DU A

D RA

185

great note in the ancient church. It began with these words,which the angels sung at our Saviour’s birth, Glory be to God onHigh, &c. Jt was chiefly used in communion service, and in pri-vate devotions.

2. Doxology, the Less, was anciently only a single sen-tence, without response, running in these words, Glory be to theLather, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, world withoutend, Amen. Part of the latter clause, As it was in the beginning,is now, and ever shall be, was inserted sonic time after the firstcomposition.

DRABA, a genus of the siliculosa order, and tetvadynamia classof plants; natural order, Siliquosa'. Silicula entire, oval oblong ;valves a little plain, parallel to the partition; no style. Thereare nine species.

I) R ABLER , in the sea language, a small sail in a ship, whichis the same to a bonnet, that a bonnet is to a course, 'and is onlyused when the course and bonnet arc too shoal to clothe the mast.

DRABLING, in angling, is a method of catching barbel.Take a large line of six yards ; which, before fastening it to therod, must be put through a piece of lead, that if the fish bite, itmay slip to and fro, and that the water may something move it ontlie ground; bait with a lobe worm well secured, and so by itsmotion the barbel will be enticed into the danger without suspi-cion. 'Phe best places are in running water near piles, or underwooden bridges, supported with oaks floated and slimy.

DRABS, in the salt-works, a kind of wooden boxes for holdingthe salt when taken out of the boiling pan ; the bottoms of whichare made shelving or inclining forwards, that the briny moistureof the salt mav drain oil’.

DRAG, an imaginary being, formerly much dreaded by thecountry people in many parts of France . The dries were sup-posed to be malicious or at least tricksome demons ; but which wasvery rare, if one of them happened to take a fancy to a man orwoman, they were sure to be the belter for it.

DRAC.ENA, a genus of the menogynia order, and hexandriaclass of plants. Corolla sexpartite, erect; filaments a little thickerabout the middle ; berry trilocular, moiiospermous. It has nineSpecies, natives of the East Indies.

DRACHM, a Grecian coin, of the value of 7|d. Drachm isalso a weight used by our physicians; containing just sixty grains,three scruples, or the eighth part of an ounce. See Coin .

DRACO, a celebrated lawgiver of Athens . When arclion, hemade a code of laws for his fellow citizens, wherein all crimes weremade capital ; and even idleness was punished with death as wellas murder. These laws were at first enforced, but they were af-terwards neglected on account of their extreme severity ; andSolon totally abolished them, except that one which punished amurderer with death. The respect of Draco’s admirers provedfatal to him. When at iEgina, lie appeared on the theatre, hewas received with repeated applause ; but the people, accordingto the custom of the Athenians , shewing their respect by throwingtheir garments upon him, they did it in such profusion, that Dracowas soon hid under them, and smothered. He lived about B.C. 624.

Draco, a constellation. See Astronomy.

Draco, the Dragon , in zoology, a genus of the class andorder amphibia reptilia ; legs four; tail cylindrical; wings two,membranaceous, radiated like the tins of a fish, bv which he is en-abled to fly, but not to any great distance at a tune. There aretwo species, both harmless creatures, feeding on flies, ants, andsmall insects, viz.

1. Draco Przepos, with the wings fixed to the fore-legs. Itis a native of America .

2. Draco Volans, the Flying Dragon , with the wings entire-ly distinct from the fore-legs. It is found in America and the EastJudies. See Plate LIV. fig. 14.

Draco Volans, in meteorology, a fiery exhalation, frequentin marshy and cold countries. It is most common in summer;and though principally seen playing near the banks of rivers, orin boggy places, yet sometimes mounts up to a considerable heightin the air: 'its appearance being that of an oblong, sometimesroundish, fiery body, with a long tail. It is entirely harmless.

DRACOCEPI1ALUM, Dragon ’s Head, a genus of thegymnospermia order, and didynamia class of plants. Corollathroat inflated , upper lip concave. There are fifteen species,most of them herbaceous, annual or perennial plants, frojn 18

VOL. it.— no. 67.

inches to 3 feet high, garnished mostly with entire leaves, andwhorled spikes of small monopetalous and ringent flowers, of ablue, white, or purple colour,

DKACONAR1 IIS, [Ajrexovsjio; and Ajrex«"r«ofo;c;,] in antiquity,dragon-bearer. The Persians, Parthians, Scythians , &c. bore dra-gons on their standards; whence the standards themselves werecalled Dracones.

DRAGON ES , among the Romans, were figures of dragonspainted in red on their flags, as appears from Anunianus Marcel-linns; but among the Persians and Parthians -they were like theRoman eagles, figures in full relievo ; so that the Romans werefrequently deceived, and took them for real dragons.

DRACONTIC Month, the time of one revolution of themoon from her ascending node, cailed caput draconis, to her re-turn thither.

DR ACONTIUM, Dragons ; a genus of the polyamlria order,ami gynandria class of plants; natural order, Piperita 1 . Spatlucymbil'orm, or shaped like a boat; spadix covered all over; nocalyx; petals five ; berries polyspermous. There are five spe-cies, all natives of the Indies..

DRACUNCULI, in medicine, small long worms which breedin the muscular part of the arms and legs, called Guinea worms.The common way of getting out these w orms is by the point of aneedle ; and to prevent their forming again, to wadi tire partswith wine, vinegar, alum, nitre, or common salt, or w ith a stronglixivium, of oak-ashes, and afterwards anointing them w ith an oint-ment of the common kind used for scorbutic eruptions, with a smallmixture of quicksilver.

DRAG, in sea language, is a machine consisting of a sharp;square, iron ring, encircled with a net, and commonly ust d to takethe w heel off from the platform or bottom of the decks. Theword is also used for whatever hang^ over the ship in the sea, asshirts, coats, or the like; boats, when towed, or whatever elsemay retard the ship’s way when she sails.

DRAGOMAN, or DROGMAN , a term of general usethrough the East for an interpreter, whose office is to facilitatecommerce between the orientals and occidentals.

DRAGON , [ draco , Eat.] See Draco.

Dragon Ely. See Eibellula.

DRAGONE'E, in heraldry, where the upper half resembles alion or other beast, the other half going off like the hinder part ofa dragon.

DRAGONS, in botany. Sec Arum, and Dracontii m.

Dragons-Blood, a gummi-resinous substance brought from theEast-Indies, either in oval drops wrapped up in flag leaves, or inlarge masses composed of smaller tears. It is said to be obtainedfrom tiie palmijuncus draco, the calamus rotang, the draca-nadraco, the pterocarpus draco, and several other vegetables. Thewriters on the materia medica prefer the former, though the othersare often of equal goodness. The fine dragon’s blood of eithersort breaks smooth, free from any visible impurities, of a dark redcolour, which changes upon being powdered into an elegant brightcrimson. Several artificial compositions, coloured with the truedragon’s blood, or Brazil wood, are sometimes sold for Ibis com-modity. A solution of dragon’s blood in the spirit of w ine is usedfor staining marble, to which it gives a red tinge, which penetratesmore or less deeply according to the heat of the marble during thelime of application. But as it spreads at the same time that itsinks deep, for tine designs the marble should be cold. Mr. Du-Fay says, that by adding pitch to this solution the colour may be.rendered deeper.

Dragons Head and Tail, [ caput dy cuuda draconis ] inastronomy, are the nodes of the planets; or the two points whereinthe ecliptic is intersected by the orbits ^of the planets, and parti-cularly that of the moon ; making with it angles of 5" 18’. 'Thenortln i n is called the ascending node, and the southern the de-scending node. These points have a retrograde motion in thezodiac, 3' 11” per day ; completing their circle in 18 years 223days: so that the moon can be but twice in the ecliptic duringher monthly period, but at all other times she will have a latitudeor declination from the ecliptic. About these points of intersec-tion all eclipses happen. 1 hey are usually denoted by these cha-racters £3 dragon’s head, and £S dragon’s tail; thus by Q, }) Vj’ 14“20' 39" 39" 1 T" is meant that the moon’s ascending node is in 14° 29 '39” .59"' 17"" of Capricorn, consequently the moon’s £5 is >■> 25 14“29' 39“ 59”' 17”".

3 B DRAGOON,