Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/430

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AUREUS 344 AUROBA gion prayed for relief. Not only was the rain sent, which enabled the Romans to quench their thirst, but a fierce storm of hail beat upon the enemy, which so MARCUS AURELIUS terrified them that a complete victory was obtained, and the legion was ever after called "The Thundering Legion." After this victory, the Marcomanni, the Quadi, as well as the rest of the bar- barians, sued for peace. Aurelius re- turned to Rome, after visiting Egypt and Greece, but soon new incursions of the Marcomanni compelled him once more to take the field. He defeated the enemy several times, but was taken sick at Sirmium, and died at Vindobona (Vienna) in 180. His only extant work is the "Meditations," written in Greek, and which has been translated into most modern languages. AUREUS, the first gold coin which was coined at Rome, 207 B. C. Its value varied at different times, from about $3 to $6. AURICHALCITE, a mineral placed by Dana under the fourth section of his hydrous carbonates. It occurs in acicular crystals, forming drusy incrustations; also columnar, plumose, granular, or laminated. Its luster is pearly; its color, pale-green, or sometimes azure. It is found in England at Roughten Gill, in Cumberland; at Leadhills, in Lanark- shire; in Spain, Asia, and the United States. Buratite, by some called lime- aurichalcite, occurs in France and in Austro-Hungary. AURICULA, a well known and beau- tiful garden flower, the primula auricula. It is a native of the Alpine districts of Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, and occurs also in Astrakhan. In its wild state its colors are generally yellow and red, moi'e rarely purple, and occasion- ally variegated or mealy. A still great- er variety of colors has been introduced by cultivation. In zoology, a genus of pulmoniferous mollusks, the typical one of the family auriculidse. They are found chiefly in the brackish swamps of tropical islands. AURIFABER, the Latinized name of JoHANN GOLDSCHMIDT, one of Luther's companions, born in 1519, became pastor at Erfurt in 1566; died there in 1579. He collected the unpublished manuscripts of Luther, and edited the "Epistolae" and the "Table-Talk." AURIGA (a-re'ga), in astronomy, the Wagoner, a constellation of the north- ern hemisphere, containing 68 stars, in- cluding Capella of the fii'st magnitude. AURILLAC (5-re-yak), a town of France, capital of the department of Can- tal; on the Jordanne river; 272 miles S. of _ Paris. It is noted for its ancient buildings, among which are the Church of Notre Dame, constructed in the 13th century, and the castle of St. Stephen. Most of the town is of modern construc- tion. It has manufactures of jewelry, copper, kettles, paper, woolen stuffs and carpets. Pop. about 18,000. AURINGER, OBADIAH CYRUS, an American poet, born at Glens Falls, N. Y., June 4, 1849. He served for some years in the United States navy. In 1875 he became a farmer in his native place. Among his works are "Scythe and Sword" (1887) ; "Episode of Jane Mc- Crea," "The Book of the Hills," "Eagle Bride" (1911), etc. AUROCHS, the English and very near- ly the German name of the aurochs fos- sile of Cuvier, the 60s irtis of some other writers, now called bison priscus. It belongs to the order ruminantixi and the family bovidse. It is a species of ox, with a shaggy coat and mane, found by the Romans in the forests of Germany and Belgium, and still existing in small numbers in Lithuania. AURORA, a city in Kane co., 111., on the Fox river, and the Chicago and Northwestern, the Burlington Route, and other railroads; 38 miles W. of Chicago. It contains several locomotive, car, and