Dabchick
The dabchick is an English bird of the grebe family.
Dace
The dace is a fresh water fish of the carp family.
Dachshund
The dachshund is a small dog originally bred for badger hunting.
Dactylopius coccus
see "Cochineal"
Daffodil
The daffodil are several species of plant of the genus narcissus.
Dahlia
The dahlia is a genus of perennial plants of the compositae family.
Daisy
The daisy is a genus of hardy perennial plants of the compositae family.
Dalbergia
Dalbergia is a genus of fine tropical forest trees and climbing shrubs of the order Leguminosae. The group includes the black-wood tree (also called the East Indian rosewood) and the sissoo.
Dalmatian
The dalmatian is a spotted dog. It was formerly known as the Danish spotted or coach dog.
Dames-violet
Dames-violet (Dames-wort) is a British perennial plant of the order Cruciferae. It grows to about 2 to 3 feet tall and flowers in May and June.
Dammar Pine
The dammar pine is a genus of trees of the order Coniferae distinguished by their large lanceolated leathery leaves, and by their seeds having a wing on one side instead of proceeding from the end.
Damselfly
The damselfly is a predatory insect with 2 pairs of wings.
Damson
The damson is a type of plum tree.
Dandelion
The dandelion is a plant of the order Compositae indigenous to Europe. It gets its name from its appearance, dent de lion (French for Lion's tooth). The stems are hollow and have one bright yellow flower. The root was formerly used as a medicine for liver complaints.
Daphne
Daphne (Spurge Laurel) is a low shrub with few branches and smooth erect stems which are bare of leaves except at the summit. The leaves are smooth, shining and evergreen. The flowers are green, and fragrant in damp weather. The berries are black, egg-shaped and poisonous.
Daphnia
Daphnia is a genus of minute crustaceans belonging to the division Branchiopoda. They are the water-fleas.
Darlingtonia
Darlingtonia is a genus of American pitcher plants of the order Sarraceniceae.
Darnel
Darnel (Lolium temulentum) is the only poisonous British grass.
Darter
The Darter (Snake-bird) is a bird closely related to the cormorant, but differing in its much longer nech and heron-like pointed bill. Darters are found in South America, Africa, tropical Asia and Australia, fishing in rivers and ponds after the manner of cormorants, but nesting in trees.
Darters
Darters are a genus of web-footed birds of the pelican family. They are found near the eastern coast of tropical parts of north America, the west coast of Africa, and in Australia.
Dasyure
Dasyure are the brush-tailed opossums, a genus of plantigrade marsupials found in Australia and Tasmania.
Date
The date is a tree of the genus phoenix.
Date-plum
The date-plum is the name given to several trees of the Ebony family (Diospyros). Their fruit is edible.
Datura
Datura is a genius of plants of the order Solanaceae, with large trumpet-shaped flowers. They are all poisonous. The genus includes the thorn-apple.
Daucus
Daucus is a genus of umbelliferous plants, including the carrot.
Dauw
The dauw is a species of zebra found in the plains of South Africa north of the Orange River.
Dead-nettle
The dead-nettle is a species of plant of the genus Lamium, order Labriatae which resemble the nettle in appearance but have no sting.
Deal-fish
The deal-fish (Trachypterus arcticus) is a fish found around Iceland and Norway. It is between 4 and 8 inches long, a silvery colour and has minute scales. The dorsal fin extends along the whole length of the back.
Death's Head Moth
The Death's Head Moth is a large handsome moth related to the hawk-moth. It is so named from its likeness to a large yellow patch on the thorax of the human skull. It is remarkable for the sound it produces. The larva, by snapping its mandibles together, emits a clicking sound comparable to a series of electric sparks. This moth has been known to enter bee hives and take honey.
Death-watch beetle
The death-watch beetle (Anobium tesselatum) is a coleopterous insect that inhabits the wood-work of houses.
Decaisnea
Decaisnea is a genus of plants of the order Lardizabalaceae found on the Himalayas. It has erect stalks which look like walking sticks and leaves 2 feet long. The fruit resembles a cucumber and has a sweet, yellow edible pulp.
Decandria
Decandria is the tenth class of plants. The flowers have 10 stamens, and 1, 2 3 or more pistils.
Decapoda
Decapoda is an order of malacostraca. The carapace completely covers the thorax. The exopodite of the maxilla is large. There are three pairs of maxillipeds.
Deciduous
Deciduous is a term referring to trees and shrubs that shed their leaves each year.
Deer
The deer is a family of ruminant hoofed mammals (Cervidae) allied to the Antelopes. They are distinguished by the presence of antlers.
Deerhound
The Deerhound is a breed of dog. It originated in the 14th century and was bred for stag hunting.
Deinonychus
Deinonychus was a carnivorous dinosaur of the cretaceous period. It was 3m long and 1.4M tall. A long tail aided balance as it ran. It had 12cm long claws on its feet which were used for tearing flesh from its prey.
Delphinium
The delphinium is a ranunculaceous plant with irregular shaped flowers.
Demospongia
The demospongia is a class of sponges with a skeleton of four-rayed spicules made of silica, or spongin fibres, or no skeleton at all.
Dendrocoelum
Dendrocoelum is a member of the order tricladida.
Dewberry
The dewberry is a plant related to the raspberry and blackberry. The stem is prostrate and nearly round, prickly below, bristly above. The leaves are comprised of 3 - 5 leaflets and the fruit consists of a few large drupes covered with greyish bloom and half enclosed in the calyx.
Dhole
The dhole (red dog or Asiatic wild dog) is two species of wild dog, one found in Siberia and the other in India. The Indian dhole is about the size of a bull terrier and hunts in packs feeding mainly on deer and antelope. It has a reputation for great courage, and is alleged to drive bears, leopards and even tigers from their kills.
Dianthus
Dianthus is the carnation genus of Caryophyllaceae distinguished by the presence of scales outside the calyx, by the grouping of the sepals into a tube and other characteristics.
Diapsida
The diapsida is a subclass of reptiles. The skull has two temporal vacuities.
Diatom
Diatoms are minute lowly organised plants found in most seas.
Diatomaceae
The diatomaceae are a large class of unicellular algae occuring in fresh and salt water and on damp soil. The cells are of diverse forms, their walls silicified and formed of two over-lapping valves, like a box and lid. The cell has a single, complex nucleus, brownish yellow chromatophores, and often contains much oil.
Dicotyledon
Dicotyledon is one of the two groups of flowering plants, primarily distinguished from the Monocotyledons by the two cotyledons or seed leaves formed at the end of the growing embryo, and by the depression between which the growing point of the shoot originates.
Didactyla
The didactyla is an order of metatheria. They are carnivorous and insectivorous. The digits are free.
Digenea
Digenea is an order of trematoda. They are endoparasitic flukes with no hooks or posterior sucker. They usually have a ventral sucker and an oral sucker. The life history requires an intermediate host, often a mollusc. The adults are chiefly parasites of warm-blooded vertebrates.
Digitalis
Digitalis is a genus of plants of the natural order Scrophulariaceae native to Europe and western Asia. The name Digitalis also applies to the medicinal extracts from the plants.
Digitalis Purpurea
see "Foxglove"
Dik dik
A dik dik is a tiny antelope found in Africa south of the sahara
Dill
Dill is a herb umbelliferae.
Dingo
The dingo is wild dog found in Australia.
Dinoflagellata
The dinoflagellata are an order of phytomastigina. These are the planktons. They have a definite capsule made of cellulose.
Dinosaur
The dinosaurs were a family of reptiles which lived on the earth millions of years ago. About 400 types of dinosaur have been identified. Dinosaurs ranged in size from about as big as a pigeon to twice the height of a giraffe. It is estimated that dinosaurs lived for between 70 and 130 years, and unusually continued growing for their entire life.
Dioscoreaceae
Dioscoreaceae is a family of twining shrubs or herbs belonging to the Monocotyledonous group, but resembling the Dicotyledons in many superficial characters, the leaves being decidedly stalked and having netted veins. The order is a small one, and with the exception of one genus (Tamus) confined to the tropics. The order includes the Yam.
Diospyros
Diospyros are trees of the order Ebenacea, from which ebony is obtained.
Diphyllobothrium
Diphyllobothrium is a cestoda.
Diplodinium
Diplodinium is a member of the order of oligotricha.
Diplopoda
The diplopoda is the millipede order of myriapoda. They have an anterior genital posterior.
Dipnoi
The dipnoi are an order of crossopterygii. The teeth form crushing plates.
Dipper
The Dipper is a family of birds (Cinclidae) of the order Passeriformes. They are allied to the wrens and thrushes but are aquatic.
Dipsaceae
Dipsaceae is the teazel and scabious family of herbaceous, dicotyledenous family of plants found in temperate regions. They have flowers crowded together in heads like the Compositae, but differing in the rigid bracteoles which surround each. The leaves are usually opposite and without stipules.
Doberman Pinscher
The doberman pinscher is an energetic breed of working dog with a reputation as a fierce guard dog.
They have a black, reddish, blue, or fawn coat which is short, smooth, glossy, and is usually highlighted with tan shadings. The ears are large, broad at the base and cropped to stand erect and pointed.
The tail is docked to a stump and the eyes are brown and almond-shaped with a keen, always-alert expression. The adult dog stands about 70 cm at the shoulder and weighs about 30kg.
The breed originated in Apolda, Thuringia in about 1890 and takes its name from tax collector Louis Dobermann of Apolda, who used these dogs to aid him in his work.
Dodder
Dodder is a genus of parasitic plants belonging to the family Convolvulaceae, with branched, climbing, cord-like stems, no leaves, and globular heads of wax-like flowers. The seeds germinate in the ground, and the young plants climb the stems of the adjoining plants, and when they have taken root in them lose their connection with the ground.
Dodo
The Dodo was a huge, flightless pigeon discovered by the early voyagers to Mauritius, but now extinct. It was remarkable for its huge hooked bill and tiny wings.
Dog
A dog is a domesticated mammal of the order canidae descended from the wolf.
Dogfish
The dogfish is a small shark found in the north east atlantic ocean and mediterranean.
Dolphin
The Dolphin is a genus of cetaceans. They are highly intelligent.
Donkey
Donkey is another name for ass.
Dory
The Dory is a sea fish found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. It is of the family Zeidae and order Zeomorphae.
Dotterel
The dotterel is a bird which visits Britain in the summer.
Dove
The dove is a bird of the family Columbidae (pigeon).
Dromedary
A dromedary is a type of Arabian camel.
Dromiceidae
The Dromiceidae are a family of the order Casuariformes. These are the emus. They are found only in Australia and Tasmania. It is incapable of flight.
Drone
A drone is a mature male bee which are produced at the same time as a virgin queen for the purpose of continuing the community.
Droughtmaster
The droughtmaster is an Australian red breed of domestic beef cattle.
Duck
A duck is a short legged water bird with webbed feet.
Duckweed
Duckweed is a minute floating plant, often so abundant as to cover the surface of stagnant water, where, with the insects it harbours, it is greedily devoured by ducks.
Dugong
The dugong is a marine mammal of the order Sirenia, found in the Indian Ocean from east Africa to west Australia. It nevers come on land, and subsists on seaweed.
Duiker
The duiker are a large group of African antelopes distinguished by the linear arrangement of the pores of the facial gland. The forehead is usually tufted between the horns, which are short and smooth. Many species are known, varying in size from a fox to a sheep, and the name is derived from their habit of diving under cover when alarmed.
Dulse
Dulse is an edible seaweed with leathery purple leaves, found on rocky coasts.
Dunlin
The dunlin is a British water bird.
Eagle
Eagle is the name given to several large birds of prey of the family accipitridae.
Earth-star
Earth-star is a fungus found in wet woodlands in the south of England. It has a ball-like spore-case raised on a short stalk, with back-turned petal-like appendages.
Earwig
Echidna
Echinococcus
Echinoidea
Echinus
Ecology
Ectoprocta
Edelweiss
Edentata
Eel Grass
Egestion
Egg-plant
Eider
Eimeria
Eisenia
Elasmobranchs
Elder
Elecampane
Electric Eel
Elephant
Elephant Seal
Elk
Elm
Elodea
Embryology
Emperor Moth
Emperor Penguin
Emu
Enchanter's Nightshade
Endive
Endogen
Endogenous
Engraulis encrasicholus
Enothera
Entomophilous
Entoprocta
Epilobium
Epistylis
Equidae
Equisetum
Ergot
Ericaceae
Ermine
Esparto Grass
Eucalyptus
Euglenoidina
Euoplocephalus
Eupatorium
Euphausiacea
Euphorbiaceae
Euplectella
Euplotes
Euspongia
Eutheria
Evening Primrose
Excretion
Eyebright
The Earwig (Forifculidae) is a family of the order Dermaptera.
The echidna or spiny anteater (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is an egg-laying, burrowing, nocturnal mammal. It has no teeth, but a long extensile tongue. The echidna is found in rocky districts of Australia.
Echinococcus is a cestoda.
The echinoidea are a class of phylum echinodermata. They are the sea urchins. The body is typically glubular. The skeletal plates fit closely together to form a rigid ''test''. Spines are present.
Echinus are a member of the echinoidea class.
Ecology is a study of the relationship between an organism and its environment.
Ectoprocta is a class of phylum polyzoa. They have a u shaped gut and the anus opens outside of the circlet of ciliated tentacles.
Edelweiss is a small rosette plant with narrow leaves covered with long, white, silky hairs and white flowers, belonging to the family Compositae. It grows wild in the Swiss Alps.
The Edentata is an order of mammals with no teeth, or very simple teeth without enamel.
Eel grass is the species of the genus vallisneria. The flowers are unisexual, the female flowers floating on the surface of the water, whilst the male flowers become detatched from the plant and float to the surface.
Egestion is the process of eliminating food which has not been digested.
Egg-plant was the 19th century name, and is still used in America to describe the plant we now call the aubergine. It is an herbaceous plant of the order Solanaceae. The fruit is eaten.
The eider is a British coastal duck.
Eimeria is a member of the coccidia vera order.
The eisenia are oligochaeta.
Elasmobranchs is a sub-class of fish distinguished by the absence of bones, the skeleton being entirely cartilaginous. It includes the sharks, rays and skates, and dates back to the Upper Silurian period.
The elder is a tree of the Caprifoliaceae, related to the honeysuckle. It is remarkable for the large quantity of pith contained in its young branches and for the elasticity of its wood. The leaves are pinnate and have a strong odour. The fruit are globose, shining dark purple and sometimes white.
Elecampane (Inula Helenium) is a perennial plant belonging to the Compositae family. It is a stout plant standing just over 1 meter tall, with very large, rectangular, or egg-shaped, toothed leaves, downy beneath, the upper ones embracing the stem. The flowers are few and very large bright yellow with terminal heads.
The Electric Eel is an eel-like fish found in rivers and marshes of north South America. It grows to 2 meters long and 20 cm wide. It generates an electric current which it uses to stun and kill other fish which it then eats.
The elephant is the two surviving species of the order proboscidea.
The elephant seal (sea elephant) is the largest of the seals. The male grows to about 6 meters in length with a girth of 3 meters, and has a large sac of skin on his nose which can be inflated with air to resemble a small trunk.
The elk or moose, is a large deer (Alces alces) found in north Europe, Asia and Scandinavia. They are distinguished by a swollen, flexible snout, wide palmated antlers, extending horizontally sideways and long legs. They feed mostly on foliage, twigs, mosses and lichens, and in summer wade into rivers for water-lilies and other plants.
The elm is a tree of the family ulmaceae. It has alternate, stalked, deciduous leaves, generally serrated and harsh. There are two British species; common elm (Ulmus campestris) once found in southern England, and wych elm (Ulmus montana) formerly found in northern England and Scotland. Dutch Elm Disease accounted for almost completely wiping out the British elm trees during the 1970s.
Elodea (Canadian Pond Weed) is a plant which grows submerged in water, usually floating a little below the surface. It has long green stems and small pointed leaves. It was introduced to Britain by accident from Canada.
Embryology is the study of animal development.
The Emperor Moth is a handsome moth distinguished by the large eye-shaped patch on each of its wings. It is the only British representative of the typical saturniid silk moths.
The Emperor Penguin is a seabird of the order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae. It is the largest of all seabirds and one of the hardiest. It lives all year round on the Antarctic pack ice enduring hurricane force winds and temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees celsius. Emperor Penguins grow to about 112 cm long and weigh between 20 and 40 kgs. They eat fish, crustaceans and squid and live for around 20 years.
The emu is a large, ostrich-like flightless bird found in Australia and resembling the cassowary in its vestigial wings and double-plumed feathers, but differing in the absence of the helmet, wattles, and spine-like quills on the wings.
Enchanter's Nightshade is a slender herbaceous plant of the family Onagracea, with a branched downy stem; egg-shaped leaves, toothed and pointed, and hairy calyx. The flowers are small and white with pink stamens and borne in graceful branched racemes and are succeeded by two-lobed hairy seed vessels.
Endive is a salad plant of the order Compositae.
An endogen is an endogenous plant.
Endogenous refers to the structure of the vascular system, which consists of strands of ligneous tissue isolated in a cylinder of cellular tissue. The term is used to describe the Monocotyledonous group of plants.
see "Anchovy"
see "Evening Primrose"
Entomophilous is a term applied to plants that are dependant upon insects for the transference of pollen. The flowers are brightly coloured and sweetly scented to attract insects, and frequently secrete honey from glands in the petals.
Entoprocta is a class of phylum polyzoa. They have a u shaped gut and the anus opens within a circlet of ciliated tentacles.
Epilobium is a genus of the Onagraceae family of plants. They have a long four-sided, four-valved, four-celled capsule containing numerous seeds tufted with down. The rose bay is a tall handsome species with long racemes of rose-coloured flowers.
Epistylis is a member of the order of peritricha.
Equidae is a family of hoofed mammals of the order Perissodactyla, including the horse, zebra and ass.
Equisetum is the Horse-tail genus of plants.
Ergot is a fungoid parasite found on several cereals, principally rye. It causes the disease of ergotism and is widely used in medicine.
Ericaceae is a dicotyledonous family of shrubs or small bushy trees with evergreen, often rigid, opposite or whorled leaves.
Ermine is a name for the stoat in its winter dress of a white coat which it assumes in winter in cold countries. The term is also used to describe the white fur obtained from a suitable stoat in winter.
Esparto grass is a grass formerly grown in Spain and used for weaving and plaiting into mats and light baskets. It was later used for making paper.
Eucalyptus is a tree native to Australia where it is called the gum tree.
The euglenoidina are an order of phytomastigina. They have an elongated spindle-shaped body and swim in a spiral path.
Euoplocephalus was an armoured herbivore dinosaur from the cretaceous period. Even its eyelids were armoured. At the end of its powerful tail was a bulb. The tail could have been used to disable predators attacking it.
Eupatorium (Hemp Agrimony) is a genus of plants of the family Compositae.
Euphausiacea is an order of malacostraca. The carapace encloses the thorax. There is one set of gills.
Euphorbiaceae is a family of plants distributed over most of the tropical and temperate regions of the globe, especially the warmer parts of America. They are either trees, shrubs or herbs, some having the external form of the cactus family. Nearly all the members of this large tribe possess a juice, often milky, which is highly acrid and narcotic.
The euplectella is a member of the hexactinellida class.
Euplotes is a member of the order of hypotricha.
The euspongia, or bath sponge, is a member of the demospongia class.
The eutheria are a subclass of higher mammals. The young are born as miniature adults after a prolonged period of gestation.
Evening Primrose (Enothera) is an herbaceous plant of the order Onagraceae, allied to the willow herb. It is common in gardens and attains a height of 1 meter. It has lanceolate smooth leaves and spikes of large pale yellow flowers which open in the evening and die towards the middle of the next day.
Excretion is the process of getting rid of unwanted substances from within the body.
Eyebright is a small plant of the Scrophulariaceae, standing about 5 to 15 cm tall, with deeply cut leaves and loose spikes of numerous white or purplish flowers with yellow patches.