Peter Parley's Illustrations of the Animal Kingdom: Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles and Insects |
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Common terms and phrases
Africa Andromeda appear Asia astronomer beautiful bees binary stars bird black color brown color called Canis Major Canis Minor Cassiopeia centre Cepheus circle comet common constellation continents creature Deer disc distance domestic Goat double star Duck earth east eclipse eggs equinoctial esteemed European feeds feet in length feet long fish flesh flocks Fomalhaut four Gemini genus genus of birds ground habits half long head horizon horns inches long including animals inhabits insects kind known legs live meridian meridian at 9 moon moon's motion move nearly nest night node northern olive color orbit Order pass Pisces planet pole prey quadruped represented resembles rivers Sagittarius satellites Scorpius second magnitude seen sembling situated sometimes species sphere spots star sun's supposed tail telescope third magnitude tion trees Uranus Ursa Major wild wings worms
Popular passages
Page 131 - Venus a pea, on a circle 284 feet in diameter; the Earth also a pea, on a circle of 430 feet; Mars a rather large pin's head, on a circle of 654 feet; Juno, Ceres, Vesta, and Pallas, grains of sand, in orbits of from 1000 to 1200 feet; Jupiter a moderate-sized orange, in a circle nearly half a mile across...
Page 131 - Mercury will be represented by a grain of mustard seed, on the circumference of a circle 1 64 feet in diameter for its orbit; Venus a pea, on a circle 284 feet in diameter ; the Earth also a pea, on a circle of 430 feet; Mars a rather large pin's head, on a circle of 654 feet...
Page 40 - While feeding, they are often scattered over a great extent of country, but when they move in mass, they form a dense and almost impenetrable column, which, once in motion, is scarcely to be impeded. Their line of march is seldom interrupted, even by considerable rivers, across which they swim without fear or hesitation, nearly in the order that they traverse the plains. When flying before their pursuers, it would be in vain for the foremost to halt, or...
Page 35 - The wings of birds are remarkably strong. The flap of a swan's wing would break a man's leg ; and a similar blow from an eagle has been known to lay a man dead in an instant. The sense of seeing in birds is remarkably acute, and though they...
Page 33 - It will then be evident that the most unsubstantial clouds which float in the highest regions of our atmosphere, and seem at sunset to be drenched in light, and to glow throughout their whole depth as if in actual ignition, without any shadow or dark side, must be looked upon as dense and massive bodies compared with the filmy and all but spiritual texture of a comet.
Page 13 - Two strong mandibles arm their mouth, with which they sometimes fix themselves so obstinately to the object of their attack, that they will sooner be torn limb from limb than let go their hold; and, after their battles, the head of a conquered enemy may often be seen suspended to the antennae or legs of the victor, a trophy of his valour, which, however troublesome, he will be compelled to carry about with him to the day of his death.
Page 54 - ... the inclination of the earth's axis to the plane of the ecliptic, and more remotely upon the variations in that inclination known as precession and nutation.
Page 12 - Numbering the efforts that it made to accomplish this object, he found that the grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground, but the seventieth time it reached the top of the wall. " This sight (said Timour) gave me courage at the moment; and I have never forgotten the lesson it conveyed.
Page 12 - Aphides that inhabit the branches of a tree or the stalks of a plant; and if stranger ants attempt to share their treasure with them, they endeavour to drive them away, and may be seen running about in a great bustle, and exhibiting every symptom of inquietude and anger. Sometimes, to rescue them from their rivals, they take their Aphides in their mouth; they generally keep guard round them...
Page 149 - Josephus gives the following account of them. ' That Seth and his descendants were persons of happy tempers and lived in peace, employing themselves in the study of astronomy, and in other researches after useful knowledge ; that in order to preserve the knowledge they had acquired, and to convey it to posterity, having heard from Adam of the Flood, and of a destruction of the world by fire, which...