earth stopper (erthstoper)

In hunting, one who stops up the earths of foxes to prevent their escape. The earth - stopper is an important functionary in countries where there are many earths. Encyc . Brit ., XII. 395. earth-table (erth'tā bl), п . In arch ., a projecting course or plinth resting immediately iately upon the foundations. Also called gra - table and ground-table. See ledgment - table . earth-tilting (erth'tilting), n. A slight movement or displacement of the surface of the ground in some forms of earthquake. tion in which earth is removed or thrown up, as in cuttings, embankments, etc.-2. In fort ' any offensive or defensive construction formed chiefly of earth: commonly in the plural. Hence -3. Any similar construction, as the ancient mounds of earth found in various parts of the United States, of unknown use and origin. They differ widely in form, but are always well defined in plan, and sometimes inclose large areas. Anyhow, there the mound is, an earthwork which, if artificial it be, the Lady of the Mercians herself need not have been ashamed of. E. A. Freeman, Venice, p. 30. earthworm (èrth'werm), n. [= D. aardworm =G. erdwurm; earth1 + worm .] 1. The common name of the worms of the family Lumbri cidæ (which see), and especially of the genus Lumbricus , of which there are several species, one of the best-known being L. terrestris. They belong to the order of oligochæto us annelids. The earth worm has a cylindric vermiform body, tapering at both segmented into number of rings, destitute of legs, eyes, or any appendages visible on ordinary inspec tion. It moves by the contraction of the succe ive segments of the body, aided by rows of bristles which are capable of being retracted. It is hermaphrodite, each individual of a pair impregnating the other in copulation, when the two are jointed in two places by their respective clitella. Earthworms are highly useful, giving a kind of under-tillage to the land, loosening the soil, and rendering it more permeable to the air. According to Darwin, in his work on "The Formation of Vegetable Mould," etc., earthworms, from their enormous numbers, exercise a highly important agency not only in this respect, but in the creation and aggregation of new soil, the burial and preservation (as also the original disintegration) of organic remains of all kinds, etc. They are food for many birds, mammals, and other animals, and their value for bait is well known to the angler, whence they are often called angleworms or fishworms. These worms are mostly a few inches long, but there are species attaining a length of a yard or more. The people who inhabit the highlands of Southern Brazil have a firm belief in the existence of a gigantic earth worm fifty yards or more in length, five in breadth, covered with bones as with a coat-of-mail, and of such strength as to be able to uproot great pine trees as though they were blades of gra , and to throw up such quantities clay in making its way underground as to dam up streams and divert them into new courses. monster is known as the "Minhocao." IMG:content-0163.png:[blocks in formation] [ pertaining aining to earth; consisting of earth; partaking of the nature of earth; terrene: as, earthy matter.-2. Resembling earth or some of the properties of earth: as, an earthy taste or smell. And catch the heavy earthy scents That blow from summer shores. T. B. Aldrich, Piscataqua River. 3t. Inhabiting the earth; earthly. Those earthy spirits black and envious are; I'll call up other gods of form more fair. 4. Gro ; not refined. Dryden, Indian Emperor, wad. for collecting sound-waves and conveying them to the ear, used chiefly by the deaf. The most common form is a simple metallic tube having a flaring or bell-shaped mouth for collecting the waves of sound, and a smaller end or ear-piece which is inserted in the ear. erewygge, yerwygge,