314 



KING CRAB KING'S THEATRE. 



Garter, Clarencieux, and Norrcy ; the first is called 

 principal king at anus, the two others jjrvviin-itil 

 king*. Clarencieui is said to be derived from clar- 

 ence, brother of Henry V., first king at amis for the 

 Miiith of England. Norroy (Norman French, northern 

 king) is king at arms for the north of England. Then- 

 are also Lion king at arms for Scotland, and Ulster 

 king ut arms for Ireland. 



KING-CRAB (limulut polyphcmus). This well 

 known inhabitant of the northern coasts of the United 

 Suites is distinguished from its kindred species by 

 having seven spines on the upper part of the thorax, 

 and three on the upper part of the abdomen: the 

 superior surface of the tail is also provided with 

 numerous spines. The female, including the tail, is 

 about two feet in length, the male somewhat less. It 

 should be noticed that the spines on the thorax and 

 abdomen, although very acute and prominent when 

 the animal is young, become more obtuse as it 

 advances in age, so uiat, when full grown, they are 

 obsolete, their situation being designated by a tuter- 

 cle somewhat browner tlian the surrounding shell. 

 They occur in great profusion in Delaware bay, in 

 the inlets of the New Jersey coast, &c. These crus- 

 taceous animals never swim, but change their situa- 

 tions by crawling slowly along on the bottom. The 

 feet are completely hidden by the shell. If, when 

 cast on shore by the waves, they should unfortu- 

 nately be thrown on their back, they cannot recover 

 their proper position. Hogs are very fond of them, 

 and it is said that these animals appear to know of 

 the inability of the king-crab to escape if it be turned 

 on its back, and take advantage of the circumstance 

 by reversing as many as they can before they proceed 

 to satisfy their appetite. When irritated, they elevate 

 their tail, but are incapable of using it as a weapon 

 of defence. They are never eaten by man, though 

 the eggs are said to form an article of food in China. 

 These are deposited by the female in a hole of con- 

 siderable width, but little depth, which she forms 

 between high and low water mark. The eyes of this 

 animal, according to the observations of Mr Andre, 

 consist of a great number of very small cones. 



KINGFISHER (alcedo, Lin.). This genus of birds 

 is distinguished by having an elongated, robust, 

 straight, tetragonal, acute bill, with its margins finely 

 crenate-fimbriate ; feet robust ; wings rather short ; 

 body thick and compact ; head large and elongated ; 

 plumage thick and glossy. They occur in all parts of 

 the world, especially in warm climates, there being 

 but one species in Europe and one in the United States. 

 The kingfisher frequents the banks of rivers, and is 

 almost always found alone, perched on a branch of a 

 tree projecting over the water, where it remains 

 motionless for hours, watching till some fish comes 

 under its station, when it dives perpendicularly down- 

 wards into the water, and brings up its prey with its 

 feet, carries it to land, where it beats it to death, and 

 swallows it entire, afterwards casting up the scales, 

 nnd other indigestible parts, in the form of balls. 

 There is, perhaps, no animal respecting which the 

 imagination of mankind has invented more fables 

 than respecting this bird. The ancients supposed 

 lhat it built its nest upon the ocean 



Incubat halcyone penaentibm aquore nidis. Ovid. 

 But, as this floating cradle would be likely to be de- 

 stroyed by storms, they endowed the bird with powers 

 1 the raging of the waves during the period of 

 incubation : hence those tranquil days near the sol- 

 x were termed halcyon days; and, tliat the voyager 

 ight want no accomplishment, they attributed to it 

 e charm of song.* But these were not all the 



rum wnat halcyones cantu, nidosque nntantes 

 s, unda.-Sil. Hal. 



wonderful attributes of the kingfisher. Whatever 

 branch it perched on became withered ; the body, 

 when dried, preserved clothes from the moth ; 

 and, still more extraordinary, it preserved, where 

 it was kept, the peace of families and was not 

 only a safeguard against thunder, but also aug- 

 mented hidden treasures. But it is not to the fan- 

 ciful genius of the ancients alone, that this bird is 

 indebted for wonderful attributes. According to 

 Gmelin, the feathers of the kingfisher are employed 

 by the Tartars and Ostiaks for many superstitious 

 practices. The former pluck them, cast them into 

 the water, and carefully preserve such as float, pre- 

 tending that if with one of these feathers they 

 touch a woman, or even her clothes, she must fall in 

 love with them. The Ostiaks preserve the skin about 

 their persons as an amulet against every ill. But it 

 is not these barbarous nations only that entertain 

 extravagant notions in regard to this bird. It is 

 believed by some persons, that if the body of a king- 

 fisher be suspended by a thread, by some magnetic 

 influence, its breast always turns to the north. The 

 species inhabiting the United States (A. alcyon) is 

 distinguished by being of a bluish slate colour, with 

 a ferruginous band on the breast, and a spot before 

 and behind the eyes, a large collar round the neck, 

 and the vent white : the head has an elevated crest. 

 It inhabits the whole continent, from Hudson's bay 

 on the north to the equator, and perhaps even still 

 farther south, migrating in cold and temperate regions. 

 See Wilson's American Ornithology. 



KING'S ADVOCATE. See Advocate of the 

 Crown. 



KING'S BENCH. See Courts of Justice, division 

 Courts of England. 



KING'S COLLEGE (London). This new insti- 

 tution received the royal charter August 14, 1829, 

 and was brought forward under the patronage of the 

 government and the church. The course of education 

 in King's college is divided into a higher and a lower 

 department. The latter division consists of a school 

 for the reception of day scholars, and is distinct from 

 the higher, and intended to afford an education pre- 

 paratory to it. The studies pursued are the classics, 

 elements of mathematics, English literature and 

 composition, and some modern languages, if desired. 

 In the former are comprehended religion and morals, 

 classical literature, mathematics, philosophy, logic, 

 political economy, history, English literature and 

 composition, foreign languages, and subjects con- 

 nected with particular professions. No person, not 

 a member of the established church, can hold any 

 office of government or instruction in the college, 

 except the professorships of Oriental literature and 

 modern languages. The building forms the eastern 

 wing of Somerset house, comprising a chapel, hall, 

 library, lecture rooms, residences for the professors, 

 &c. (See Universities, and London University.) 

 King's college is also the name of one of the 

 colleges at the university of Cambridge. See Cam- 

 bridge. 



KING'S THEATRE, or ITALIAN OPERA- 

 HOUSE, is a fashionable place of amusement in the 

 British metropolis. The performances consist of 

 Italian operas and ballets, and the performers are the 

 most celebrated from the Italian and French stages. 

 The interior is very magnificent, and is nearly as 

 large as the celebrated theatre of La Scala, at Milan. 

 The stage, within the walls, is sixty feet long and 

 eighty broad, and the space across from the boxes on 

 each side, forty-six feet. Each box is enclosed by 

 curtains, according to the fashion of the Neapolitan 

 theatres, and is furnished with six chairs. There are 

 five tiers of boxes, all of which are private property, 

 or are let out for the season to persons of rank and 



