An essay towards a real character, and a philosophical language by John Wilkins ...

* 1.1UNder this Head of PECULIAR PARTS of Animate Bodies are comprehended all the Parts that belong to the whole kind of Plants:* 1.2 But as to Animals, it contains onely such as are peculiar to some of them, not common to all. And these are comprehended with the others under the same Head, because I could not otherwise place them conveniently to my purpose. They are distinguishable by their rela∣tion to

• Plants; as being
  • LASTING PARTS. I.
  • ANNUAL PARTS. II.
  • KINDS OF FRUIT. III.
• Animals; belonging chiefly unto
  • SWIMMING Animals. IV.
  • FLYING Animals. V.
  • GOING Animals. VI.

I. By LASTING PARTS of Plants are meant such as do usually con∣tinue during the life of the Plant, and are not renewed every year.* 1.3 And because the chief of these is styled WOOD, therefore may that be here adjoyned by way of affinity. These are distinguishable by their Fabric and Consistence, together with their Position and Shape; being either more

• Hard and Solid; considered according to the
  • ...Position; as to the
    • Earth, wherein Plants do grow; being either
      • Within it; to which may be adjoyned those parts in the body of the Plant which have some analogy to Roots.
        1.
        • ROOT, Radical, radicate, eradicate.
        • KNOT, Knurle, Knag.
      • Without it; the upright part above ground; ‖ either the greater, upon, and from which the branches do grow: or the lesser, growing up from the same root.
        2.
        • STOCK, Stem, Trunk, Body, Stalk, Stub, Stump.
        • SUCKER, Shoot.
    • Plant it self, shooting from the Stem of it; ‖ whether greater and spread: or less, and pointed, being common likewise to Fishes, &c.
      3.
      • BRANCH, Sprig, Sion, young Shoot, Graft, Bough, Arm of a Tree, Slip, Lop.
      • THORN, Prickle, spinous.
  • Shape and Figure; ‖ more cylindrical and stiff: or more taper and flexile.
    4.
    • STICK, Staff, Stake, Cudgel, Scepter, Mace, Cros••er, Virg, Leading-staff, Truncheon, Battoon, Rest, Scatch, Crutch, Helve, Perch, Tally.
    • WAND, Twig, Rod, Switch, Pole.
• ...Soft.
  • Not dissolvable; ‖ outward: or inward.
    5.
    • RINDE, Bark, Pill.
    • PITH.
  • Dissolvable, by Water, or by Fire; being ‖ either of an aqueous: or an unctuous nature.
    6.
    • GUM.
    • RESIN.
• Liquid; of a ‖ more watery: or more unctuous consistence.
  7.
  • JUICE, Sap, succulent.
  • BALSAM.

* 1.4II. By ANNUAL Parts are meant such as are renewed every year; which are either

• ...More principal; those parts whereby Plants do propagate their kinds.
  • Antecedent to the Seed; either that most tender part of a Plant, con∣siderable for its beauty and colour, adhering to the first rudiments of the Seed: or that which is answerable to this in Willows and Nut-trees, &c.
    1.
    • FLOWER, Blossom, Bloom, blown, Nosegay, Posey.
    • CATKIN, Palm.
  • The Seed it self; in respect of the
    • Parts belonging to it, and encompassing it; ‖ either the most
      • Soft and succulent; betwixt the outward Skin and the inward Seed vessel: or the most hard crustaceous part containing the Seed.
        2.
        • PULP.
        • STONE, Shell.
      • Thin part, for Covering: or Oblong, for Defence.
        3.
        • HUSK, Hull, Shell, Skin, Chaff, Boled.
        • BEARD.
    • Aggregate of Fruit or Seed; of a Figure ‖ more gross and confused: or more narrow, oblong, and taper.
      4.
      • CLUSTER, Bunch, Pannicle.
      • EAR, Spike, Spire, Bent.
• Less principal; to be further distinguished by the Figure, in respect of
  • Thickness or Thinness; either such as are more thick, namely the first little swellings in the growth of a Plant, or of the parts of it: or such as are more thin, namely those laminated parts, belonging either to Plants themselves, or to their flowers.
    5.
    • SPROUT, Bud, shoot, burgeon, pullutate, repullutate, germinate, put forth, spring forth.
    • LEAF, Foliags, Blade.
  • Length; whether such as are
    • Proper to the Flower; the greater, standing up singly in the middle of the flower: or the lesser, being small threddy filaments with∣in the flower, whereof there are usually many together.
      6.
      • STILE.
      • STAMEN, tuft.
    • Common to other parts of the plant; ‖ either those small stemms, up∣on which flowers and leaves do grow: or those kinds of threddy shoots, by which climbing Plants do take hold of and twist about the things that stand next to them
      7.
      • STALK, Footstalk, shank.
      • TENDREL, Clasper.
  • Hollowness; conteining within it, either ‖ the leaves of the flower: or the fruit.
    8.
    • CUP, Perianthium.
    • PERICARPIUM.

III. By FRUITS are meant those more Succulent parts of Plants, which are either the Receptacles of Seed, or else the Seeds themselves;* 1.5 to which may be adjoyned▪ by way of affinity, the general name denoting the EXCRESCENCES of Plants, as Galls are of Oken leaves, &c.

Fruits may be distinguished into such as are

• ...Receptacles of Seed.
  • Eaten commonly by men; whose eatable part is covered with a
    • ...Soft Skin.
      • Without Stones; being generally a larger fruit.
        1.
        • APPLE, Pomiferous.
      • With Stones; ‖ either the greater kind, conteining one single stone encompassed with an esculent pulp: or the less, growing either in Clusters, or dispersedly on Trees, Shrubs and Herbs, conteining generally several small seeds or stones in the pulp or husk of it.
        2.
        • PLUM, Pruin, Pruniferous.
        • BERRY, Bacciferous.
    • Hard Shell; namely that kind of fruit, whose only esculent part is inclosed in a hard covering.
      3.
      • NUT, Nuciferous.
  • Not eaten commonly by men, but by beasts.
    • Consisting of one only Seed, in a Seed-vessel; ‖ roundish: or flat-fi∣gured.
      4.
      • MAST, Acorn, Pannage.
      • KEY.
    • Conteining several Seeds; being ‖ more solid: or hollow.
      5.
      • CONE, Apple.
      • COD, Husk, Pod, Shell, shale, siliquous.
• Seed; ‖ being the most minute kind of Fruit, whereby Plants propa∣gate their Kinds; or the Inmost parts of Seeds.
  6.
  • GRAIN, Corn, Kern.
  • KERNEL.

The Peculiar parts of Animals here enumerated are said to be such as belong chiefly, not only, to the several kinds of Swimming, Flying, Going Animals; because there are some under each Head that belong also to other Animals. So Spawn and Crust belong to Insects, and some Beasts, as well as to Fish. So Trunk or Proboscis, and Egg do belong to some Going Animals, as well as to Flying. So doth Embroyo to a Bat and all Viviparous Fish, as well as to Going Animals. But these Parts are more commonly and generally found amongst those Kinds under which they are listed.

* 1.6IV. Those Parts peculiar chiefly to SWIMMING ANIMALS, to which Custom hath ascribed distinct names, do serve either for their

• Outward Covering; with respect to different Magnitudes.
  • Lesser; being a Thin lamin.
    1.
    • SCALE.
  • Greater; ‖ opening usually upon a Ioint, as in Oisters, &c. or an entire Armature, without such opening, as in Lobsters, &c.
    2.
    • SHELL, Testaceous.
    • CRUST-aceous, Shell.
• Respiration; those Opening parts on the sides of the Head, which are thought to supply the place of Lungs.
  3.
  • GILL.
• Progressive motion; serving either to
  • Direct this motion; by feeling such objects as lye in the way, being long prominencies, standing off from the head, common to several Insects.
    4.
    • FEELERS, Horns, Antennae.
  • Assist in this motion; whether of
    • Swimming; as in most kinds of skinned and scaly fish.
      • Internal; a thin membrane filled with air, by the help of which Fishes poise themselves in the water.
        5.
        • SWIMMING BLADDER.
      • External; ‖ either those thin broad substances, standing off from the body of the Fish: or those long slender parts belonging to these
        6.
        • FINN.
        • RAY, Radius, Pinnula.
    • Going; as in crustaceous exanguious Animals.
      7.
      • CLAW..
• Procreation; belonging either to the ‖ Males: or Females.
  8.
  • MILT, Soft row.
  • SPAWN, Hard row.

V. T••e Parts peculiar TO FLYING ANIMALS are either* 1.7

• Not fleshy; such as serve for
  • Outward covering, which is done by small oblong bodies, with hair-like branches growing from both sides of them, the bottom of which is a kind of a hollow Cylinder like a reed.
    1.
    • FEATHER, Plume, callow, fledge, pluck.
    • QUILL.
  • Progressive motion; which in such kind of Creatures is twofold.
    • Flying; which is done by those parts fastned on the shoulders, by the motion of which they strike the Air: These are generally an aggre∣gate of Feathers; but in Bats and Flies of a Skinny consistence. To which may be adjoyned that aggregate of hindermost Fea∣thers, whereby they steer themselves in their Flight.
      2.
      • WING.
      • TRAIN, Tail.
    • Going; by a Foot with several Toes ‖ divided: or united by some film for their better help in Swimming.
      3.
      • TALON, Pounce, Claw, Clutch.
      • FLAT FOOT, Palmipede.
  • Feeding and Fighting; ‖ the mouth of a Bird: or a kind of hollow tube through which some things suck their nourishment.
    4.
    • BEAK, Bill.
    • TRUNK, Proboscis, Snout.
  • Fighting onely; of a sharp figure; ‖ either on the side of the Leg: or in the Tail, counted poisonous.
    5.
    • SPUR.
    • STING, Prickle.
  • Procreation; ‖ a roundish body covered with a Shell: or a yellowish case. containing a Maggot, which is transmuted into a Moth or Butterfly.
    6.
    • EGG, Nit, Flyblow.
    • CHRYSALITE, Aurelia.
• ...Fleshy; belonging to the
  • Fore-part; and placed either ‖ on the top of the head: or under the Iaw.
    7.
    • COMB, Crest.
    • GILL, Wattle.
  • Hinder-part; ‖ either that Protuberance about the end of the Back-bone: or that Cavity or Glandule in it containing an unctuous substance for the suppling of the Feathers.
    8.
    • RUMP.
    • OIL-BOX.

* 1.8VI. The Parts peculiar belonging TO GOING ANIMAL•• are such as serve for

• Outward covering; considerable according to the
  • More general name; denoting a small oblong flexile body, growing Plant-like out of the skin: or Aggregates of these, growing thick to∣gether and curled.
    1.
    • HAIR.
    • WOOL.
  • Particular kinds; ‖ either a more big and stiff kind of hair: or the more small and softer kinds of hairy substances, sometimes ascribed to Feathers.
    2.
    • BRISTLE·
    • DOWN, Lint.
  • Aggregates; more proper to Hair: or to Wool.
    3.
    • FURR, Ermin, Minivor, &c. Timber.
    • FLEECE, Flu.
  • Hairy parts; ‖ on the Chin or Face: or on the Neck.
    4.
    • BEARD, Mustach, Whisker.
    • MANE, Crest.
• Progressive motion; whether ‖ in whole or cloven-footed Animals: or in multifidous or clawed Animals.
  5.
  • HOOF.
  • NAIL, Claw.
• Fighting; the foremost part serving for offence against greater Animals: or the hindermost part serving for defence against Insects.
  6.
  • HORN, Head, goring.
  • TAIL, Scut, Dock, Crupper, Single of Deer.
• Procreation; the young in the Womb before its birth: or the bag wherein it is contained.
  7.
  • EMBRYO, Child in the Womb.
  • SECUNDINE, After-birth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. I.
• * 1.2

  PECULIAR PARTS of Animate Bo∣dies.
• * 1.3

  I. LASTING PARTS of Plants.
• * 1.4

  II. ANNU∣AL patts of Plants.
• * 1.5

  III. Kinds of FRUITS.
• * 1.6

  IV. Parts pe∣culiar To SWIMMING ANIMALS.
• * 1.7

  V. Parts pe∣culiar TO FLYING ANIMALS.
• * 1.8

  VI. Parts pe∣culiar TO GOING ANIMALS.