weetbird (wetberd)

[ weetingt, weetinglyt. See witting, wittingly. weetle t, a. An obsolete form of witle . weetweet (wēt'wēt), n. Same as weet4. weeverlt, n. Same as weaver - bird. Latham, 1782. weever2 (we'ver), n. [Formerly spelled weaver, and appar. a particular use of weaver1. Zoologists now connect it with the L. specific name viper a, as if weever were a var. of the obs. wiver.] Either one of two British fishes of the genus Trachinus, the greater, T. draco, 10 or 12 inches long, and the le er, T. viper a, of half this length; hence, any member of the Tra chinidæ (which see). These fishes have sharp dorsal and opercular spines, with which they may inflict a painful and serious wound when incautiously handled. It does not appear that the spines convey a specific poison, but they are smeared with a slime which causes the puneture they inflict to fester, like the similar wound from the tail-spine of the sting-ray. See cut under Trachinus. 6870 trachelus, diamond- beetle , Epicærus , pea - weevil , Pi odes , plum - gouger , Rhynchophora , and seed-weevil. The wheat which is not turned is eaten with wiuels . Guevara , Letters (tr. by Hellowes, 1577), p. 94. About this time it chanced a pretty secret to be discouered to preserue their corne from the fly, or weauell , which did in a manner as much hurt as the rats. weigh