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EGY

EGG

EFT, in zoology. See I.acerta. j

EGAKTO, one of the smaller Kurile islands, in the N. Pacificocean .

KGF.NBURG, or EGGENBURG, a town of Germany , inthe archduchy of Austria, 36 miles N. W. of Vienna .

EGER 1, one of the late^rand communities of Switzerland ,which, with the town of Zug, funned the Canton of Zug .

EGER1A, or ,F,GF.R1 A, a nymph held in great veneration bythe Romans. She was courted by Numa l’ompilius; and ac-cording to Ovid, became his wife. Tins prince to give his lawsthe greater authority, solemnly declared, before the Roman peo-ple, that they were previously sanctified and approved by thenymph Egeria. Ovid says, that Egeria was so disconsolate at thedeath of Numa, that she melted into tears and was changed intoa fountain by Diana.

EGG, in physiology, a body formed in certain females, inwhich is contained an embryo, or foetus of the same species, un-der a cortical surface or shell. The exterior part of an eggis a shell; which in a hen, for instance, is a white, thin, andfriable cortex, including all the other parts. The shell be-comes more brittle by being exposed to a dry heat, it is linedevery where with a very {bin, hut a pretty tough membrane,which dividing at, or very near, the obtuse cud of the egg, formsa small bag, where nothing but air is contained. In new-laideggs this follicle appears very little, but becomes larger when theegg is kept. Within this are contained the albumen, or while,ami the vitellus, or yolk; each of which have their different vir-tues. The albumen is a cold, viscous, w hite liquor in the egg, dif-ferent in consistence in its different parts. It is observed that thereare two distinct albumens, each of which is inclosed in its propermembrane. Of these one is very thin and liquid: the other ismure dense and viscous, and of a somewhat whiter colour; but inold and stale eggs, alter some days incubation, inclining to a yel-low. As this second albumen covers the yolk on all skies, so it is it-self surrounded by the other external liquid. The albumen of a fe-cundated egg, is as sweet and free from corruption, during all thetime of incubation, as it is in new-laid eggs; as is aFo the vitellus.As the eggs of hens consist of two liquors separated one from an-other, and distinguished by two branches of umbilical veins, oneof which goes to the vitellus, and the other to the albumen ; so it isvery probable that they are of different natures, and consequentlyappointed for different purposes. When the vitellus grows warmwith incubation, it becomes more humid, and like melting wax orfat; whence it takes up more space. For as the foetus increases,the albumen insensibly wastes away and condenses ; the vitellus,on the contrary, seems to lose little or nothing of its bulk whenthe foetus is perfected, and only appears more liquid and humidwhen the abdomen of the feetus begins to be formed. The chick Iin the egg is first nourished by the albumen; and when this is :consumed, by the vitellus, as with milk. If we compare the jchalaza 1 to the extremities of an axis passing through the vitellus, |which is of a spherical form, this sphere w ill be composed of twounequal portions, its axis not passing through its centre ; conse-quently, since it is heavier than the white, its smaller portion mustalways be uppermost in all positions of the egg. The yellowishwhite round spot, called cicatricula, is placed on the middle ofthe smaller portion, and therefore always appears on the superiorpart of the vitellus. Not long before the exclusion of the chick,the whole yolk is taken into its abdomen ; and the shell at the ob-tuse end of the egg, frequently appears cracked some time beforethe exclusion of the chick. 'I he chick is sometimes observed toperforate the shell with its beak. After exclusion, the yolk isgradually wasted, being conveyed into the small guts by a smallduct. Eggs differ very much according to the birds that laythem, as to their colour, form, bigness, age, and the different wayof dressing them : those most used in food are hens’ eggs ; of whichsuch as are new-laid are best. As to the preservation of eggs, it isobserved that the egg is always quite full when it is first laid by- the hen; but from that time it gradually becomes less and less so,to its decay : and however compact and close its shell may appear,it is nevertheless perforated with a multitude of small holes,though too minute for the discernment of our eyes, the effect ofwhich is a daily decrease of matter within fhe egg, from the timeof its being laid ; and the perspiration is much quicker in hot wea-ther then in cold. To preserve eggs fresh, there needs no morethan to preserve them full, and stop the transpiration ; the method

|| of which is, by stopping up those pores with matter which is notsoluble in watery iluids': and on this principle it is that all kindsof varnish, prepared with spirit of wine, will preserve eggs freshfor a long time, if they are carefully rubbed all over the shell;tallow, mutton fat, and even fresh butter are also good for thispurpose ; for such as are rubbed over with any of these will keepas long as those coated over with varnish. M. Reaumur observes,that hens eggs are properly a sort of chrysalis of the animal; their'germ, after they are impregnated by the cock, containing theyoung animal alive, and waiting only a due degree of warmth tobe hatched, and appear in its proper form. When eggs have beenlong kept, there is a ro-ad found near one of their ends, betweenthe shell aiid the internal membrane; this is a mark of theirbeing stale, and is the effect of an evaporation of part of their hu.-midity; the varnish which M. Reaumur used to the chrysalis,being tried on eggs, was found to preserve them for two years,as fresh as if laid but the same day, and such as the nicest palatecould not distinguish from those that were so.

F.GLANTlN E, in botany. See Rosa.

EGLISOW, an ancient town of the Helvetic Republic , i nthecanton of Zurich, 15 miles N. of Zurich .

EG MO NT, a town of Batavia or Holland , in the dept, of theTexel, 3 miles S. of Alcmaer.

Egmont Island, in the south Pacific Ocean , is 6 miles long,and 4 broad. The land is low and full of trees. Lon. 133. 30.W. Lat. 19. 20. N.

EGOTISM, [from ego, Lat.] the fault committed in writingby the frequent repetition of the word ego or 1; too frequentmention of a man’s self in writing or conversation.

EGRA, a river and town of Bohemia, 7(j miles W. of Prague .Lon. 12. 40. E. Lat. 50. 9. N.

EGKEMONT, a town of England, in the county of Cumber-land, 9 miles S.S. E, of Whitehaven .

EGYP T, an extensive country of Africa , lying between 30’and 36° of Ion. E. and between 21 5 and 31° of lat. N. It is bound-ed by the Mediterranean on the N.; by the Red-sea and Isthmusof Suez, which divide it from Arabia, on the E. ; by Abyssinia orEthiopia , on the S.; and by the desarts of Barca and Nubia, on tin*W.; being 600 miles in length from N. to S. and from 100 to 250in breadth from E. to W. Ancient Egypt is by some divided in-to two parts, the Upper and LowerEgvpt: by others into three, theUpper Egypt , properly so called, orThebais; theMiddle Egypt, orIleptanomis; and the Lower Egypt , the best part of which was theDelta, or that space encompassed by the branches of the Nile .See Thebais, &c. Egypt may with justice lay claim to ashigh antiquity as any nation in the world. The country wasmost probably peopled by Mizraim tire son of Ham and grand-son of Noah. By its ancient inhabitants it was called Chemia,and is still called Chemi in the language of the Copts ornative Egyptians. This name it is supposed to have receivedfrom Ham the son of Noah. In scripture we find it mostgenerally named Mizraim; though it is styled in the Psalms theland of Ham. To us it is best known by the name of Egypt , theetymology of which is more uncertain. Some derive it fromtEgyptus, a supposed king of the country : others say it signifiesno more than “ the land of the Copts ;” aia in Greek signifyinga country, and mmuti,;, Aicoptos, being easily hardened intolEgypffis. The most probable, opinion, however, seems to be, thatit received this name from the blackness of its soil, and the darkcolour both of its river and inhabitants: for such a blackish colouris by the Greeks called :egyptios from Tv-J- and Aiysirio; a vulture;and by the Latins, subvulturius. For the same reason, othernames of a similar import have been given to this country by theGreeks ; such as Aeria, and Melambolus ; the river itself was calledMelo or Melas; by the Hebrews, Shihor; and by the Ethiopians ,Siris ; all of which signify black. The air and climate of Egypt are extremely hot, not onlv from the height of the sun, which insummer approaches near to the zenith, but from the want of rain,and from the vicinity of those burning and sandv deserts which lieto the S. In July and August, according to M. Volney, Reau-mur’s thermometer stands, even in the most temperate apartments,at 24° or 25° above the freezing point; and in the southern partsit is said to rise still higher. Hence, he says, only two seasonsshould be distinguished iji Egypt , the cool and the hot, or springand summer. The latter continues for the greatest part of the year,viz. from March to November, or even longer; lor by the end of

February,