CATHANTOCARPUS CAT T LEY A. 



named in honour of Mark Catesby, Esq., author of 

 the Natural History of Carolina. Linneean class and 

 order, Tetrandria Monogynia ; natural order, liubi- 

 acecB. Generic character : calyx of four teeth or 

 divisions, persisting ; corolla tube very long, funnel- 

 shaped, limb in four divisions ; stamens, rilaments 

 inserted in the base of the corolla, long and exserted ; 

 style filiform ; stigma with two teeth ; berry crowned 

 with the calyx, two-celled ; seeds imbricated and 

 scaly. These plants, from the amplitude and shape 

 of their flowers, are called the lily-thorn, and no 

 plant has a more splendid appearance when in flower. 

 They arc propagated by cuttings struck in sand 

 under a glass in a hotbed. 



CATHANTOCAIIPUS (Persoon). A genus of 

 tropical trees, celebrated for their medicinal qualities. 

 Linmean class and order Decandria Monogynia ; na- 

 tural order LeguminosiE. Some species of tin's genus 

 were formerly included in the extensive one, Cassia, 

 their purgative qualities being similar. Some of them 

 are free rlowerers, and are propagated by cuttings 

 planted in sand, in a little heat. A loamy soil is most 

 suitable for established plants. 



CATILLUS (Cuvier). A genus of molluscs, the 

 animal of which is quite unknown ; first established 

 by Brongniart, from fossil species erroneously con- 

 founded with it. 



CAT-MINT is the Ncpeta cataria of Linntcus. 

 It belongs to a very numerous family of perennial 

 herbs, mostly indigenous to the south of Europe. 

 The common cat-mint is a native of Britain, and fre- 

 quently found by road sides and on waste ground. 



CATOCALA (Schrank). A genus of lepido- 

 pterous insects, belonging to the family Nocttiidce, and 

 comprising some of the largest and most beautiful 

 species in the family. The body of these insects is 

 less robust than in the majority of the group to which 

 they belong, and the abdomen is gradually attenuated 

 from the base, the spiral tongue is as long as the 

 antennae, and the latter are rather long, slender, and 

 similar in both sexes ; the wings, which are scalloped, 

 are large and but slightly deflexed during repose, 

 forming a broad triangle ; the larvae have sixteen 

 less, the two anterior abdominal ones being less per- 

 fect than the following. They do not go underground 

 to perform their transformations, like the majority of 

 the family, but inclose themselves in a cocoon, placed 

 within rolled-up leaves, and covered with a fine 

 purple bloom. 



These insects exemplify, in a remarkable manner, 

 the observations which we have in some degree no- 

 ticed under the article Calosoma; the family Noctuida; 

 being composed, for the most part, of dingy and 

 obscurely-coloured moths, would lead us to believe 

 that they were formed fur the dim and dusky twilight, 

 and such is the case ; but there are some insects in 

 this family which are more gaily coloured, amongst 

 which the gold and silver spangled moths (Pliisuc') 

 are most conspicuous, and these, like their types the 

 humming: birds, are often to be seen hovering about 

 the flowers in the hottest sunshine. In these, however, 

 it is the upper wings which are alone ornamented, 

 the lower ones, when at rest, being completely con- 

 cealed by the upper pair, but the reverse of this takes 

 place in the catocala) ; here too, indeed, we have 

 even a more marked diversity between the colouring 

 of the upper and lower wings, the former being gene- 

 rally grey or ashen colour, variegated with bands and 

 markings of a darker hue, whilst the latter, which in 



749 



this genus are of very large size, are nearly always 

 of a rich crimson colour, with broad black bands. If 

 therefore, as has been asserted, the catocalae were 

 twilight fliers, and " always to be observed only about 

 six or seven in the morning, and never at any other 

 time," the brilliant colouring of their under wings 

 would escape notice, but such is not the case, as we 

 have seen them repeatedly on the wing at mid-day ; 

 indeed, the author of this article has cause to remem- 

 ber an especial chace of one of the species amongst the 

 willows, upon the banks of the Isis at this same period 

 of the day. The caterpillars of these moths likewise, 

 in their colouring, present two circumstances worthy 

 of notice. We have seen (article CATERPILLAR) that 

 some species closely resemble twigs, but in this genus 

 the larvae bear so much similarity to a stripe of 

 brown lichen dotted with black, that they would be 

 easily overlooked, the deception being increased by 

 the sides of the caterpillar being flattened, fringed 

 with short whitish hairs, and applied to the twigs ; 

 hence Lyonnet describes one of these larvce in his 

 recently published researches as a "grande chenille 

 qu'on n'aper9oit pas aisement." The other circum- 

 stance which we would notice relates to the want of 

 uniformity between the colours of the caterpillar and 

 perfect insect ; in this case the former is unsightly, 

 whilst the latter is highly beautiful ; but the reverse 

 of this often takes place, whilst it not r-eldom happens 

 that two larva? which closely resemble each other, 

 produce moths totally different in colouring ; the 

 habits of the caterpillar likewise are quite at variance 

 with those of the perfect insect, for Lyonnet has ob- 

 served, that none of his caterpillars fed during the 

 day, but remained stationary in the branches from 

 morning till evening, and it was not until after sunset 

 that they quitted their stations to commence feeding. 

 The same author has, with great care, represented 

 the structure of the abdominal legs of the caterpillars, 

 and has ascertained that there are about fifty minute 

 doubled hooks on each foot, so that it may be said 

 that this insect has not less than five hundred claws. 



There are five or six British species, the large red 

 under-wing moth ( Catoca/n nitpla) being the most 

 common, as well as the typical species. It appears 

 at the end of the summer ; but the largest species is 

 the Clifden nonpareil (Catocala fraxini) in which the 

 under wings are of a fine pale blue, with dark bands. 

 This is very rare, and is about four inches wide. 



CAT'S-EAR is the Hypocheeris macidata of Lin- 

 naeus. There are about a dozen species belonging 

 to the genus, all European plants. They are in the 

 natural order Compositcc, and bear yellow flowers. 



CATS-TAIL is the Ti/pha angustifoliaof Linnaeus. 

 There are three other species of cat's-tail, inhabitants 

 of pools and ditches; being reed-looking plants, with 

 their flowers and seed-vessels arranged in a cylin- 

 drical, brown head, near the top of the stems. This 

 feature renders the typha particularly conspicuous 

 among its aquatic intimates. 



CATS-TAIL GRASS is the Phleum pratcnse of 

 botanists. It belongs to the order Gramincee, and 

 consists of nine species, which are all (except two) 

 perennials. Four of them are agricultural, and valu- 

 able as pasture and meadow grasses. They are all 

 indigenous to Europe. 



CATTLEYA (Lindley). A remarkable and beau- 

 tiful genus of epiphytes, natives of South America, 

 Linnaean class and order Gynandria Monadclphia; 

 natural order Orckidecc. Generic character : flowers 



