The thunder-like percussion of thy sounds, Thou mad'st thine enemies shake. Shakspeare. Flame percussed by air giveth a noise; as in blowing the fire by bellows; and so likewise flame percussing the air strongly. Bacon. Some note, that the times when the stroke or percussion of an envious eye doth most hurt are when the party envied is beheld in glory. Id. Inequality of sounds is accidental, either from the roughness or obliquity of the passage, or from the doubling of the percutient. Id. In double rhymes the percussion is stronger. Rymer. The vibrations or tremors excited in the air by percussion continue a little time to move from the place of percussion in concentric spheres to great distances. Newton's Opticks. Marbles taught him percussion and the laws of motion, and tops the centrifugal motion. Arbuthnot. PERCUSSION, in mechanics, the impression a body makes in falling or striking upon another; or the shock of two bodies in motion. PERCY (Thomas), a learned prelate, related to the family of Northumberland, was born at Bridgenorth in Shropshire in 1728, and educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his master's degree in 1753, and, on entering into orders, was presented to the vicarage of Easton Mauduit in Northamptonshire, which he held with the rectory of Wilby. In 1769 he was made chaplain to the king, in 1778 promoted to the deanery of Carlisle, and in 1782 advanced to the bishopric of Dromore in Ireland, where he died in 1811. His works are, 1. Han Kiou Chouan, a translation from the Chinese; 2. Chinese Miscellanies; 3. Five Pieces of Runic Poetry, translated from the Icelandic Language. 4. A new Translation of the Song of Solomon; 5. Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, 3 vols.; 6. A Key to the New Testament; 7. The Northumberland Household Book; 8. The Hermit of Warkworth, a poem, in the ballad style; 9. A Translation of Mallet's Northern Antiquities. PERCY ISLES, a chain of islands in the South Pacific, near the north-east coast of New Holland. They extend from about lat. 21° 32′ to 21° 45′ S., and are distant about thirty miles from the main land. They were visited by Flinders in 1802, who laid down their bearings, and gave them this Bacon. Quick let us part! Perdition's in thy presence, PERDIX, in ornithology, a genus of birds, 1. P. communis, the common partridge, is so well known, that a description of it is unnecessary, and we have not room to describe the foreign species. We refer those who wish complete information to Dr. Latham's valuable System of Ornithology. Partridges are found in every country and in every climate; as well in the frozen regions about the pole, as the torrid tracks under the equator. In Greenland, the partridge, which is brown in summer, as soon as the icy winter sets in, is clothed with a warm down beneath; and its outward plumage assumes the color of the snow among which it seeks its food. Those of Barakonda, on the other hand, are longer legged, much swifter of foot, and choose the highest rocks and precipices to reside in. They all, however, agree in one character, of being immoderately addicted to venery. shift P. coturnix, or common quail, is not above half the size of the partridge. The feathers of the head are black, edged with rusty brown; the breast is of a pale yellowish red, spotted with black; the feathers on the back are marked with lines of pale yellow, and the legs are of a pale hue. Except in the colors thus described, and the size, it every way resembles a partridge in shape, and, except that it is a bird of passage, it is like all others of the poultry kind in its habits and nature. The quail seems to be an inhabitant of every climate. It is observed to quarters according to the season, coming north in spring, and departing in autumn, and in vast flocks. On the west coast of Naples, within four or five miles, 100,000 have been taken in a day. In England they are not numerous at any time. They feed like the partridge, and make no nest, except a few dry leaves or stalks scraped together; and sometimes a hollow on the bare ground suffices. In this the female lays six or seven eggs, of a whitish color, marked with irregular rust-colored spots: the young follow the mother as soon as hatched, like young partridges. They have but one brood in a year. Quailfighting was a favorite amusement among the Athenians. They abstained from the flesh of this bird, deeming it unwholesome, as supposing that it fed upon the white hellebore: but they reared great numbers of them for the pleasure of seeing them fight, and staked sums of money, as we do with regard to cocks, upon the success of the combat. With us its flesh is considered as a very great delicacy. Quails are easily caught by a call. PERDUE', adv. From the French perdue or forlorn hope: as perdue or advanced sentinel. Close; in ambush. Few minutes he had lain perdue, To guard his desp'rate avenue. Hudibras. PERDUE BAY, a bay on the south-west coast of St. Vincent; a mile north-west of Kingston Bay. PER'DULOUS, adj. Lat. perdo. Lost; thrown away. Confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness. Shakspeare. Othello. O perdurable shame! let's stab ourselves. Shakspeare. Why should he, for the momentary trick, Be perdurably fined. Id. Measure for Measure. The vig'rous sweat Doth lend the lively springs their perdurable heat. Drayton. PERECOP, an ancient fortress in the south of the isthmus which joins the peninsula of the Crimea to the continent. It is the ancient Taphra. In the neighbourhood are lakes, on the surface of which a great quantity of salt crystallises naturally, in May, June, and July. This salt is collected and sold to the average amount of 20,000 waggon loads yearly. PEREMPT, v. a. Į Lat. peremptus. PEREMPTION, n. s. kill; to crush. A law term. Nor is it any objection, that the cause of appeal is perempted by the desertion of an appeal; because the office of the judge continues after such instance is perempted. Ayliffe. This peremption of instance was introduced in favour of the public, lest suits should be rendered perpetual. PEREMPTORY, adj. PER EMPTORILY, adv. PER EMPTORINESS, N. S. Id. Fr. peremptoire; barb. Lat. perempStorius, from peremp tus, killed. Dogmatical; absolute; such as destroys expostulation: the adverb and nounsubstantive corresponding. He may have fifty-six exceptions peremptorily against the jurors, of which he shall show no cause. Spenser. As touching the apostle, wherein he was so resolute and peremptory, our Lord Jesus Christ made manifest unto him, even by intuitive revelation, wherein there was no possibility of error. Not death himself Hooker. As we to keep this city. Shakspeare. King John. Not to speak peremptorily or conclusively, touching the point of possibility, till they have heard me de duce the means of the execution. If I entertaine Bacon. As peremptorie a desire, to levell with the plaine A citie, where they loved to live; stand not betwixt my ire And what it aims at. Norfolk denies them peremptorily. Chapman. Daniel. In all conferences it was insisted peremptorily, that the king must yield to what power was required. Clarendon, |