Umbra

“ The umbra, who is introduced as one of the guests, is a species of animal not peculiar we believe, to the Roman age. Society has in all ages abounded in parasites and toadies, who, for the sake of a plentiful repast and fashionable company, have very willingly echoed the sentiments of a rich patron. Glaucus, one of the principal personages in the tale, had assembled a small party to partake of his luxurious bounty,—and the chapter opens with a fine description of the host himself. ”

“ Fig. 147.—Concave Lens.
Of course we all know that when a candle or a gaslight or the Sun shines on an apple or any other opaque object—that is, an object that will not let the ether waves go through it—the light is cut off back of it and this dark space is called a shadow; this is also true when the Sun shines on the Earth, or on any of the other planets or their moons.
There are always two parts to the shadow of an object unless the light is a mere point or the object is very close to the screen, or surface on which the shadow falls. The dark part of the shadow is called the umbra. ”

“ UMBILICUS. (A navel.) The hollow formed in spiral shells when the inner side of the volutions do not join each other, so that the axis is hollow. The umbilicus is marked with the letter u in Helix algira, fig. 279. The term is also used to express any small, neat, rounded hollow.
UMBO. (The boss of a buckler or shield.) The point of a bivalve shell above the hinge, which constitutes the apex or nucleus of each valve, from which the longitudinal rays diverge, and the lines of growth, commencing at the minutest circle, descend in gradually enlarging concentric layers to the outer margin. ”

“ Umber. A massive mineral pigment used by painters as a brown colour, and to make varnish dry quickly. Raw umber is of an olive brown, which becomes much redder when burnt. (See Ochres.)
Umbilici, R. (lit. navels) , were the ornamental bosses which projected from each end of the staff round which a volume of papyrus or parchment (liber) was rolled. They were also called cornua, and geminæ frontes. (See Liber.)
Umbo (Gr. ὀμφαλός) . (1) The boss of a shield, often sharp and projecting so as to form an offensive weapon in itself. ”

“ The wing-coverts graduate from the slaty drab of the extreme outer ones to the blackish umber of the medians, faintly fringed with paler; the primary coverts are a slaty umber, broadly margined with white. Primaries blackish umber, with white shafts; secondaries almost black with a very delicate hairline margin of drab. The alula and base of primaries slaty drab. Abdomen and under tail-coverts dull white. The legs, toes, and webs a pale chrome-yellow, with a tinge of umber. Bill a dirty whitish yellow with a few streaks of blackish on ridge and side. ”

“ In this bird the under parts have become a dirty-looking umber; on the upper part of the breast there are a few feathers left marbled with blackish umber, these alone showing clearly enough that it is a case of the extraction of the dark colouring matter. The upper breast is drab, with the edges of the feathers worn and abraded-looking. The flanks have a few of the dark large new feathers coming, bordered with dull white. The general appearance of the upper parts is paler than in first plumage, the bill is clearer, and the nail nearly all white. ”

“ How can we doubt the existence of mermaids, when we find animals assuming the forms of umbrellas, goblets, and bells! Look! here comes a living umbrella, moving through the water by opening and shutting itself. Now, reader, it flaps itself under your very nose, and you may inspect it narrowly. You will perceive, that it is rather an uncommon sort of umbrella, as it has four sticks instead of one, and is furnished with a number of tendril-like appendages. ”

“ The principal object of all those who have devoted their attention to the task has been to reduce the weight of the Umbrella without, at the same time, diminishing its strength. In its primitive form the ribs were formed of whalebone, which possessed very grave inconveniences ”

“ If one does not happen to notice how the umber-bird slips out and in one would never imagine that these structures were hollow, but would rather take them for the eyrie of a bird of prey, especially as eagles and horned owls frequently nest on the top of them. But when one has seen the real owner enter, and has inspected the nest closely, one finds that the interior is divided into three compartments, connected by holes which serve as doors, and further observation reveals that these three compartments answer the purpose of hall, reception or dining room, and brooding-chamber. ”

“ Whether the femininity of the umbrella inspired confidence, or the desperate state of my feelings urged me on, I cannot say, but getting on the edge of my nest, putting my foot in the strong oak curved handle for a stirrup, and grasping the staff firmly, I slipped from the vines, and floated slowly down, the old umbrella popping and straining as if it was going to fly to pieces. ”

“ A tall, thin man hurried to the rescue, and just as Uncle John came in sight, leading his procession, a knife severed the crab's claw and Mumbles was free. Seeing his mistress, the puppy, still whining with pain, hurried to her for comfort, while Uncle John turned to the man and said:
"Thank you, Mr. Jones, for assisting our poor beast. Mumbles is an
Eastern dog, you know, and inexperienced in dealing with crabs." ”

“ Persons with umbrellas clamp them down close upon their heads and proceed blindly like the larger and more reckless crabs that you see in aquariums. Nor can we know until now what spirit for adventure resides in an umbrella. Hitherto it has stood in a Chinese vase beneath the stairs and has seemed a listless creature. But when a November wind is up it is a cousin of the balloon, with an equal zest to explore the wider precincts of the earth and to alight upon the moon. Only persons of heavier ballast—such as have been fed on sweets—plump pancake persons—can hold now an umbrella to the ground. ”

“ Imagine an object resembling the backs of antediluvian monsters, mastodons or elephants, lying in the shade of a great mass of sheltering foliage. Heavy folds in the grey rind denote a growing limb, a rounded shoulder, a gigantic head half concealed. These are the tremendous roots of the ombu, whose delight it is to issue forth from the soil in the form of astonishing animated objects. When by foot and stick you have ascertained that these living shapes are in reality mummified within a thick bark, you turn your attention to the trunk itself and find it hollow, with a crumbling surface. ”

“ The eggs of the Red-tail exhibit great variations in nearly every respect except their shape, which is pretty uniformly a spheroidal-oval. Their ground-color varies from white to a dingy rusty drab, their markings vary greatly in colors, shades, size, frequency, and distribution. In some the markings are small, few, and light, and the egg appears to be of an almost homogeneous brownish-white. In others the ground is completely concealed by large and confluent blotches of deep and dark purplish-brown, burnt umber, and a peculiar shade known as Dutch umber. ”

“ Similar conjugal and paternal tenderness is exhibited by the umber-bird, a stork-like bird about the size of a raven, which leads a quiet, nocturnal life in the forest, and builds an enormous nest, one of the most remarkable built by any bird. ”

“ Mag. 251, opens its upper, or central, flowers first, contrary to the usual order in its genus; both which instances prove such a diversity to be of small moment.
Umbella, an Umbel, for which some authors retain the obsolete old English name of Rundle. In this several flower-stalks, or rays, nearly equal in length, spread from one common centre, their summits forming a level, convex, or even globose surface, more rarely a concave one. When each ray is simple and single-flowered, it is called a simple umbel, as those of Allium ursinum, Engl. Bot. ”

“ Some entomologists, nervously sensitive to public opinion, are, however, somewhat shy of sporting these umbrella nets, for should rain perchance come down while he is on the road, the villagers may be astonished at the insane spectacle of a man scuttling along through the torrent and getting drenched through, while he carries a good-looking umbrella carefully under his arm for fear it should get wet ”

“ B. umbellus. Rump with cordate light spots; sides with transverse dark spots. Tail with two gray bands (one terminal) , with a broad blackish zone between them. Cervical tufts glossy black or dark brown, with a semi-metallic steel-blue or green border.
Prevailing color bright ochraceous-rufous; tail always rufous in the Middle and Southern States, occasionally gray on the Alleghany Mountains, and in New England States; usually gray in Eastern British America. Hab. Eastern Province of North America ... var. umbellus.
Prevailing color bluish-ashy; tail always pale ash. Hab. ”

“ We can happily estimate the value of such a friend as the Umbrella, the silent companion of our walks abroad, a companion incomparably superior to those slimy waterproof abominations so urgently recommended to us, for, at the least, the Umbrella cannot be accused of injuring, the health as they have been, as it appears, with very good reason. ”

“ Bumps thought they must be approaching the city. They were pushing their way through a little thicket—Bunny hurrying on ahead, as usual—when Bumps heard the hiss of a snake. He looked around quickly to see where it came from, and right in front of him on the ground he saw a poor little bird held spellbound by the glittering eye of an ugly snake, so frightened that it could neither move nor fly. Without stopping to think that the snake might injure him, Bumps seized a big stick and killed it. Instantly the poor little bird was transformed into a beautiful Fairy, not much bigger than a robin. ”

“ The most distant of them exhibits over the sea a front three hundred feet in hight, emulating the color of the emerald; cataracts of melted snow fall down in various parts; and black, spiral mountains, streaked with white, bound the sides, rising crag above crag, as far as the eye can reach in the background. At times immense fragments break off, and precipitate themselves into the water with a most alarming dashing. A portion of this vivid green substance was seen by Lord Mulgrave, in the voyage above referred to, to fall into the sea ”

“ During the dry season, that is in summer, these strange animals bury themselves in a nest of leaves in the dry mud, and then breathe air through lungs like the Amphibia. But during the wet season, in winter, they live in rivers and bogs, and breathe water through gills like fish. Externally, they resemble fish of the eel kind, and are like them covered with scales; in many other characteristics also—in their internal structure, their skeleton, extremities, etc.—they resemble Fish more than Amphibia. ”

“ Crouched at the opening of a hole, into which they have crept back, they sleep with the mouth open, the upper jaw perpendicularly erect, so as to lie in wait for their prey. To these amphibians it is but sport to launch themselves in its pursuit, either by swimming through the waters propelled by their tails or running along the bank with a speed no man can equal. ”

“ A Bummaree's judgment of fish in the bulk must be not only accurate, but has to be arrived at with a promptitude which in the midst of the hurry-skurry of the market, and formed, as it apparently is, at little more than a simple glance, is something perfectly wonderful to the uninitiated. ”

“ In America, moreover, some species seem to have lately extended their range. Hybrids are occasionally found.
Sub-fam. 5. Tetraoninae.–Bonasa umbellus, the Ruffed Grouse, which inhabits the greater part of North America, is remarkable for the frills of black or chestnut feathers surmounting a bare space on the sides of the neck, and for the partially naked metatarsi. Both sexes are rufous or greyish above, with buff and black markings, a short blackish crest, and a black subterminal tail-bar; the under parts being buff, relieved by brown and white. ”

“ When swimming, very little of their bodies appear above water, and their necks are extended a little forward: their progress is slow. On two occasions, I saw some ostriches swimming across the Santa Cruz river, where it was about four hundred yards wide, and the stream rapid. Captain Sturt, [24] when descending the Murrumbidgee, in Australia, saw two emus in the act of swimming.
The inhabitants who live in the country readily distinguish, even at a distance, the male bird from the female. ”

“ At first sight this moth (Plate 102, Fig. 7) might be mistaken for a small specimen of the Waved Umber (Hemerophila abruptaria) , but it will be noted that the dark stripe on the fore wings starts from the middle of the inner margin, and runs to just below the tips of the wings; the outer margin of the hind wings is not wavy, and the antennæ of the male are not pectinated. ”

“ In this latter paper an excellent figure is given of the male Australian Bustard in full display with the sack distended. It is a singular fact that the sack is not developed in all the males of the same species.) A crow-like bird inhabiting South America (see Cephalopterus ornatus, Fig. 40) is called the umbrella-bird, from its immense top knot, formed of bare white quills surmounted by dark-blue plumes, which it can elevate into a great dome no less than five inches in diameter, covering the whole head. ”

“ Fox's Paragon frame, simple in its construction, half the weight of whalebone, but equally strong, is admitted to be the greatest improvement yet introduced in the manufacture of an Umbrella. The ribs are made in the form of a trough with flat sides, by which shape the greatest amount of strength is obtained. ”