NATURAL HISTORY 



739 



gation of the species. Butterflies vary greatly 

 in -ize and coloring. 



Buzzard. The name of raptorial birds 

 which form one of the sub-families of the diur- 

 nal birds of prey; characters, a moderate-sized 

 beak, hooked from the base, long wings, long 

 tarsi, and short, weak toes. The common buz- 

 zard is distributed over the whole of Europe as 

 \vdl as the north of Africa and America. Its 

 food i- very miscellaneous, and consists of moles, 

 frogs, toads, worms, insects, etc. It is 

 sluggish in its habits. Its length is from twenty 

 to twenty-two inches. The rough-legged buz- 

 zard, so called from having its legs feathered to 

 s, is also a native of Britain. Its habits 

 re<emble those of the common buzzard. The 

 '.d hawk of the United States is a buz- 

 zard. It is al-o called lien-hawk, from its raids 

 on the poultry-yard. The honey-buzzard is so 

 callc.l because of its feeding specially on bees 

 and \\ 



Cabbage. The popular name of various 

 of cruciferous plants of the genus Bras- 

 :d especially applied to the plain-leaved, 

 hearting, garden varieties of Brassica oleracea, 

 cultivated for food. The wild cabbage is a 

 native of the coasts of Britain, but is much more 

 common on other European shores. The kinds 

 iltivated are the common cabbage, the 

 the broccoli, and the cauliflower. The 

 common cabbage forms its leaves into heads or 

 boll-, the inner leaves being blanched. Its 

 varieties are the white, the red or purple, the 

 tree or cow cabbage for cattle (branching and 

 prowinir when in flower to the height of ten 

 feet), and the very delicate Portugal cabbage. 

 The garden sorts form valuable culinary vege- 

 and are used at table in various ways. 

 < ahbage-rose. A species of rose (Rosa 

 a) of many varieties, supposed to have 

 iltivated from ancient times, and emi- 

 nently fitted for the manufacture of rose-water 

 and attar from its fragrance. It has a large,- 

 rounded, and compact flower. Called also Pro- 

 vence Rose. 



Cacao, or Cocoa. The seeds of a plant 



known as Theobroma Cacao (or "Food of the 



as Linna-us named the tree), a native of 



Indies and of tropical America, and 



cultivated in A-ia and Africa. It is a small tree. 



M-ldoni more than -i\teen or eighteen feet high, 



with large oblong leaves, and clusters of flowers 



which have rose-colored sepals and yellowish 



jK-tals Its fruits vary from -i\ to ten 'inches in 



and from three to five in breadth, each 



Iwtween liny and a hundred seeds, 



hat the cir.:i is prepared. 



:i|x- the fruit- turn yellow outside, and 



In-red by h:md. and aft. 



en and The seeds 



are oval, and ab rge as an olive. To 



them for use they are roasted, and then 



I to loosen their -kins which are removed 



;ning; the seed-lobes. commonly called 



"cOCOn : and gnumd be- 



in to a uniform 



pasty (' i in- paste, when sw - 



1 with vanilla or cinnamon 



principle (ailed thrn-hroniinc, reacniM 



the alkaloid in tea and coffee. A fatty or 

 oily matter, called butter of cacao, is also present 

 in the cocoa-seeds, to the extent of one-half their 

 weight. Cocoa must not be confounded with 

 Cuca, or Coca, a plant chewed by the Indians of 

 South America. 



Cactus. A Linna?an genus of plants, now 

 used as a name for any of the Cactaceae, a natural 

 order of dicotyledons, otherwise called the Indian 

 fig order. The species are succulent shrubs. 

 with minute scale-like leaves (except in the 

 genus Pereskia, tree-cactus, with large leaves), 

 and with clusters and spines on the stems. They 

 have fleshy stems, with sweetish watery or milky 

 juice, and they assume many peculiar forms. 

 The juice in some species affords a refreshing 

 beverage where water is not to be got. All the 

 plants of this order, except a single species, are 

 natives of America. They are generally found 

 in very dry localities. Some are epiphytes. 

 Several have been introduced into the Old 

 World, and in many places they have become 

 naturalized. The fruits of some species are 

 edible, as the prickly-pear and the Indian fig, 

 cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region. 

 The flowers are usually large and beautifully 

 colored, and many members of the order are 

 cultivated in hothouses. 



Camel. The Camel family, including horn- 

 less ruminant animals distinguished by the 

 presence of two incisors in the upper jaw. The 

 genus Camelus embraces two species, which are 

 only known in the domesticated state. The 

 dromedary, or African camel, has one hump on 

 the back; the common, or Asiatic camel, has 

 two humps. The camel, by its power of sus- 

 taining abstinence from drink for many days, 

 from the peculiar formation of its stomach, and 

 of subsisting on a few coarse shrubs, is peculiarly 

 fitted for the parched and barren lands 

 and Africa. The Arabians live chiefly on the 

 milk of their camels; and without them they 

 could neither carry on trade, nor travel otu 

 their sandy deserts. 



Camellia (ka-mel'ya). A genus of plants, 

 order Ternstramiacece (the tea order), with 

 showy flowers and elegant dark-green, shining, 

 laurel-like leaves nearly allied to the plants 

 which yield tea, and named from George Joseph 

 Kamel, a Moravian Jesuit. The CcMMttM 

 jtijumirii. in Japan and China, is a lofty tree of 

 beautiful proportions. It is the origin of many 

 double varieties of our garde i as this 



the Cnnnllia Snsiiwjim. with small white 

 scentless flowers, and the (\nncllin rcticulata 

 (net-veined), with its la me peony-like flowers, 



are cultivated in I'nited States. 



Camelopard. The ('amelopard or Gi- 

 raffe, a genus of ruminant animals, family CVr- 

 twte. The only known species, Camelopard gi- 

 ra/a, isana! Nil parts ol \frica. living 



ts. and feeding on the 1. a\ 

 It has two -traichl horns without br. 

 six inches long, covered with hair, trunc: 

 the end, and tufted. The 



a length as to render the fore part of the animal 

 much higher than the hind part. The neck i- 

 very I id -lender ami elegant, ami the 



color oi the body is ii dusky white, with large 

 rusty spoU. It is mild and inoffensive, and in 



