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kind, called by Aldrovand; the Tofam, and by Gcfuer, the Fedoa fecunda.
It ufually weighs about nine ounces; its beak is fhaped like that of the woodcock, and is red all over, except at the end, where it is blackifh ; its neck is grey ; its belly and bread white) its head of a brownifh grey ; and its back brown; but its rump has a white ring on it ; its tail is compofed of Hack and white feathers. Ray's ornitholog. p. 216.
VE T I'ONICA, in botany, the antient way of fpelling the word Betonica, the name of a plant called in Enslifli, Be- tony.
It is called Vettmua by Pliny, who fays, it obtained that name irom a people of Italy fo called, among whofe - woods it grew.
We are far from being certain what plant the antients mean when they prefcribe Betony, fome having applied the name to the fame plant, which we at this time call by it ; others cal- ling the ferratula or law-wort, by this name, and others rofemary.
Diofcorides mentions only one kind of Betony, which he calls cejira mApfuchrotropha in the Greek, and which his tranflators explain by I'ettonica vol rofmarinus ; and this is countenanced m exprefs words by the author himfelf, in one place, where he fays the plant ciftra is called pfuchrotropha, from its beini* produced in damp places ; and that the Romans called itBeto- mca, or rofmariitm.
This fcems abfolutcly confounding the two plants rofemary and Betony.
The Betony, faw-wort, and rofemary* of the prefent times, are three very different plants ; and we are therefore not to cenfure the antients, if any one of them wants the virtues they afciibed to Betony, but to try them all round. However, if any thing certainly can be judged of the betonica of the antients, it is, that it was our fcrratula. See the arti- cle Serratula.
VEXILLARII, among the Romans, were veteran foldiers, the fame with thofe the old Romans called triariii There were fix hundred of them in every legion. See the article Teia- . RII, Cycl.
VlATORES, among the Romans, officers whofe bufinefs it was to go into the country, and acquaint the fenators of the extraordinary days on which they were to meet. See Mem. de l'Acad. vol. I. p. 405.
VIBA, Vuba, or Vaba, names by which fome botanical au- thors call the common fugar-canc. Pijo, p. no. Marg- grave, p. 82.
V'IBEX, (Cycl.) a word ufed by fome to exprefs a black mark upon tbefkin, from a hruife.
VIBRANT, or Vibrion, in natural hiftcry, the name of a clafs of flies, commonly known by the name of the ichneu- mons.
The word is derived from the Latin mbro, to (hake or quiver, and is applied to thefe flies, from the continual vibrating mo- tion obferved in their antennae.
VIBRISSAS, a word ufed by medical writers to exprefs the hairs in the noftrils.
VIBURNUM, in botany, the name of a genus of trees, the charaflers of which are thefe : The flower confifts of only one leaf, and is of the rotated kind, and divided into feveral feg- ments at the edges. The center of this flower is perforated by the pointal of the cup, which finally becomes a roundifh, foft and juicy berry, containing a hard ftriated feed, of a flattifh figure, _
There is only one fpecies of this tree, which is the common Viburnum. 1'ourn. Inft. p. 607,
Viburnum Galls, in natural hiftory, the name of a fpecies of galls, or (inall protuberances, frequently found on the leaves of the Viburnum. Thefe are of a very Angular nature, and fe;m to be compofed of a different fubftance from that of the leaf. They appear in form of brown circular fpots, of which there are fometimes forty or more on one leaf. Thefe are about a fifteenth of an inch in diameter, and they rife a little above the furiace of the leaf, as well on the under as the upper fide ; each of thefe has alio a final! prominence in the center, on each fide of the leaf, looking like a nipple Handing on the bread.
Thefe are found in great plenty in the months of June, July, and Auguft, and, when opened, each contains one infedt, which is a fmall worm of a white colour, with fix legs, and two hooks of a brown colour at the head. The manner of watching the changes of this infefl is this : Place feveral of the leaves of this fhrub, with their pedicles, in a veffel of water ; fet this upon a fheet of white paper, on a fmooth ta- ble, and cover it with a box, the edges of which muft touch the paper every where j by this means the leaves will be kept frefh, fo long as is nccelliiry for the feeding of the animal in the galls ; and this, after its proper changes, efcaping out of the galls, muft be found within the outer box. Mr. Reaumur tried this method with fuccefs, and found that thefe worms became, in fine, a very fmall fpecies of beetle, feveral of which he found crawling upon the paper. They were of a cinnamon colour, and had conic and granulated antenna; of a beautiful figure. Reaumur's Hid. Inf. vol. 6. p. 209. V1CARDI, the name of an office in the ifland of Candia. Suppi. Vol. II,
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The word is probably a corruption of the Latin vlcarl: . The Vtcardi is the governor of' a village, and is fometimes the pa- nfh-pneft ; his office is to levy the public taxes, and to fend offenders to the cadic. This office is always appointed yearly, Pocock's Egypt, vol. 2. p. 2. p. 12.
VICARIO Deliberandi) occajionc cujujdam recogn'itwnh, &c. Alt antient writ that lies for a fpiritual perfon imprifoned. Re^. Orig. 147. Blount, Cowcl.
VICES, a term ufed by the dealers in horfes to exprefs certain faulty habits or cuftoms in that creature, which render him troubJc-fome to the rider, and are never to be worn off, but by attention to the regular methods.
The following are the tricks generally understood as Vices by dealers, and their methods of preventing, correcting and curing them.
r. If a horfe carry his head or neck awry, ftrike him twice or thrice with the (pur on the contrary fide ; but if he be very ftiir-nccked on the right iide, and very plying or bending on the left, theridcr is to hold the right rein fhorter than the other, and give him bidden checks every time he inclines that way, having a fharp wire fattened in the reins, that ftriking in his neck, he may be compelled to hold it ftrait; but in this care muft he always taken to check him upwards, for other- wife he will get a habit of ducking his head, which will prove very troublefome.
2. If a horfe is apt to fhake his head and ears, upon the leaft occafion, or move his ears, when he is going to kick or bite, or cart his rider ; the way of curing this, is to ftrike him on the head with a wand, as foon as he fhews the firft attempt to it ; and, at the inftant of ftriking him, he is to be checked with the bridle, and be firuck with the fpur on the contrary fide ; this will put him out of his pace, and he is then to be flopped, that he may have leifure to underftand the rider's meaning. Every time that he ftarts or winches, which are fignals that he is going to bite, or to ftrike with his heels, the fame is to be done, and he will,- by degrees, be broke of thefe habits.
3. If a hoife is fubjecl: to ducking down his head frequently, the rider muft, every time he is guilty of it, check him fud- denly with the bridle, and at the fame time ftrike him with the* fpurs, in order to make him fenfible of his fault. If he be ftanding, he is thus to be made to bring his head in the right place as he ftands ; and when he does fo, he is to be cherifhed * that he may underftand the rider's meaning, which, in time, he wili certainly do.
4. If a horfe be fkittifh, 2nd apt to ftart, fo that the rider is never free from danger, while on his back, the caufe of the malady is firft to be carefully enquired into : If it be found to proceed from a weak fight, which reprefents objects to him other than they really are , the method of curing him is, every time he does it, to give him leifure to view the things, and fee what they really are ; he muft have time to view them well, and then be rid gently up to them. If, on the con- trary, his fkittifhnefs depends on his being naturally fearful, and alarmed at every noife, he is to be cured of it by the inuring him to loud noifes of many kinds, as firing of guns, drums, trumpets, and the like; and he will, in time, come to take delight in what he was before afraid of.
5. If a horfe be reftive, and refufe to go forward, the rider is to pull him backwards, and this will often occafion his going forward; this is ufing his own fault* as a means of reclaiming him. The rider is firft eautioufly to find whether this Vice proceeds from real ftubbornnefs, or from faintnefs ; if from the latter, there is no remedy but reft ; but if actual ftubborn- nefs be the fault, the whip and fpur, well employed, and perfl- fted in, will, at length, be found a certain cure.
6. If a horfe rear up an end ; that is, if he rifes fo high before as to endanger his coming over the rider, the horfeman muff: give him the bridle, and bear forwards with his whole weight. As he is going down, he fhould have the fpur given him very roundly ; but this muft by no means be done as he is riling, for then it will make him rife higher, and, probably, come over.
7. If a horfe be fubjecl: to He down in the water, or upon the ground, there is no better remedy than a pair of (harp fpurs refolutely applied. But there is fome caution to be ufed in the applying them, for bad horfemen generally are the occafion of the faults in horfes, by correcting them out of due time. The proper moment of fpurring is juft when he is going to lie down ; but when this has diverted him from the thought of it, he is not immediately to be fpurred again. For the doing this frightens the creature, and puts him into confufion to that degree, that he at length becomes reftive, and thus one fault is only changed for another, and that perhaps a worfe.
8. If a horfe be apt to run 2way, very cautious means muft be ufed to break him of it. The rider muft be gentle, both with a flack curb, and keeping an eafy bridle-hand. He is firft to be walked without (topping him ; but only flaying him, by degrees, with a fteady, not a violent hand, and al- ways cheriftiing him when he obeys : When he is thus made very manageable in his walk, he is to be put to his trot, and finally to his gallop ; and from thefe he is to be brought into a walk again, always by degrees, and flaying him with a fteady hand. By ufing this method from time to time, with
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