D A R
DANAE, orDAxACE, &««% or Amov*, in antiquity, a coin current among the barbarians, being fomewhat more than the obolus. (See Obolus, Cycl) This they, put into the mouths of dead people, to pay for their paflage over the river Acheron. PitJfc.
DANCRETA, in botany, a name given by the people of Guinea to a plant which they ufe in diforders of the head, boiling it in water, and ufing the decoction in the way of a fomentation. It is a fpecies of bindweed, and is called by Pettiver convolvulus quinque foliis Guineenjis foliis nan ferratis, or the five-leaved Guinea bindweed with leaves not ferrated. Cafpar Eauhine, in his Prodromus, defcribes a fpecies of bindweed growing in Egypt, which exactly agrees with this in all particulars, except that it is finely ferrated all round the edges of the leaves. Phil. Tranf. N°. 292.
DANDELION, in botany. See Dens Leonis.
DANELAGE. See Law, Cycl.
DANGCANGHAC, in natural hiftory, the name given by the people of the Philippine-iflands to the heron. The Spaniards call it gazza. It is the fame fpecies with that fo common in Europe. See Ardea.
DAPHNE, A^,, in antiquity, a kind of divination, taken from the crackling of laurel-leaves thrown into the lire. Pott. Archaeol. Grasc. 1. 2. c. 18. T. 1. p. 352.
DAPHNEPHORIA, h&frjui, in antiquity, a novennial fefti- va], celebrated by the Boeotians in honour of Apollo. For the ceremonies ufed at this folemnity, (eePott. Archaeol. Grac. 1. r>. c. 20. T. 1. p. 378.
DAPHNIUS Lapis, in natural hiftory, the name of a ftone the veins of which reprefent the grain of the wood of the bay-tree, and which was probably formed of the wood of that tree, impregnated with ftony matter, in the manner of the other foffil woods.
DAPIFERAT, Dapiferatus, the office of dapifer. See Dapifer, Cycl.
DAPPLE Bay, in ihe manege, is ufed for a horfe which has marks of a dark bay colour. Such are alfo called Bays a mirrolr.
Dapple Black, in the manege, a black horfe, having fpots or marks blacker and more fhining than the reft of his fkin.
DAPSILES Caroms, among the Romans, a kind of crowns or garlands worn by the women, which covered their faces, and ferved as a vail. Hofm. Lex. in Voc.
DARANI, in the Materia Medica, a word ufed by fome of the old writers to exprefs the fal armoniac of thofe times, which was the fame with our fal gemm?e.
DARDANARIUS, in antiquity, is ufed to fignify an engrofler, or one that monopolizes any commodity. The name is de- rived from one Dardanus, famous for this practice. Hofm. Lex. in Voc.
DARE, in ichthyology, an Englim name for the common dace, or leucifcus. See Dace andLEuciscus.
DARKENED Room. See Camera, Cycl
DARSINI, in the Materia Medica of the antients, a name given by fome to cinnamon. It is generally ufed by Avifenna, Sera- pion, and the reft of the Arabian phyficians. It appears from the name, however, that the cinnamon of thofe times was collected in the fame manner as the xylocaha, or caffia lignea was ; that is, the bark was not ftripped oft" from the branches, but the young branches were ufed, bark and all. It is thence it had this name among them, which expreffes wood of China, not bark of China. Dar is a Perfian name for wood, and is borrowed by the Arabians on this occafion. Dar Xixgan is the name of the afpalathum, or rofe-wood, and fignifics wood brought from Xixgan ; and in the fame manner Dar is often prefixed to words, fignifying that the fubftance meant by them is a wood. Many of the antients have confounded cinnamon and caffia together ; but Avifenna always keeps them diftinct. He always tranflates the caffia of Diofcoridcs, Salicba; and the cinnamomum of the fame author, Darfini.
DARSIS, in medical writers, is ufed for an excoriation of the fkin. Blancard.
DARTS of Gnats. See the Article Gnat.
DARU, in botany, a name given by Avifenna and Serapiozi to a fpecies of turpentine-tree, which the latter author calls the lentifk. This grew up to a very large tree, and bore a much larger and more beautiful fruit than the common turpentine- tree. The tree itfelf was alfo more beautiful in the manner of its growth ; and it had, in common with the ordinary tur- pentine-tree, the property of the ends of its leaves becoming red, which gave the whole a very beautiful appearance. Theophraftus feems to have mentioned this tree, tho* without diftinguifhing it from the common turpentine-tree by any pe- culiar name : he fays, that tho' in Greece the turpentine-tree was but a fhrnb, yet in Syria and fome other places it grew up into a large tree. And Rawwolf, in his Itinerary, tells us, that beftde the common turpentine-tree known to us, there are two other fpecies in Arabia ; the one called at this time "Bout ^mbir, which, he fays, bears the fame fort of fruit with the Piftachia, but that it is larger and more round, and fhort in proportion to its thicknefs. This feems to be the Aldare of Avifenna, which he characterifes by the largenefs of the fruit. The other Arabian turpentine-tree, mentioned by Rawwolf, is finaller, and is called Bout Saugier, or Seguir : this does not
D A U
grew to more than the fize of a common garden-pea ; but has the leaves, fruit, and properties of the turpentine-tree. Raw- wolfs Itinerary.
DASYMMA, a fuperficial inequality of the inner part of the eye-lids, accompanied with a rcdnefs. Blancard derives it from Sbffvfy birfutus.
DATURA, in botany, a name given by many authors to the plant more ufually called Stramonium, or the thorn-apple. See Stramonium.
DAVACA terra, a portion of land in Scotland fo called ; fcf apud prifcos Scotos, Dawach of Land, quod eontinet quaiuor Aratra terra:, quorum unum quodque trabitar oclo bobus. Skene.
DAUCI Semen, in the Materia Medica, the name of a feed ufed in many of the officinal preparations. The plant which pro- duces it is a fort of myrrhis, or chcrvill, called Daucus Creticus, or candy carrot, by the old authors ; but by the moderns Myr- rhis Annua femine flriato, villofo, imano.
Theleaves of this plant arc finely divided, and hairy ; the ftalks flendcr, and a foot high ; and the flowers ftand in umbells. The feeds are of a pale green, hairy and whitifh, and fomething like cummin-feed ; but not fo long or large, or of Co ftrong a fmell, but of an agreeable flavour, when held fome time in the mouth. This feed being hairy, has very frequently little animalcules and duft hanging to it; and this fault grows worfe, the longer it is kept, as the animals continue to eat the feed, and their excrements become mixed with it in large quantities. It ought therefore to be chofen new, plump and full, and very clean. Pomet's Hift. of Drugs, p. 5.
It expels wind, and is good againft cholics, pains of the womb, and in hyfterical complaints.
DAUCUS, in botany, the name of a large genus of umbellifer- ous plants, the characters of which are thefe : the flower is of the rofaceous kind, confifting of feveral heart-fafhioned petals unequal in fize, and difpofed in a circular form. The cup finally becomes a fruit, compofed of two feeds furnifhed with long hairs in the manner of the eye-Iafties of animals. Tournefort, Inft. p. 307.
The fpecies of Daucus enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe: 1. The common yellow-rootedD<?7;<-i;.r, or yellow carrot. 2. The Daucus with yellow roots and yellow-flowers. 3. The orange-co!oured-r.ooted garden Daucus, or carrot. 4. The white-rooted carrot. 5. The red-rooted carrot. 6. The common wild carrot, or birdfneft. 7. The lea Daucus, with fhining leaves. 8. The vifcid or gummy {e^Daucm, with fine fhining leaves. 9. The American Daucus, with filming leaves. 10. The Spanifh Daucus, with very large umbelk j ; . The narrow-leaved cretic Daucus, with very long rays to the um- bell. 12. The annual Daucus, with flowers at all the knots of the ftalk, called by authors the knotty Caucali? witii rough feeds. 1 3. The little annual Daucus, with red flowers, called by fome the red-flowered Caucalis : and 14. The little annual Daucus, with white flowers. Tournefort, Inft. p. 30?..
Daucus Sativus, the carrot. There are two or three forts of this plant cultivated for the ufe of the kitchen; and thefe are fown at feveral different feafons of the year, to afford a fupply of young roots, in all feafons, for the table. The feafon for fowing them, for the carlieft crop, is foon after Chriftmas. They fhould be fown in an open fituation, but near a wall ; though if they are fown clofe under it, they will be drawn up to feed too faft, and give no good roots : about eight inches diftant is the propereft place. They delight in a warm fandy foil, which fhould be light, and well dug to a good depth, that the roots may meet with no obftruction in running down, which makes them grow forked, and fhoot out lateral branches, efpecially when the ground has been too much dunged the fame year that the feeds were fown, which will alfo occafion their being worm-eaten. The hairy- nefs of thefe feeds makes them apt to ftick together in fmall clufters, and renders it difficult to fow them equally : they fhould therefore be always fown on a calm day, when there is no wind ftirring to blow them together, and be well rubbed between the hands to feparate them thoroughly: when they are fown they fhould be trod in with the feet, and the ground raked level over them.
When they firft come up, they fhould be houghed out to four inches diftance ; and a month after this, theymuft be cleared again ; and if they are to be drawn while young, they are now to be left at fix inches diftance every way : if they are to ftand to grow large, they muft he feparated to ten inches. The fecond feafon for fowing carrots is in February. This muft be done under a wall or hedge, and on warm banks; but thofe which are to be in open large quarters, mould not be fown till the beginning of March. See Miller's Gard. Di£t. in Voc.
In July they may be fown again for an autumnal crop, and finally in the end of Auguft for thofe. which are to ftand the winter. Thefe laft will be fit for ufe in March, before any of the fpring ones ; but they are fuldom fo tender or well tailed. In order to preferve carrots for ufe all winter, they are to be dug up in the beginning of November, and laid in a dry place in fand ; and thefe roots being planted again in February, will ripen feeds in Auguft for lucceedin'g crops: the longeft and ftraiteft roots are to be chofen for this purpofe.
Daucus Sylve/lris. The feeds of this plant are efteemed
one
