265 



CYCADEOIDEA. 



CYCLICA. 



26B 



in the Lias, Wealden, and other formations of England, attest the 

 fact of their once having formed a part of the vegetation of Great 

 Britain. All the speciea contain starch, and from many it is separated 

 and employed aa an article of diet. The species of Encephalartos are 

 called Kaffir-Bread. The seeds of Dion edide yield starch in Mexico. 

 The same substance, under the name of Sago, is obtained from 

 speciea of Zamia in the Bahamas and other West India Islands ; in 

 Japan from Cycat revoluta ; and in the Moluccas the Cycas circinalis 

 yields a coarse kind of flour. This species also yields a transparent 

 gum. The order contains about fifty species. 



A fine collection of Cycadaceous Plants exists in the Royal Gardens 

 at Kew. A unique collection of these plants has also been recently 

 made by the Rev. J. Yates of Lauderdale House, Highgate. 



(Lindley, Vegetable Kingdom.) 



CYCADEOIDEA. The fossil stems proved by Dr. R. Brown to be 

 of the Cycadeous family, which occur in the Isle of Portland, were 

 thus named by Dr. Buckland. Brongniart called them Mantellia, and 

 they are ranked by Presl as Zamita. 



CYCADI'TES. Fossil remains of Plants allied to the natural 

 group of the Cycadaceos are thus named by various authors, but the 

 species are now usually ranked under Pterophyllum, Zamites, 

 Otopferis, &c. 



CYCLADID^E, a family of Lamellibranchiate Moltwca. It is a 

 group of Fresh- Water Mollusks, whose shells resemble those of Ketiia 

 or of Attarte, but whose soft parts present structures conspicuously 

 distinguishing them from the tribes to which either of those genera 

 belongs. 



The shells are more or less tumid, equilateral or inequilateral, thin, as 

 in our British forms, or thick, as in the foreign Cyrence ; smooth or con- 

 centrically striated and furrowed, and covered with an epidermis. 

 The hinge is furnished with cardinal and lateral teeth, and the ligament 

 is external. The animals have plain-edged mantles open in front, 

 siphonal tubes produced, and either partially separated or completely 

 united to their unfringed extremities, and a large linguiform foot. 

 They live buried in the mud of slow streams, lakes, ponds, ditches, 

 and springs. Our native species are all ovoviviparous. They breed 

 readily in confinement, and often exhibit considerable activity, ascend- 

 ing the sides of the vessel in which they are placed. (Forbes and 

 Hanley.) This family contains two British genera, Cydas and 



Cyclat has the shell equivalve, thin, suborbicular, more or less 

 inflated, slightly inequilateral, closed, smooth, or concentrically 

 striated ; cardinal teeth, one in the right and two in the left valve ; 

 lateral teeth developed ; ligament external. 



C. rivicola has the shell oval, globose, striated ; umbones obtuse; 

 dorsal area with a small lunular impression ; ligament manifest. 



The ordinary length of the finer specimens is 104 lines, iu"l its 

 breadth about two-thirds of an inch. 



The tubes of the animal are tinged with rose or tawny, and when 

 fully protruded are nearly equal, the branchial, if either, being longest. 



The foot is large, white, and linguiform ; the mantle white ; the 

 labial palps long, triangular, and strongly striated. It is sluggish in 

 its habits. 



Forbes and Hanley give the following localities : The most prolific 

 U the river Thames ; it is found likewise in the New River (Baily) ; 

 the Trent (Jenyna) ; the Lea (S. H.) ; the canals about Leamington, 

 in Warwickshire (Thompson); streams in Yorkshire (Bean). In a 

 pond at Enville, Staffordshire, a young specimen (Jeffreys). It has 

 not been taken either in Scotland or Ireland. On the Continent it 

 occurs in Germany, France, and Belgium ; and as a fossil is found in 

 the Pleistocene Fresh-Water Beds of the south of England. 



C. cornta, Linn. Shell suborbicular, almost smooth ; umbones 

 obtuse ; ligament inconspicuous. There is a subglobose variety 

 (apparently the Stagnicula of Mr. Sheppard), which is flattened 

 towards the ventral margin, and has the pellucid and swollen umbones 

 peculiarly prominent. The dimensions of the larger typical form are 

 rix lines and a quarter in length, and five lines in breadth ; of the 

 variety five lines and a half in length, and four and three-quarters in 

 breadth. 



The animal is white, its sub-elongated siphonal tubes tinted with 

 pale flesh-colour. Mr. Jenyns observes that the superior tube is sub- 

 conic, with a small aperture, the inferior cylindric and truncate, .with 

 a wider aperture. 



This very common species is a general inhabitant of rivers, ponds, 

 and ditches throughout the country. It appears to thrive equally 

 well both in running and in stagnant water. (Jenyns.) 



It is also generally distributed throughout Europe, and occurs 

 fossil in fresh-waU-r strata of the Pleiocene age in the valley of the 

 ThameV 



i!. caliculaia has the shell more or less rhombic ; umboues narrow, 

 more or less prominent, capped. 



This species is apparently less infrequent in the north than in the 

 more southern parts of England. Mr. Alder has found it near New- 

 castle ; Mr. Bean at Scarborough (where it is not scarce) ; Mr. Thomp- 

 son at Lichfield ; and Captain Brown records the vicinity of Man- 

 chester and the lakes of Westmoreland for its localities. Montagu met 

 with it in Devonshire and Wiltshire ; Mr. Jenyns at Bookham Common 

 iu Surrey, and more sparingly in Cambridgeshire; and Mr. H. Strick- 



land at Hornsea in Yorkshire. Mr. Jeffreys has taken it in the 

 Clumber Lake, Nottinghamshire, and in the neighbourhood of Bristol. 

 In Ireland it is also rare. " On the Continent it occurs in Sweden, 

 Germany, Belgium, France, and Italy. The C. partumeia of Say, in 

 despite of the ventricoaity of the adult, is very closely allied, 

 especially in outline, to this species, and may be regarded as its trans- 

 atlantic representative." (Forbes and Hanley.) 



Pimdium has the shell equivalve, thin, usually tumid, sub-oval, 

 inequilateral, smooth or concentrically striated ; hinge with one tooth 

 in the right and usually two in the left valve ; also lateral teeth ; 

 ligament external, inserted at the shorter side. 



The species are very small bivalves, living iu similar localities with, 

 Cyclas, and not uncommon even in drains through meadows. 



P. piwittum. Shell rounded, oval, not greatly inequilateral, not 

 distinctly striated; valves not swollen, always a little compressed 

 below ; umbones usually broad, and but little projecting. This is by 

 far the commonest of the smaller Pisidia in this country. It is found 

 abundantly iu ponds and ditches. It inhabits generally northern and 

 central Europe. 



P. pulchellum. Shell small, striated (not grooved) ; umbones simple 

 and without appendages. There are many varieties of this shell. 

 It has a great tendency to assume a multiplicity of forms. The 

 average size is a line and a half long, and a line and a quarter broad. 

 It is very common in many parts of Great Britain. 



The other British species of this genus are P. Hendowianum, 

 P. nitidum, P. cinereum and P. obtusalf. 



CYCLA'MEN, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Primulacece. It has a bell-shaped half 5 cleft calyx ; the corolla with 

 a short bell-shaped tube, and 5-partite reflexed limb ; 5 stamens 

 inserted at the bottom, on the tube of the corolla, included ; the 

 capsule many-seeded, opening with 5 teeth. The species are herba- 

 ceous humble plants with very handsome flowers. 



C. hederifolium has cordate angular crenate leaves, and the throat 

 of the corolla with 5 teeth. The root consists of a large depressed 

 tuber ; the flowers are nearly white, seated upon long flower-stalks, 

 which roll up after blossoming, and bury the gernien. This plant has 

 been found in Great Britain, at Sandhurst, and near Cranbrook in 

 Kent. It is rare, and difficult of cultivation. Its flowers exhale a 

 pleasant fragrauce. 



C. Europaum, Common Cyclamen, has the leaves orbicular, cordate, 

 crenate, or toothed, the segments of the corolla lanceolate. This 

 species is found in the south of Europe. It has been recorded as a 

 native of Great Britain, but, if fouud, has probably been an escape 

 from gardens. It is often confounded with the former species. This 

 plant is abundant in Sicily, where the wild boars prefer it to any 

 other kind of food. Hence it is called Sow-Bread. It has been used 

 medicinally ; it acts upon the system as a cathartic, and was formerly 

 esteemed emmenagogue. The acrid principle of the root has been 

 separated under the name of Arthanatine. 



Several other species have been described. Most of them are 

 hardy plants, and may be grown on an open border. They are 

 peculiarly adapted for pots and for chamber decoration in spring. One 

 of the peculiarities of the genus is, that the flowers are seated on a 

 twisted pedicel, which, wheu the flowers fade, turn round and 

 round till they bury the capsule which they bear in the earth. In this 

 position the seeds ripen and germinate, and produce other plants. 



(Loudon, Encyclopedia of Plants ; Babington, Manual of Botany ; 

 Burnett, Outlines of Botany ; Koch, Flora Germanica.) 



CYCLANTHACEyE, a group of Plants belonging to the class of 

 Endogens, separated by some writers from the Pandanacece. It 

 embraces the genera Carludovica, Nipa, Cydanthm, and Weltiniu. 

 For an account of the order see PANDANACE^;. 



CYCLA'RTHRUS, a genus of Fossil Fishes, from the Lias of Lyine 

 Regis. (Agassi/.) 



CYCLAS. [VENERID*:.] 



CY'CLICA, a family of Coleopterous Insects. According to 

 Latreille, this group forms a sub-section of the section Tetramera. 



The family Cyclica contains the Linna-an genera Hvspa, Caasida, 

 and Chrytomela, the species of which may be distinguished by the 

 following characters : Tarsi 4-jointed, furnished beneath with a 

 velvet-like substance ; the penultimate joint bilobed ; autenuse of 

 moderate length, generally filiform, or increasing in thickness towards 

 the apex ; body usually of a rounded or oval form, the thorax being 

 at the base of the same width as the elytra. 



These insects are usually of brilliant metallic colouring : various 

 shades of green appear to predominate. Their larvae have a soft body, 

 and are furnished with six legs, attached two to each of the first 

 three segments, or those next the head. They feed upon the leaves 

 of plants. 



To this group belong the following families : Cassidiadce, Chryso- 

 melidif, and Galerucidte. The principal genera belonging to the 

 family Caisidiadce are Alurnua, Hinpa, Chalipue, and Caxaida. To 

 these genera we shall at present confine our remarks. 



The genus Cassida has the following characters : Body oval or 

 rounded, depressed; thorax generally somewhat semicircular, with 

 the anterior portion produced so as to conceal the head ; maudiblt-s 

 with three notches on the inner edge; external lobe of the maxilla 

 as long as the inner one. 



