HYSTERICS. See Mzurcisx. , HYSTRIX,porcume, in natural history, a genus of quadrupeds of the order Glires. Generic character : two fore teeth in the upper and the under jaw, eut obliquely ; eight grinders : body with spines and hair; toes four or five on the fore feet. There are five species. H. cristata, or the common porcupine, is about two feet in length, exclusively of the tail. It is found in Africa and India, and is seen not unfrequently in the warmer climates of Europe, particularly in Italy and Sicily. It is covered on the upper part of its body with variegated spines, or quills, which are long and sharp, and which, when irritated, it erects with par ticular intenseness, and a rustling and alarming noise, giving the idea of for midable hostility. It was supposed by the ancients to possess the power of dart ing these with unerring, and sometimes fatal, aim against its adversaries ; but it is ascertained to employ them merely to repel an assailant. Its principal food consists of the bark of trees, roots, and fruit, and is almost universally collected by it in the night. In the day it lies re tired, and sleeping in a subterraneoust habitation, which it is said to construct with particular ingenuity, dividing it into several apartments. It produces two at a birth, and if taken young is tamed with considerable facility. Its flesh is eaten, not only in Africa but in Italy, and i% thought extremely luscious, on which ac count it can be taken by few in any large quantity. See Mammalia, Plate XII. fig. 3.
H. prehensilis, or the Brazilian por cupine. This is about a foot long, and its tail about a foot and a half, by which it clings to the branches of trees, and facili tates its object of attack or escape. It is covered with strong, short, and extremely sharp spines, on most of those parts of its body particularly exposed to assault. It is found in the warm climates of Ameri ca, and particularly in Brazil, where it inhabits the woods, and subsists not only upon fruits and vegetables, like the former species, but also on small birds.
Its sounds resemble the grunting of a pig. It secludes itself during the day in the hollows of trees, or under their roots, and by night engages in its excursions and repasts. See Mammalia, Plate XIT. fig. 4.
ir or 1, the ninth letter, and third vowel of the alphabet, is pronounced by throwing the breath suddently against th e palate, as it comes out of the larynx, with a small hollowing of the tongue, and nearly the same opening of the lips as in pronouncing a or e. Its sound varies ; in some words it is long, as high, mind, &C.: in others short, as bid, hid, sin, &c.; in others again it is pronounced y, as in collier, onion, &c. : and in a few it sounds like ee, as in machine, magazine, &c. No English word ends in i, e being either added to it, or else the i turned into y.
But besides the vowel, there is the jod consonant; which, because of its different pronunciation, has likewise a different form, thus, J j. In English it has the soft sound of g, nor is it used but when, soft is required before vowels where g is usually hard : thus we say, jack, jet join, &c. instead of Back, get, gain, &c. which would be contrary to the genius of the English language.
I, used as a numeral, signifies no more than one, and stands for so many units as it is repeated times : thus I, one ; II, two ; III, three, &c. and when put before a higher numeral it subtracts itself, as IV, four; IX, nine. &C.: but when set after it, so many are added to the higher numeral as there are l's added : thus VI, is 5+1, or six ; VII, 5+2, or seven ; VIII, 5+3, or eight. The ancient Ro mans likewise used I3 for 500, CO for 1,000, 103 for 5,000, CCI33 for 10,000, 1030 for 50,000, and CCCI333 for 100,000. Farther than this, as Pliny ob serves, they did not go in their notation ; but, when necessary, repeated the last number, as CCC1330, CCCI300 for 200,000; CCCI300,CCCI303,CCCI003 for 300,000 ; and so on.