Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/563

NYBORG NYSSA 549 plored, in 1861 by Livingstone and Kirk, in 1863 and 1866 again by Livingstone, and in 1867 by Mr. E. D. Young. NYBORG, a fortified town of the island of Etinen, Denmark, on the Great Belt, 16 m. E. S. E. of Odense ; pop. about 4,000. It is de- fended by a strong citadel, and is the place where the Sound dues were formerly paid by vessels passing through the Great Belt. It con- tains ship-building yards, and has a large trade in grain. NYCTALOPIA (Gr. v{, night, a privative, and &1/;, eye), night blindness. The disease varies in intensity; in mild and recent cases there being only a greater or less indistinctness of vision after sunset, while in others the pa- tient is entirely unable to distinguish objects by the light of the moon or by artificial light, or even to see a lighted candle placed directly before the eyes. During the day the pupils move naturally, but after nightfall they remain usually dilated and sluggish or motionless. In old cases they are occasionally observed to be contracted. The disease is said to be some- times congenital and hereditary; more com- monly it is produced by continued exposure to the bright light of the sun during the day, particularly when the strength is impaired by over-fatigue, watching, and a faulty diet. It is of common occurrence in warm and tropical climates, particularly among strangers from a more temperate region. It sometimes seems to be produced by the reflection from snow. Avoidance of exposure to excessive light is in general all that is necessary to obtain a cure. If the disease is accompanied by any gastric or other derangement, this should of course be attended to. When the complaint has proved obstinate, a succession of blisters to the temples has been found beneficial. The term heme- ralopia, day blindness, has been applied to a defect of vision the opposite to nyctalopia. Beyond the photophobia common to those who have been long habituated to darkness, to al- binos, and to children laboring under strumous ophthalmia, this has no real existence. NYE, a S. E. county of Nevada, bounded E. by Utah and S. W. by California ; area, 24,200 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,087. The N. part con- sists of regularly alternating mountains and valleys, running N. and S. In every range there are mining districts, and the valleys con- tain large areas of arable and grazing land. The mountain streams are numerous. The S. part is mostly a high table land, falling off toward the west into the Death valley in Cali- fornia, and toward the east to the Colorado river. Reese river rises in the N. W. part, and Amargoza river in the S.' part. According to the census of 1870, there were 15 quartz mines in operation, of which 14 produced silver and one gold and silver. The chief productions were 1,314 bushels of wheat, 1,390 of oats. 14,260 of barley, 7,065 of potatoes, and 1,138 tons of hay. The value of live stock was $42,822. There were 5 saw mills and 5 quartz mills. Capital, Belmont. NYERCP, Nasmns, a Danish antiquary, born at Orsted in the island of Fiinen, March 12, 1759, died in Copenhagen, June 28, 1829. He was educated at Copenhagen, where in 1796 he ^ became professor of literary history and university librarian. He wrote several valu- able bibliographical works, but his reputation rests chiefly on his antiquarian compilations, of which the most noteworthy is his " His- torical and Statistical Exhibition of the Condi- tion of Denmark and Norway in Ancient and Modern Times" (2 vols., 1802-'6) ; and more especially on his numerous writings in regard to the ancient Danish language and literature. NYKOPING, a town of Sweden, in the Ian of Sodermanland, on a bay of the Baltic, 50 m. S. W. of Stockholm ; pop. about 5,000. It is traversed by the small Nykoping river, which connects the great network of lakes in the interior with the Baltic. The new town contains a fine square with a fountain, several churches, and a palace for the provin- cial governor. Steam engines, locomotives, iron-clad ships, &c., are produced. There are only relics of the old castle, once one of the strongest in Sweden; it was destroyed by a fire in 1665. In 1719 the old town was devas- tated by the Russians. NYMPH. See CHRYSALIS. NYMPHEA. See Cos. NYMPHS (Gr. vv^ai), in Greek and Roman mythology, inferior female divinities, presiding over various departments of nature. The Oceanids, daughters of Oceanus, and the Ne- reids, daughters of Nereus, were salt-water nymphs, the latter dwelling in the Mediterra- nean, and especially in the ^Egean sea. The naiads were nymphs of fountains and other fresh waters, those presiding over lakes being also called limniads, and those over rivers, pot- amids. The nymphs of mountains and grottoes were called oreads or orestiads ; of forests and groves, dryads and hamadryads ; and of vales, glens, and meadows, naphsese and limoniads. They were also named from certain races or localities with which they were associated, as Nysiads, Dodonids, Lemnise, &c. ; and were subdivided into still other classes, with almost innumerable names and attributes. Sacrifices were offered to the nymphs of such productions of nature as abounded in their several haunts, but never of wine. They were not immortal, though always youthful, and often perished with the objects of their care; or the object was said to languish and die when the guardian nymph forsook it. NYSSA. See TUPELO.