S T A
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S T A
STALKING, a Term of confiderable Import in Fowling; applied to a kind of Screen or Device to hide the Fowler, and aaiule the Game, while he gets within Shot.
Of fuch Devices there are Ieveral Kinds, viz. — — A Stalking Hedge, which is an artificial Hedge, two or three Yards Long, and a Yard and half high, made with fmall Wands, to be light and portable, yet bufh'd out like a reaL Hedge, with Stakes to fupport it, while the Fowler takes his Aim.
Stalking Horfe, is an old Jade train'd up for the Purpofe, which will gently walk up and down as you would have him, in Water, $$c. beneath whofe Fore-fhoulder, the Sportlman Shelters himlelf and Gun. When thus got within Shot, he takes Aim from before the Fore-part of the Horfe, which is much better than mooting under his Belly.
To fupply the Defefl: of a real Stalkwg Horfe, an Artifi- cial one is frequently made, of old Canvas, ihaped in form of aHurle, with his Head bent down, as if grazing ; ftuff'd with any light Matter, and painted. In the Middle it is fix'd to a Stair" fhod at the Foot, to flick into the Ground while Aim is taken.
For Change, when the Fowls begin to be ufed to the Stalking Horfe, and to know it, {oast Stalk with an Ox, Cow, Deer or the like. Others ufe a Stalking Tree, and others a Stalking Blip.
STAMINA, in the Animal Body, are thofe fimple, ori- ginal Parts, which exifted firft in the Embryo, or even in the Seed 5 and by whole Diftin&ion, Augmentation and Accre- tion, by additional Juices, the human Body, at its utmoft Bulk is fuppofed to be form'd. See Embryo, Body, &C.
All that is effential to the Animal, are the Stamina, which exift, in ovo- 3 the reft being foreign, additional and even accidental.
The Stamma feem to coincide with the Solids, which are furprizingly fmall in Quantity. See Solid.
The Word is Latin, and fignifies '■Threads.
Stamina, in Botany, thoie fine Threads or Capillaments growing up within the Flowers of Tulips, Lillies and moft other Flowers, around the Style or Piftil. See Flower and Pistil.
On the Tops of the Stamina, grow thofe little Capfulae or Knots, call'd Apices, which M. Tournefort makes effential to the Stamina ; whence M. Reaumur, who affures us in the Memoirs of the Trench Academy, that he could never di£ cover any Apices on the Threads of the Fucus Marirais, re- futes to call them Stamina ; though he adds, one may fup- pofe that the Apices fall aflbon as the Threads ox Stamina begin to be unfolded. See Apices.
In feme tubular Flowers, as the NarciJJus, 'Digitalis, &c. M. Geoffroy obferves the Stamina are exceedingly mort ; and in fome Flowers there are no Stamma at all, as in the long Jlrifohchia, wherein the Apices are immediately faften'd on the Capfula, which indoles theFruit. In ibme other Flowers, as tholeof Thirties, Lertice, Chicory, &c. the Apices are in- clofed in the Stamina ; feveral of which uniting, form a little Tube in Manner of a Scabbard, in &e Infide whereof are the Apices, furnimed with their Faring^: The reft of the Cavity being taken up by the Piftil, which,' is a little Thread placed on the Embryo of the Seed. f.
M. Tournefort takes the Ufe of the Stamina to be, as it were, lo many excretory Canals, for difcharging the growing Kmbryo of its redundant Juices ; and of thele Excrements of the Fruit, he takes that Farina or Duft, found in the Apices, to be form'd. See Farin a.
But M. Geoffroy^ Mr. Bradley, and other late Writers on Plants, as well as fome former, affign the Stamina a noblerUfe.
Thefe Authors, explaining the Generation of Plants, in a Manner, analogous to that of Animals, maintain thclJfe of the S'awina tobetofecrete, in their fine capillary Canals, a Juice, which being collected, harden'd and form'd into a Farina or Duft, in the Tips or Apices, is thence, when the Plant ar- rives at Maturity, diicharged, by the burftingof the Apices, upon the Top of the Piftil ; whence is a Paflage for it to defcend into the Uterus, where being received, it impregnates and fecundities the Plant.
On this Principle, it may be faid, that the fame Flower contains both Sexes, which contribute each their Part to the Generation : That the Stamina are the Male-part ; and the Farina, whichis always found of an oily, glutinous Nature, the feminal Liquor; and that the Piftil is the Female Part, which conduftsthe Semen to the Ova or Embryo's. See Genera- tion ofPlants.
STAM1NE0US Flowers, among Botanifts, are fuch as are fb far imperfect, as to want thofe colour'd Leaves, we call 'Petals j and which only confift of the Stylus and the Sta- mina. See Flower.
Such Plants as bear thefe Stamimous Flowers, Mr. Ray makes to constitute a large Genus of Plants, which he calls Herb? flore imperfeBo, jive apetalo, Staraineove. And thefe he divides into fuch as,
1. Have their Fruit or Seed totally divided from the Flower j which aje fuch Plants as are laid to be of
different Sexes : The Reafon of which is, that from the lame Seed, tome Plants ihall ariie with Flowers, and no Fruit - and others, with Fruit, and no Flowets : As Hops, Hemp, Stinrj! ing nettles, Spinach, Mercurial is and Phyllon.
2. Such as have their Fruit only a little disjoined from their Flowers 5 as the Ambrofia Bardana Minor, Ricinus and the Heliotropium Tricoccon.
3. Such as have their Fruit immediately contiguous, o c adhering to their Flower : And the Seed of thele is either I. Triangular 5 and of this Sort, fome are lucid and fliining' as theLapathum, Rhabarbarum, and Biftorta, to which alto may be added the Periicaria: Others are rough and not IhJn. ing, as the Helleborus Albus, Fegopyrum, Convolvulus Niger and the Polygonum. 2. Such as have a roundilh Seed, a little flatted or compreffed, or of any other Figure but the former Triquetrous or Triangular one ; and theie have their Flower, or the Calyx of the Flower, adhering to the Bottom or Bafis of the Seed or Fruit ; as the Potamogiton, Blituru Sytveftre, Parietaria, Atriplex, Blirum Sativum, Amuran- thes, Hoclocerieus, and the Saxifraga Aurea. 3. Such whole Flowers adhere to the Top of the Seed ; as the Beta, Alarum, Archimilla. And to thele kind of Plants, Mr. Ray reduces alfo the Kaligeniculatum, Sedum Fruticoium, the Scoparia or Belvidere of the Italians.
STAMP. See Print.
STAMPING^////, ot Knocking-MH, an Engine ufed in the Tin-works, to bruife the Ore imall. See Tin.
STANCHEONS, in Building. See Punchins.
STANDARD, in War, a Banner or Flag, bore as a Sig- nal for the joyning together of the Ieveral Troops belonging to the lame Body. See Banner.
The Standard is ufed for any Enfign of Horfe j but more ufually for that of the General. See Flag and Knugn.
The ancient Kings of France bore St. Martin's Hood for their Standard. The Turks preferve a Green Standard bore by Mahomet, with a world of Devotion ; as believing it to have been brought down by the Angel Gabriel. Every time 'tis difplay'd, all who profels the Mahometan Faith, are obliged to take Arms ; thofe who retule, are to be dcem'd as Infidels. 2)u Cange derives the Word from Standarum or Stantarum, Standardum or Standale, Words ufed in the corrupt Latin, to lignify the principal Standard of an Army. Menage derives it from the German, Stander, or the Englift, Stand.
Standard, in Commerce, the Original of a Weight, Meafure or Coin, committed to the keeping of the Magi- ftrate, or depofited in Ibme publick Place, to regulate, adjuft, and try the Weights ufed by particular Perlbns in Traffick. See Measure, Weight, &c.
The Juftnefs of Weights and Meafures, is of that Con~ fequence to the Security and good Order of Trade, that there is no civilia'd Nation but makes it a Part of their Policy to preferve the Equality thereof by means of Standards. The Romans and Jews even feem to have afHx'd a kind of reli- gious Worfliip to thele Standards, by laying them up in their Temples, as it were under the Eye of rheir Deities.
The Standards of Weights and Mealures in England, are appointed by Magna Charta, to be kept in the Exchequer, by a fpecial Officer, called the Clerk or Comptroller tf the Market.
For Coins; the Standard of Gold Coin is 22 Carrars of fine Gold and 2 Carrats of Alloy in the Pound weight Tmy 5 and the French, Spanifo and Flemijh Gold, are nearly of the lame Finenels. The Pound Weight is cut into Forty-four Parts and a Half, each current for 21 Shillings. See Guinea.
The Standard of Silver is 1 1 Ounces and two Penny- weight of Silver, and 18 Penny-weight of Alloy of Copper. Whether Gold or Silver be above or below Standard, is found by affaying. See Assay.
STANDARDS, or Standils, in Husbandry, are Trees, referved at the felling of Woods, for Growth for Timber.
STANNARIES; are the Mines and Works, were Tin is dug and purified ; as in Cornwall, and elfewhere. See Tin.
There are four Courts of the Stannaries in T^evovfnrt, and as many in Cornwall ; and there are ieveral Laws about, and Liberties granted to thele Courts in (everal Acls of Par- liament, as in the Time of Edward I. and as abridged by EdwardlU. and in ijCar.l. c. 15-.
STANZA, in Poerry, a certain regulated Number of grave Verfes, containing fome perfect Senle, terminated with a Reft.
The Word is Italian, and literally fignifies a Stand or Station, becaufe of the Paufe to be made at the end of each Stanza or compleat Senfe.
What the Couplet is in Songs, and the Strophe in Odes, the Stanza is in the greater and graver Pieces, as Epic Poems, ££c. See Coui'CET and Strophe,
Indeed the Italians fcarce write any Poems, but they divide them into Stanzas. There ate Stanza's of 4, $, g, 10, 12 Verfes, and fometimes of an uneven Number of Verfes,
