TINAMOU. 300 TINEA. that of a quail to the bigness of a large grouse, and prevailingly brown in color, they are classed as game-birds in South America, and are fre- quently called 'partridges.' Their flight is strong and swift, yet they haunt the undergrowth of dense forests or bushy and grassy flats, run with amazing rapidity, and conceal themselves with great skill, ratlier than take to flight. But they are rather stupid, and can be caught with a noose on the end of a stick, especially if they are ap- proached on horseback. Their food is mis- cellaneous, like that of game-birds generally, and their voice a mellow whistle. The flesh is delicious. They make very simple nests on the ground, and lay eggs varying from reddish choco- late, wine-purple or liver-color, to dark blue or green, and burnished to a metallic sheen. A typical example of the group is illustrated on tiie Plate of Cassowaries, etc. This is the 'great' tinamou (Rliyncliotus rufesccns), or 'perdiz grande,' of Argentina. The tinamous have been regarded by many systematists as within or near the Ratitic, but are placed by Gadow as a separate group of ordinal or subordinal rank among the CarinataB, between the falcons and the quails. Consult: Gadow, "Aves," in Bronn's Thier-Rcich (Leipzig, 1893) ; Evans, Birds (London, 1900) ; Newton, Dictionary of Birds (New York, 1896) ; Sclater and Hudson, Argentine Ornithology (London, 1889). TINCTURE (from Lat. tinctura, a dyeing, from tinyvre, to dye, Gk. riyycLv, tengein, to moisten, dye). A medicinal preparation of a drug by maceration or by dissolving non-volatile principles in alcohol. In some tinctures strong alcohol, in others dilute alcohol, is used. In almost all cases the resulting liquid is of a de- cided color; hence the name. Obviously tinctures must be kept in tightly closed bottles to prevent evaporation. They furnish a most convenient form for dispensing drugs, either alone or in combination. There are over 70 official tinctures in the United States Pharmacopoeia. Among these are the once popular tincture of arnica, used for bruises and sprains, but much inferior to pure alcohol ; compound tincture of cinchona, the equivalent of the old Huxham's tincture; tincture of the chloride of iron, the most widely used chalybeate; tincture of ipecac and opium, a liquid "form of Dover's powder; compound tincture of lavender, an aromatic stimulant used in colic; tincture of myrrh, so largely employed in mouth washes and dentifrices; tincture of opium, or laudanum ; camphorated tincture of opium, or paregoric; tincture of squill, familiar as a component of cough mixtures; and tincture of ginger, frequently known as 'essence of ginger.' There are also ethereal tinctures, in which the solvent used is ether in place of alcohol. TINCTUBE. The general designation for colors, metals, and furs in heraldrj' (q.v, ), TIN'DAL, Matthew (e.16.53-1733). A deis- tical writer. He was the son of a clerg;-man at Beer-Ferris, in Devonshire, was educated at Ox- ford, and elected fellow of All Soiils' College in 1678. After a brief lapse into Romanism during the reign of James II. he reverted to Protestant- ism, or rather, as events showed, into rational- ism. It was not till 1706 that he attracted particular notice, when the pul)lication of his treatise on Tlie Hiylits of the Christian Church Asserted Against the Romish and All Other I'riests ^Yho Claim an Independent Bower Over It raised a storm of opposition. On the Continent Tindal's work was quite diliVrently received. Le Clerc, in his Bibliolheque choisic, praises it highl.y, as one of the solidest defenses of Protestantism ever written. In 1730 he published his most celebrated treatise, en- titled Christianity as Old as the Creation, or The Gospel u Republication of the Religion of atiire. The design of the work is to strip religion of the miraculous element, and to prove that its morality is its true and only claim to the rever- ence of mankind'. Tindal's book is written in excellent English, and is an able performance, giving its author a distinguished place among the eighteenth-century deists. TINDER. An inflammable material, usually made of lialf-burned linen. It was formerly one of the chief means of procuring Are before the introduction of friction matches. The tinder was made to catch the sparks caused by striking a piece of steel with a flint; and the ignited tin- der enabled the operator to light a match dipped in sulphur. This intermediate step was neces- sar}' in consequence of the impossibility of mak- ing the tinder flame. Partially decayed wood, especially that of willows and other similar trees, also aft'ords tinder; and certain fungi fur- nish the German tinder, or amadou (q.v.). TIN'EA (Lat., gnawing worm). A name given to several varieties of vegetable parasitic skin diseases. For tinea- favosa, see Favus. Tinea triehophytina or ringicorm may appear as an eruption on several parts of the body, receiving a modiflcation of the name in each case, as corporis, eruris, capitis, barbce, etc. It is very common among the poorer classes, and spreads with great rapidity in schools and asylums. Tinea of the scalp is often propagated by indiscriminate use of combs, hats, towels, and brushes, as well as by propinquity in slee])ing, A red spot appears, marking the beginning of the eruption, which soon becomes scaly and en- larges, forming a ring possibly half an inch in diameter, leaving a clear centre. The margin of the circle is well defined, elevated, red, and cov- ered with fine scales easily detachable. Jlyce- lium and spores are seen in microscopic exam- ination of the scales. There is seldom much irritation, except in the cases where the crotch or axilla is invaded. The tinea triehopliytina eruris or eczema marginatum is not infreqvient in the United States. In warm climates it is very connnon and severe, and is known as huliini, Chinese, or Burmese ringworm, also as Dliobir's itch. Hyposulphite of soda, bichloride of mer- cury, acetate of copper, and tincture of iodine are frequently efficacious in the tinea corporis and cruris. Bulkley recommended sulphurous acid for the latter. Tinea capitis, also called tinea tonsurans, is very intractable, and per- severance must be used in the application of carbolic acid, green .soap, mercury, oil of cade, etc.. always used in the form of an ointment. Tinea versicolor, or Bityriasis versicolor, is very connnon in warm countries, though also fri'qient in the United States. The front of the chest is most often attacked, the back next. The parasite
