is of a duflcy hue on the back and fides, variegated with blue fpots ; and on the belly blue, with lines and fpots of red. All the fins, ex- cept thofe of the gills, are of a red colour, fpotted with blue- the tail alfo is of this colour, and the gill-fins are yellow. Ray's Ichthyogr. p. 322.
TURK {Cyel.) — Turf Sweating, an Indian method of curing difeafes, which has been found to fucceed very happrlv on many trials.
Paul Dudley, E% gives an account of amah of feventy- four years old in New England, who drinking cold water when very hot, had a pain fettled in one fide and arm, which baf-
fled all art. to remove; till- after nine weeks' confinement txrhh bed, when he was given over by every body, it was propofed to try this method of cure upon him.
An oven-full of Tar/" was ordered to be cut ; the Turfs were of about -eighteen inches fquare each, and were of the nature of the EnglilhTwr/" ufed in Gardens.
The Indian doctor, . before the Turf was put into the oven, rubbed over their grafly. fide with fume fort of oil or fpirit, and then putting the two grafs fides together, placed them in the oven. When they had been two hours there, and were well baked,, he took them out, and made a bed upon the floor, the place for the head being a little railed : The old man was then taken out of bed without his ihiit, but wrapped inafheet, and being laid on the Turf-bzd, fuch another parcel of the hot Turf was laid over him. The Turf was laid thicker! on that fide where the pain was, but none of it was put upon his breaft or head.
He was then covered with a blanket to keep in the heat ; and while he was in this warm bath, he was continually fupplied with warm cordials to keep him from fainting, of which he was in great danger. After he had lain in this bath about three quarters of an hour, which was as long as he could bear it, he was put into a bed very well warmed, without his mirt, where he < foon fell afleep, and fweated to that degree, that it run through the pillow and bed on the floor. After about two hours fweat, they rubbed and dried him, and put on his cloaths ; and the old gentleman found himfelf much eafed and refrefhed. The operation was performed in the morning, and before night he walked about the houfe comfortably, his pain being almoft all gone. The cordials were, after this, repeated, and, on the fourth day, the fweating was performed again ; the day after which the old gentleman was well enough to go about his bufinefs. He lived eleven years afterwards in per- fect health, and free from pain.
Great eare is to be taken in this operation, that the patient do, not lie too long in the Turf: In many cafes, a quarter of an hour is found to be long enough : and the general rule is, that as foon as the patient begins to fetch his breath fhort or fainr, he muft be put to bed immediately, and the cordials muft by no means be omitted ; for the life of the patient is endangered without them. P-hilof. Tranf. N°. 384. p. 129.
TURKEY, in zoology. See the article Meleagris.
TURKINS, in our ftatutes, is ufed for a iky- coloured cloth. Stat. 1 R. 2. c. 8- Blount.
TURMERIC {Cyel.)— A plafter of Tumm-k, well bruifed, top and roots,' is' thought to be good againft the bite of the ratttle-fnake. See Phil. Tranf. N\ 479. p. 144.
TURN, (Cyd.) in mining, is a pit funk in fome part of a drift. If the mine be deep, there are many of thefe Turns one below another. Houghton's Oomph Miner, in the Explan. of the Terms.
Turn, in the manege, is a term commonly ufed in directing to change hands. See the article Change and Entif.r.
Turn, m the fea language. See the articleLAND-Tor;r.
TURNEP, Rapa, in botany. See the article Rapa.
It is but of late years that the farmers have brought Turnups into ufe, as an improvement of their fields. All forts of land, when made fine either by dung and tillage, or by tillage alone, will produce Turneps, but not all equally. Chalky land is too dry for them, and they are fo long on it before they get into the rough leaf, that the fly often takes them, and they are deftroyed. Sometimes, however, they fucceed well in this fort of land, though rarely. Charlock is a weed very apt to infeft Tumep-hnds, and when the Turneps and this are both young, they are fo alike, that there have been instances of the people fent to weed, miftaking one for' the other, and cutting up all the Turneps, and leaving all the charlock.
Sandy and gravelly land are found to be the beft for Turneps^ becaufe thefe foils are moil ealily pulverized, and have a warmth that makes the Turneps grow much fafter than they would in a colder ground. By this means they are preferved from the danger of the fly, which only infefts them while not yet grown into the rough leaf; and this fort of foil, when well tilled and hoed, never wants molfture even in the hotteft wea- ther. ■ The dews reach as deep as the plough or hoe penetrates, which is fix or eight inches ; and "the fun's heat with us is ne- ver fo great as to exhale it wholly from that depth. Tull's HorfehoingHufbandry, p. 44.
When Turneps are fow^d by hand, and hoed by hand-hoers, the plants grow too clofe, and the operation is never half per- formed, the workers ufually leaving one half of the land un- hoed, and covering it with the earth they cut up from the other parts ; fo that the weeds there being only buried an inch or two deep, grow more vigoroufly than before. 'The true method is to fow them by the drill, and horfe-hoe them after- wards. By this means the plants arc kept at a proper diftance, and the earth opened between them' The effect of this, upon a fair trial, has been proved to be, that the drilled Turneps, when gathered, have been twice the quantity of the fown ones, upon an equal. quantity of ground, though the hand- - hoing of the latter had cod at the rate of ten {hillings an acre. In the method of drilling, they are fure to come up quickly, becaufe in every row half the feed is planted at four inches 3 dcc P»
