482 



CORN 



CORNEILLE 



and wattles. There is a dilatable membrane 

 beneath the lower jaw, showing incipiently what 

 becomes exaggerated in the pelicans. The bill is 

 moderately long, straight, rounded above, and 

 strongly hooked at the end ; the nostrils are linear 

 and inconspicuous. The neck is long, snake-like; 

 and naked on the throat. The wings are of 

 moderate length ; the tail is rather short and 

 rounded, but with stiff feathers, which are used as 

 aids in progression. The unfeathered lower leg'is 

 very short ; all the toes are united in a web ; the 

 middle claw is serrated and apparently used in 

 trimming the plumage. 



The numerous species live on the shores of islands, 

 or sometimes inland by rivers e.g. the Danube 

 and lakes. They feed exclusively on fishes, and 

 are proverbial for their voracity. They do not dive 

 when in flight, but from the surface of the water. 

 The smaller of the two British species has been 

 caught in a crab-pot at a depth of 120 feet. When 

 the prey is inconveniently seized, it is often tossed 

 in the air and more adroitly recaught. Eels are 

 said to form a favourite prey. Their haunts are 

 often peculiarly dirty. The nests are usually built 

 of seaweed, and are strong though rude ; they are 

 sometimes found on mangrove and other trees. The 

 egg is bluish-green, but the colour is much obscured 

 by thick incrustations of lime. When attacked, 

 the larger species, at anyrate, fight vigorously and 

 to purpose. The flesh is dark and fishy, but that 

 of the young birds of some species is said to be 

 eatable. 



The Common British Cormorant (P. carbo ) is an 

 almost cosmopolitan bird about 3 feet long, for the 

 most part of a blackish-green metallic colour, with 

 brownish feathers on the shoulder region. When in 

 full breeding plumage it has a crest on the head, 

 white plumes on the throat, and a white patch on 

 the lower flanks. The bill is black, the face yellow, 

 the feet also black. It was formerly trained in 

 England, as still in China, for fishing purposes. 

 At first a ring is put round its neck to keep the 

 bird from swallowing the fish it catches, but it 

 soon learns to bring its prey to its master, being 

 afterwards allowed to fish on its own account. 

 The smaller species (P. cristatus or graculus) found 

 on our coasts has a more decided green colour. 

 The Dwarf Cormorant (P. pygmceus), from South- 

 eastern Europe, North Africa, Southern Asia, and 

 the Florida Shag (P. floridanus) are other well- 

 known species. Along with the genus Urile, the 

 cormorants form a family ( Phalacrocoracidse ) in- 

 cluding about three dozen species. 



Corn, a general term for the seeds of cereal 

 plants, thus including all the kinds of grain which 

 form the food of men or horses. But it has also a 

 specific sense, and denotes in any country that 

 grain which furnishes the prevalent bread-stuff of 

 the people. Thus, in England, corn generally means 

 wheat ; in the United States, maize ; and in Scot- 

 land, oats. The word not only occurs in all the 

 Teutonic tongues, but is seen also in Lat. granum, 

 and Russian zerno. See CEREALIA, and special ar- 

 ticle WHEAT, &c. See CORNS for a different word. 



Corna'ceae, the cornel or dogwood order, are 

 calycifloral dicotyledons, nearly allied to Umbelli- 

 fene, containing about eighty species, mostly trees 

 and shrubs, chiefly natives of the north temperate 

 zone. The fruits of some are eatable; the bark 

 and leaves of sonjfiare medicinal ; some are valued 

 as ornamental Ajpits. See CORNEL, DOGWOOD, 

 AUCUBA. 



Cornaro, the name of a Venetian noble family, 

 of which the most illustrious members were : ( 1 ) 

 Caterina (1454-1510), married King James II. of 

 Cyprus in 1472, after whose early death she was 

 kept in mild imprisonment by the Venetians until 



1489, when she set up a kind of court for poets and 

 scholars at Assolo, near Bassano. (2) Luigi, born 

 1467, an instructive example of temperance. Deli- 

 cate by constitution, at forty he found his health 

 so much impaired by his intemperance that an. 

 immediate change of life was absolutely necessary. 

 He at once adopted strict rules of temperance both 

 in meat and drink, by which means he prolonged 

 a cheerful old age almost to a hundred years, dymg^ 

 in 1566. At eighty-three he published his famous 

 Discorsi della Vita Sobria (Padua, 1558), which was 

 translated into most European languages ( Eng. 

 1779). 



Cornbrasli, a member of the Lower Oolites. 

 See JURASSIC SYSTEM. 



Corn-COCkle (Agrostemma Githago], a tall 

 beautiful caryophyllaceous weed, well known on 

 account of its large purple flowers. It is often sa 

 common in cornfields as to be mischievous, especi- 

 ally on the Continent, and this not only because- 

 of its rankness and abundance, but also because 

 of the deleterious nature of its seeds, which are 

 injurious to man and poisonous to most domestic 

 animals, and which sometimes require to be separ- 

 ated from the grain by a special kind of sieve. 



Corn-crake ( Crex pratensis ), one of the true 

 rails, in the old order of Grallatores, whose cry at 

 least is very familiar in Britain. The bird itself is 

 seldom seen ; it is about a foot in length, and has 

 colours varying from brownish-gray to red. The 

 bill is shorter than the head, and slightly bent, the 

 tail is very short, the legs are long and powerful. 

 As a summer visitor to Britain, coming in May 

 and leaving in autumn, the bird is well known by 

 the harsh cry of the male, which is sometimes imi- 

 tated for decoy purposes by running the thumb- 

 nail along the teeth of a small comb. The cry is. 



Corn-crake ( Crex pratensis ). 



mostly uttered in the evening and throughout the 

 night, and is much less frequent after the young 

 are hatched. Unlike the nearly related water- 

 rails, the corn-crake frequents dry corn and hay 

 fields. It can, however, swirn well on occasion. 

 Its running powers are very great, but it flies 

 rather heavily. It is very prone to trust to con- 

 cealing itself rather than to flight. The females 

 are very faithful to the young birds, which are 

 covered with black down when hatched. The 

 species is widely distributed in Northern Europe 

 and Central Asia, but its headquarters are in 

 Africa. The flesh is very good eating. See RAIL. 



Cor'nea, one of the coats of the eye ; so called 

 from its resemblance to horn (Lat. cornu). See 

 EYE. 



Corneille, PIERRE, the greatest tragic drama- 

 tist of France, and the forerunner of Moliere in. 

 genuine comedy, was born at Rouen on June 6, 



