Unguis, in Anatomy, which see.

NAILS, in building, &c., small spikes of iron, brass, &c., which being driven into wood, serve to bind several pieces together, or to fasten something upon them.

Nails were made use of by the ancient Hebrews for cancelling bonds; and the ceremony was performed by striking them through the writing. This seems to be alluded to in Scripture, where God is said by our crucified Saviour to have "blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, and to have taken it out of the way, nailing it to his cross," Col. ii. 14. For the cause and ceremony of driving the annual nail, or clavus annalis, among the Romans, see ANNALIS Clavus.

is also a measure of length, containing the 16th part of a yard. NAILING of Cannon. When circumstances make it necessary to abandon cannon, or when the enemy's artillery are seized, and it is not however possible to take them away, it is proper to nail them up; in order to render them useless; which is done by driving a large nail or iron spike into the vent of a piece of artillery, to render it unserviceable. There are various contrivances to force the nail out, as also sundry machines invented for that purpose, but they have never been found of general use; so that the best method is to drill a new vent.

One Gasper Vimercalus was the first who invented the nailing of cannon. He was a native of Bremen, and made use of his invention first in nailing up the artillery of Sigismund Malatesta.