HER
HER
limited knowledge of the general works of nature. Mem. Acad. Paris, 1707.
HERMESIA, a name given, by fome authors, to hermetic che- miftry. See Chemistry.
HERMODACTYLS (Q*/.)— Thefe have been too generally fuppofed a fruit, but they are unquestionably a root, and feem to be the roots of that fpecies of meadow-faffron, called by authors Cokkicum Cbinenfe Jioribus fritt Maria injiar variega- t'is,foliis undulatts, or the Chinefe meadow-faffron, with un- dulated leaves, and with flowers chequer'd like thofe of the fritillary. They were in great ufe among the antients as a purge ; but their operation is very flow, tedious, and fatiguing. They are beft corrected by being joined with aromatics, and are now fometimes ufed, mixed with jalap, in rheumatifms. The women of Egypt eat the frefh roots roafted, to make them grow fat. Pomet's Hift of Drugs.
HERNIA (Cycl.) — Old age is an advantage in performing the operations for Hernia, becaufe old people's guts are not fo liable to inflame or gangrene, as thofe of young perfons. Me- dic. EM*. Edinb. from Garengeot.
Hernia, where the omentum falls down with the inteftines, are more dangerous than where the gut is alone, becaufe the omentum hinders the reduction of the gut, grows to the rings of the mufcles, fwells, and forms a thick ring, which ftrangulates the gut. See Phil. Tranf. N°. 450. §. 2.
HERNIARIA, Rupturewort, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower has no petals, but confifts of feveral ftamina, arifing from a cup. The piftil finally becomes a feed, which is invcloped in a long ftriated capfule, which was the cup of the flower. The fpecies of Herniaria, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe : 1 . The fmooth Herniaria. 2. The hairy Herniaria. 3. The fhrubby Herniaria, with woody twigs. And 4. The chick weed -leav'd Herniaria. Tourn. Inft. p. 507. This plant has been long celebrated for the virtues its name cxprefles in the curing of ruptures ; but though the modern practice does not feem to allow all thofe virtues to it, yet there is another cafe in which a German phyfician ftrongly recom- mends it. It is in the diforder of the eyes, which is brought on by reading or writing by candlelight, or by examining nice objects, or very fine work. This diftemperature feems to be properly a diminution of fight, without any apparent caufe, or vifible alteration in the eye, and is probably owing to a vifcid matter obftructing the optic nerves, and preventing a fupply of their proper fluid. The Herniaria, being a gentle and mild attenuant, comes in admirably for the relief of this dif- order. Gruhhnan. de novo Caliginis remedio. The author gives many inftances of the fuccefs of this remedy, and mentions two methods of giving it ; the one in powder, and the other in tincture : The former way is preferr'd, and the method is to gather the herb in its prime, and powder it after it has been dried in the ihade ; then to fprinkle the quan- tity of a fcruple of this powder on the bread and butter ufed for breakfaft. If this is not liked, the tincture is to be made with fpirit of wine, as ftrong as the plant will make it, and forty drops are to be taken every morning and evening in any liquor. The diftemperature this is propofed to cure, is very common, yet this is almoft the only thing that has been prefcribed by way of remedy, and deferves to be fairly try'd.
HERODIUS Avis, in natural hiftory, a name given by Al- drovand, and fome others, to the chryfactos, or golden eagle. See the article Aquila.
HERON, Ardea, in zoology, the name of a large genus of birds, the diftinguifhing character of which is, by Mr. Ray, fixed in their inteftines, they having only one inteftinum cas- cum, or blind gut, as is the cuftom of nature in quadrupeds, mod other birds having two.
Of this bird there are many fpecies. I. The common Heron 9 well known to every one. 2. The Ardea cincrea tertium genus of Aldrovand, which has not been allotted any diftinguifhing name, either in Latin or Englifh. This is diftinguifhed by having every one of its feathers, which are greyifh and blackifh, variegated with a fpot of reddim brown at the extremity, and its leggs being of a greenifh colour. 3. The Ardea cinerea miner, or fmaller grey He- ron, called the nycticorax, or night raven. See Nvcti- corax. 4. The great white Heron, called by the Vene- tians and others, gazza. See Gazza. 5. The fmall white Heron, called the Gaza Giovane. See Gaza Giovane. 6. The fmall white Heron, called the Ardea tertia miner of Aldrovand. This is a fmall, but a very flefliy bird, its beak very fhort, in comparifon of the other Herons, and all over yellow; its head and neck alfo are of a faftron colour, and its breaft of a pale yellow. 7. The Ardea hamatotus, or cirris of the antients. See Cirris. 8. The Heron called Sguacco. See Scuacco- 9. The Heron called Squaiotta. See SqyAiOTTA. 10. The hooked-beak'd fmall Heron of Aldrovand, which is a fmall kind, with a beak more hooked at the end than any other fpecies, and is white, variegated with ftreaks of black on the belly, and grey on the back. 11. The Ardea congener, called the baftard Heron, of the fame author, which has fo fhort a beak, as not to be properly reducible to this genus. Its neck, legs, and toes, are all very long, and it is all over black, except that it has a white ring Suppl. Vol, I.
about the neck. 12. The Ardea Stellaris, or Bittern. See Bittern. 13. The Ardea Stellaris tertium genus of Al- drovand, to which neither the Latins nor Englifh have given any diftinguifhing name. This is all over of a reddifh brown colour. Its beak is a hand's breadth long, ftrait, pointed, and of a horn colour; the upper chap a little longer than the under one, and flightly hooked at the extremity. 14. The great red Bittern of Aldrovand, which feems a fort of baftard kind between the common Heron and the bittern, but comes neareft the grey Heron kind, and has a grey back, and reddifli breaft and fides. 15. The Airier ican Heron, called Soco. See Soco. 16. The Brafilian Heron, called Cocoi. 17. The Brafilian Heron, with the ferrated beak, which is the fame fize with our common tame duck, and refembles the bittern in colour. 18. The Heron called Guiratinga by the Brafi- lians. See Guiratinga. And laftly, the Ardeola, or fmall Heron, a Brafilian kind, fcarce fo large as a pigeon. See Ardeola. Ray's Ornithology, p. 203 to 210. This bird is a very great devourer of fifh, and is of more mif- chief to a pond than even an otter. Some fay that a Heron will deftroy more fifh in a week, than an otter will in three months ; but that feems carrying it too far. People who have kept Herons, have had the curiofity to number out the fifh they fed them with into a tub of water, and counting them. again afterwards, it has been found that they will eat fifty moderate fiz'd dace and roaches in a day. It has been found that in carp ponds, vifited by this bird, one Heron will eat up a thoufand ftore carp in a year, and will hunt them fo clofe as to let very few efcape. The readieft method of deftroying this mifchievous bird, is by fifhing for him in the manner of pike, with a baited hook. When the haunt of the Heron is found out, three or four fmall roach or dace are to be pro- cured, and each of them is to be baited on a wire, with a ftrong hook at the end, entering the wire juft under the gills, and letting it run juft under the ikin to the tail, the fifh will live in this manner five or fix days, which is a very effential thing, for if it be dead, the Heron will not touch it. A ftrong line is then to be prepared of filk and wire twifted together, and is to be about two yards long; tie this to the wire that holds the hook, and to the other end of it there is to be tied a ftone of about a pound weight; let three or four of thefe baits be funk in different fhallow parts of the pond, and in a night or two's time, the Heron will not fail of being taken by one or other of them.
When hawking was more in ufe, the Heron afforded a great deal of fport to the people who loved that diverficn. 1'here is but very little art in this flight of the hawk ; but as both the birds are large and courageous, the fight is finer than in the flight of fmaller birds that make no refiftance. At the beginning of March the Herons begin to make their paflage; If therefore you will adapt your hawks to the Heron, they muft be at this time ufed to fly at the rivers, and about wa- ters ; and they muft be fed with light meats. Then the hawk is to be entered at the game by getting a living Heron, and cutting its wings, or difabling it in fuch a manner that it cannot fly. Then it is to be fet on the ground, and the hawk unhooded and let go at her. If the hawk feize the Heron, the falconer muft run in to her afliftance, and kill the Heron, giving the hawk her reward, the heart, and letting her ftand over the opened breaft, and feed on other parts of the en- trails. Then let her be hooded ; and afterwards the bird is to be fwung about the head, and the hawk taught to come and feed on it out of the falconer's hand.
When the hawk is thus fairly entered, another live Heron is to be procured, and let off in an open field undifabled : As foon as fhe is rifen to a confiderable height in the air, the hawk is to be let out after her ; if the hawk clofe with her, and bring her down, the falconer is to run up to her aflift- ance, and flicking the Heron's bill in the ground, and breaking her wings and legs, the hawk is to be left to feed and plume upon her. When fhe is thus well managed, fhe may be ta- ken to the waters, and let at a wild Heron, in the following manner.
When a Heron is found, the falconer is to get as nigh her as he can, going under the wind with his hawk, which muft be a gerfalcon, or jerkin, with a haggared falcon for the dri- ver. Thus having the hoods loofe, as foon as ever the He- ron is up, let off the driver, which makes up to her, and caufes her to work in the wind ; then let go the hawks that are to fly at her ; but when they have worked above the He- ron that they come through her, they will make her come to fiege. When they have got her down, the falconer muft make up to them as quick as poflible, and aflift them by breaking her legs and wings, and thrufting her bill into the ground. For this flight of the hawk there mould always be a dog trained up to the fport, whofe bufinefs it is to come up and kill the Heron the moment that he fees her fall. If the hawk cannot bring her down, or gives over the flight, then give her a train Heron or two, in a proper place, before Ihe is trufted at a wild Heron again, otherwife fhe will be disheartened and fpoiled. HEROS Coagulation! s, the Hero tf Coagulations, an affected name given by Paracelfus to the fpirit of fea fait ; a menftru- 13 1 wn
