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d smoothly downward, backward, or away; to slip downward, backward, or away; to glide; -- mostly restricted to figurative uses. A tendency to lapse into the barbarity of those northern nations from whom we are descended. Swift. Homer, in his characters of Vulcan and Thersites, has lapsed into the burlesque character. A…

us species of singing birds of the genus Alauda and allied genera (family Alaudidæ). They mostly belong to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. In America they are represented by the shore larks, or horned by the shore larks, or horned larks, of the genus Otocoris. The true larks have holaspidean tarsi, very long hind cl…

L. siler), the root of which yields a resinous substance of a bitter taste. The genus is mostly European.

arp and foxlike muzzle, and large eyes. They feed upon birds, insects, and fruit, and are mostly natives of Madagascar and the neighboring islands, one genus (Galago) occurring in Africa. The slow lemur or kukang of the East Indies is Nycticebus tardigradus. See Galago, Indris, and Colugo.

ssil trees of the Devonian and Carboniferous ages, having the exterior marked with scars, mostly in quincunx order, produced by the separation of the leafstalks.

A suborder of copepod Crustacea, including a large number of remarkable forms, mostly parasitic on fishes. The young, however, are active and swim freely. See Illustration in Appendix.

Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order Docoglossa, mostly found adhering to rocks, between tides.

ata, including among living animals the genus Limulus, with various allied fossil genera, mostly of the Carboniferous period. Called also Xiphosura.

Such as can be lent; available for lending; as, loanable funds; -- used mostly in financial business and writings.

Any one numerous species of small brush-tongued parrots or lories, found mostly in Australia, New Guinea and the adjacent islands, with some forms in the East Indies. They are arboreal in their habits and feed largely upon the honey of flowers. They belong to Trichoglossus, Loriculus, and several allied genera.…

are found in the East Indies, Australia, New Guinea, and the adjacent islands. They feed mostly on soft fruits and on the honey of flowers.

Any one of numerous small mandibulate insects, mostly parasitic on birds, and feeding on the feathers. They are known as Mallophaga, or bird lice, though some occur on the hair of mammals. They are usually regarded as degraded Pseudoneuroptera. See Mallophaga.

small birds belonging to Pipra, Manacus, and other genera of the family Pipridæ. They are mostly natives of Central and South America. some are bright-colored, and others have the wings and tail curiously ornamented. The name is sometimes applied to related birds of other families.

A name given to several species of Arctostaphylos, but mostly to A. glauca and A. pungens, shrubs of California, Oregon, etc., with reddish smooth bark, ovate or oval coriaceous evergreen leaves, and bearing clusters of red berries, which are said to be a favorite food of the grizzly bear.

A genus of plants of the Milkweed family, mostly woody climbers with fragrant flowers, several species of which furnish valuable fiber, and one species (Marsdenia tinctoria) affords indigo.

often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their romains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time.

A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called quicksilver), and is used in barometers, thermometers, ect. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg (Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one ato…

ects which, in the larval state, excavate galleries in the parenchyma of leaves. They are mostly minute moths and dipterous flies.

The name of several aromatic labiate plants, mostly of the genus Mentha, yielding odoriferous essential oils by distillation. See Mentha.

To send on a mission. [Mostly used in the form of the past participle.] Keats.