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In an abbey or monastery, the room set apart for writing or copying manuscripts; in general, a room devoted to writing. Writing rooms, or scriptoria, where the chief works of Latin literature . . . were copied and illuminated. J. R. Green.

An acorn barnacle (Balanus).

((Zoöl.) (a) A large marine food fish (Serranus, or Centropristis, atrarius) which abounds on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is dark bluish, with black bands, and more or less varied with small white spots and blotches. Called also, locally, blue bass, black sea bass, blackfish, bluefish, and black perch.…

found from California to Japan; and the black, or California, sea lion (Zalophus Californianus), which is common on the rocks near San Francisco.

An American cottoid fish (Hemitripterus Americanus) allied to the sculpins, found on the northeren Atlantic coasts.

o resemble pens stuck behind the ear.] (Zoöl.) A large long-legged raptorial bird (Gypogeranus serpentarius), native of South Africa, but now naturalized in the West Indies and some other tropical countries. It has a powerful hooked beak, a crest of long feathers, and a long tail. It feeds upon reptiles of various kind…

A follower of John Cassianus, a French monk (died about 448), who modified the doctrines of Pelagius, by denying human merit, and maintaining the necessity of the Spirit's influence, while, on the other hand, he rejected the Augustinian doctrines of election, the inability of man to do good, and the certain perseveranc…

A European finch (Serinus hortulanus) closely related to the canary.

s, abbreviations, letters, or characters standing for words, shorthand, etc., in ancient manuscripts, or on coins, medals, etc. W. Savage.

pertaining to Mount Sinai; given or made at Mount Sinai; as, the Sinaitic law. Sinaitic manuscript, a fourth century Greek manuscript of the part Bible, discovered at Mount Sinai (the greater part of it in 1859) by Tisschendorf, a German Biblical critic; -- called also Codex Sinaiticus.

steline carnivores of the genus Mephitis and allied genera. They have two glands near the anus, secreting an extremely fetid liquid, which the animal ejects at pleasure as a means of defense.

Any one of several species of large sparoid food fishes of the genus Lutjanus, abundant on the southern coasts of the United States and on both coasts of tropical America.

in number, of which the Earth has one (see Moon.), Mars two, Jupiter five, Saturn nine, Uranus four, and Neptune one. The asteroids, between Mars and Jupiter, thus far discovered (1900), number about five hundred, the first four of which were found near the beginning of the century, and are called Ceres, Pallas, Juno,…

st. See Termite. Soldier beetle (Zoöl.), an American carabid beetle (Chauliognathus Americanus) whose larva feeds upon other insects, such as the plum curculio. -- Soldier bug (Zoöl.), any hemipterous insect of the genus Podisus and allied genera, as the spined soldier bug (Podius spinosus). These bugs suck the blood…

cies (Solendon paradoxus), native of St. Domingo, is called also agouta; the other (S. Cubanus), found in Cuba, is called almique.

which does not form communities. -- Solitary sandpiper (Zoöl.), an American tattler (Totanus solitarius). -- Solitary snipe (Zoöl.), the great snipe. [Prov. Eng.] -- Solitary thrush (Zoöl.) the starling. [Prov. Eng.]

The European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus).

pposed to spear side. Ld. Lytton. [R.] "King Lycaon, grandson, by the spindle side, of Oceanus." Lowell. -- Spindle tree (Bot.), any shrub or tree of the genus Eunymus. The wood of E. Europæus was used for spindles and skewers. See Prickwood.

t is one of the earliest flowers of spring. -- Squirrel fish (Zoöl.) (a) A sea bass (Serranus fascicularis) of the Southern United States. (b) The sailor's choice (Diplodus rhomboides). (c) The redmouth, or grunt. (d) A market fish of Bermuda (Holocentrum Ascensione). -- Squirrel grass (Bot.), a pestiferous grass (Ho…

] Stag beetle (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of lamellicorn beetles belonging to Lucanus and allied genera, especially L. cervus of Europe and L. dama of the United States. The mandibles are large and branched, or forked, whence the name. The lava feeds on the rotten wood of dead trees. Called also horned bug, an…