according to the most natural and obvious sense of the word, signifies that space of time during which it continues to be light; in contradistinction to night, being that partition of time wherein it is dark: but the space of time in which it is light, being somewhat vague and indeterminate, the time between the rising and the setting of the sun is usually looked on as the day; and the time which lapses from its setting to its rising again, the night.
The word day is often taken in a large sense, so as to include the night also; or to denote the time of a whole apparent revolution of the sun round the earth; in which sense it is called by some a natural day, and by others an artificial one: but, to avoid confusion, it is usual to call it in the former sense simply the day, and in the latter a nycthemeron; by which term that acceptation of it is aptly denoted, as it implies both day and night.
The nycthemeron is divided into twenty-four parts, called hours; which are of two sorts, equal and unequal or temporary. See the article Hours.
Different nations begin their day at a different hour. Thus the Egyptians began their day at midnight; from whom Hippocrates introduced that way of reckoning into astronomy, and Copernicus and others have followed him: But the greatest part of astronomers reckon the day to begin at noon, and to count twenty-four hours, till the noon of the next day; and not twice twelve, according to the vulgar computation. The method of beginning the day at midnight prevails also in Great Britain, France, Spain, and most parts of Europe. The Babylonians began their day at sun-rising; reckoning the hour immediately before its rising again, the twenty-fourth hour of the day; from whence the hours reckoned in this way are called the Babylonian. In several parts of Germany, they begin their day at sun-setting, and reckon on till it sets next day, calling that the twenty-fourth hour; these are generally termed Italian hours. The Jews also began their nycthemeron at sun-setting; but then they divided it into twice twelve hours, as we do; reckoning twelve for the day, be it long or short, and twelve for the night; so that their hours continually varying with the day and night, the hours of the day were longer than those of the night for one half year, and the contrary the other; from whence their hours are called temporary; those at the time of the equinoxes became equal, because then those of the day and night are so. The Romans also reckoned their hours after this manner, as do the Turks at this day.
This kind of hours is called planetary, because the seven planets were anciently looked upon as presiding over the affairs of the world, and to take it by turns each of these hours, according to the following order: Saturn first, then Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and last of all the Moon; hence they denominated each day of the week from that planet whose turn it was to preside the first hour of the nycthemeron. Thus, affixing the first hour of Saturday to Saturn, the second will fall to Jupiter, the third to Mars; and so the twenty-second of the same nycthemeron will fall to Saturn again, and therefore the twenty-third to Jupiter, and the last to Mars; so that on the first hour of the next day, it will fall to the Sun to preside; and by the like manner of reckoning, the first hour of the next will fall to the Moon; of the next, to Mars; of the next, to Mercury; of the next, to Venus; hence, the days of the week came to be distinguished by the Latin names of Dies Saturni, Solis, Lune, Martis, Mercurii, Jovis, and Veneris; and among us, by the names of Saturday, Sunday, Monday, &c.
Day-coal, in natural history, a name given by the miners of England, and the common people who live in coal-countries, to that seam or stratum of the coal which lies uppermost in the earth. The same vein or stratum of coal usually runs a great way thro' the country, and dips and rises in the earth at different places; so that this upper stratum, or day-coal, is, in the various parts of the same stratum, sometimes near the surface, and sometimes many fathoms deep. The subterranean fires found in some of our coal-countries feed principally on this coal; and are nearer to or farther from the surface, as it rises or sinks.
Day-net, among fowlers, a net generally used for taking such small birds as play in the air, and will hoop either to prey, gig, or the like; as larks, linnets, buntings, &c. The time of the year for using this net is from August to November; and the best time is very early in the morning; and it is to be observed, that the milder the air, and the brighter the sun is, the better will be the sport, and of longer continuance. The place where this net should be laid, ought to be plain champaign, either on short stubbles, green lays, or flat meadows, near corn-fields, and somewhat remote from towns and villages: you must be sure to let your net lie close to the ground, that the birds creep not out and make their escape.—The net is made of a fine pack-thread with a small mesh, not exceeding half an inch square; it must be three fathoms long, and but one broad; it must be verged about with a small, but strong, cord; and the two ends extended upon two small, long, poles, suitable to the breadth of the net, with four stakes, tail-strings, and drawing-lines.—This net is composed of two, which must be exactly alike; and are to be laid opposite to one another, so even and close, that when they are drawn and pulled over, the sides must meet and touch each other.—You must stake this net down with strong stakes, very stiff on their lines, so that you may with a nimble touch cast them to and fro at pleasure; then fasten your drawing-cords or hand-lines (of which there must be a dozen at least, and each two yards long) to the upper end of the foremost stakes; and so extend them of such a straightness, that with a little strength they may rise up in the nets, and call them over.
Your nets being thus laid, place your gigs, or playing-wantons, about 20 or 30 paces beyond, and as much on this side your nets: the gigs must be fastened to the tops of long poles, and turned into the wind, so as they may play to make a noise therein. These gigs are a sort of toys made of long goose-feathers, like shuttle-cocks, and with little small tunnels of wood running in broad and flat swan-quills, made round like a small hoop; and so, with longer strings fastened to a pole, will, with any small wind or air, move after such a manner, that birds will come in great flocks to play about them.
When you have placed your gigs, then place your stake; which is a small stake of wood, to prick down into the earth, having in it a mortice-hole, in which a small and slender piece of wood, about two foot long, is fastened, so as it may move up and down at pleasure: and fasten to this longer stick a small line, which, running through a hole in the stick above-mentioned, and so coming up to the place where you are to sit, you may, by drawing the line up and down with your right hand, raise up the longer stick as you see occasion.
Fatten a live lark, or such like bird, to this longer stick, which, with the line making it to stir up and down by your pulling, will entice the birds to come to your net.
There is another stake, or enticement, to draw on these birds, called a looking-glass; which is a round stake of wood, as big as a man's arm, made very sharp at the end, to thrust it into the ground: they make it very hollow in the upper part, above five fingers deep; into which hollow they place a three-square piece of wood about a foot long, and each two inches broad, lying upon the top of the stake, and going with a foot into the hollows: which foot must have a great knob at the top, and another at the bottom, with a deep flenderness between; to which flenderness you are to fasten a small pack-thread, which, running through a hole in the side of the stake, must come up to the place where you sit. The three-square piece of wood which lies on the top of the stake, must be of such a polite and evenness, and the foot of the socket so smooth and round, that it may whirl and turn round upon the least touch; winding the pack-thread so many times about it, it, which being suddenly drawn, and as suddenly let go, will keep the engine in a constant rotatory motion: then fasten with glue on the uppermost flat squares of the three-square piece, about twenty small pieces of looking-glass, and paint all the square wood between them of a light and lively red: which, in the continual motion, will give such a reflection, that the birds will play about to admiration until they are taken.
Both this and the other flake are to be placed in the middle between the two nets, about two or three feet distance from each other; so that, in the falling of the nets, the cords may not touch or annoy them: neither must they stand one before or after another; the glass being kept in a continual motion, and the bird very often fluttering. Having placed your nets in this manner, as also your gigs and flakes, go to the further end of your long-drawing lines and flake lines; and, having placed yourself, lay the main drawing line across your thigh, and, with your left, pull the flake-line to shew the birds; and when you perceive them to play near and about your nets and flakes, then pull the net over with both hands, with a quick, but not too hasty motion; for otherwise your sport will be spoiled.
See Plate XCV. fig. 1, where A shews the bodies of the main net, and how they ought to be laid. B, the tail-lines, or the hinder lines, flaked to the ground. C, the fore-lines flaked also to the ground. D, the bird-flake. E, the looking-glass flake. G, the line which draws the bird-flake. H, the line that draws the glass-flake. I, the drawing, double lines of the nets, which pulls them over. K, the flakes which flake down the four nether points of the net, and the two tail-lines. L, the flakes that flake down the fore-lines. M, the single line, with the wooden button to pull the net over with. N, the flake that flakes down the single line, and where the man should sit; and Q, the gig.
Days of Grace are those granted by the court at the prayer of the defendant, or plaintiff, in whose delay it is.
Days of grace, in commerce, are a customary number of days allowed for the payment of a bill of exchange, &c., after the same becomes due.
Three days of grace are allowed in Britain; ten in France and Danzig; eight at Naples; six at Venice, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp; four at Frankfort; five in Leipzig; twelve at Hamburg; six in Portugal; fourteen in Spain; thirty in Genoa, &c.
Day's-Man, in the north of England, an arbitrator or person chosen to determine an affair in dispute.
Intercalary Days. See Intercalary Days.
Day's-Work, among seamen, the reckoning or account of the ship's course during 24 hours, or between noon and noon, according to the rules of trigonometry. See Dead-Reckoning.