778 



CERURA CETACEA. 



writers have described it not to have any ; but in the 

 spring months, and even in fine weather during the 

 winter, it may often, sometimes on the wing flitting 

 from tree to tree, and just as it settles, continuing 

 after it has alighted, and sometimes whilst creeping 

 up a branch, be heard to Jitter a faint but not unmusi- 

 cal sort of trill, something like the song of the chaffinch, 

 but much shriller, more resembling the rich note of 

 the hedge-chanter ; this is often repeated several 

 times, in a deliberative kind of manner, as the bird 

 ascends the tree. Its nest is usually situate in a hole, 

 or behind the bark of some decaying tree, often within 

 two or three feet of the ground, and not unfrequently 

 it is placed in the hollow where a limb has been 

 broken or torn off; nature not having provided it 

 with the means of excavating a hole for itself. It is 

 composed of dry grass and pieces of the inner bark of 

 wood, loosely put together, and lined with small soft 

 feathers ; the eggs, six or eight in number, are semi- 

 transparent white, with numerous small rust coloured 

 spots at the large end. In Wilson's ornithology of 

 North America, the tree creeper's eggs are described 

 to be " of a dull cinereous colour, marked with small 

 lots of reddish yellow, and streaks of dark brown ;" 

 and this is the only particular in which his very 

 minute description is at all at variance with the 

 species as observed in this country; but we are 

 inclined to notice even this slight discrepancy, never 

 having found the eggs of our own bird to vary, and in 

 other respects the detailed account given by that 

 accurate observer of the plumage, and habits of the 

 American bird, corresponds exactly and entirely with 

 those of the common tree-creeper of Europe. 



During the period of incubation, whenever the hen 

 tree-creeper quits the nest, the male may often be 

 seen to follow her, and offer her food ; and as the 

 young birds do not venture to fly away for some 

 time after they begin to creep like so many mice 

 about the tree, the sight of a nest of them at this time 

 is particularly interesting; the old birds continually 

 arriving with a fresh mouthful, with which they may 

 be seen to feed their young. 



There are two or three other species mentioned as 

 approaching nearly in form to our bird, especially the 

 Certhia cinnamomcra, and C. spinicauda of authors ; 

 these are rather more strongly built than aur tree- 

 creeper, but we know little of them besides the names, 

 and are not aware of any peculiarity in their habits 

 which would entitle them to have here a separate 

 description. They are inhabitants of the forest trees 

 of warm countries, where they probably perform a 

 very similar office to that of their northern and better 

 known congener. 



CERURA (Schrank). A genus of lepidopterous 

 insects, belonging to the family Bombycida: of La- 

 treille [Wotodontidef, Steph.), and comprising the puss 

 and kitten moths of English collectors. The body 

 is very woolly, the wings semi-transparent, with 

 numerous dark waves ; the antenna; bi-pectinate in 

 both sexes, and the mouth is furnished not only with 

 a short straight tongue, but also with two pair of 

 palpi, the maxillary ones being developed. 



The caterpillars in this genus are amongst some of 

 the most extraordinary formed British insects, havin^ 

 a large hump on the back, with the tail terminating 

 in two long and toothed spines. That of the V, 

 vimila,'\s thus quaintly described by old Izaak Walton, 

 " which," says he, " I will show yon feeding on a 

 willow tree, and you shall find him punctually to 



answer this very description : his lips arid month 

 somewhat yellow, his eyes black as jet, his forehead 

 purple, his feet and hinder parts green, his tail two- 

 forked und black, the whole body stained with a kind 

 of red spots which run along the neck and shoulder 

 blade, not unlike the form of St. Andrew's cross or 

 the letter X, made thus crosswise and a white line, 

 drawn' down his back to his tail, all which add much 

 beauty to his whole body." 



When about to cast their skins, they spin a web 

 on the leaves of the poplar or willow trees upon 

 which they have been feeding, to which they attach 

 themselves firmly by the assistance of the hooks of 

 the abdominal legs. 



When full grown, in the course of six or eight 

 weeks' feedincr, they are about as thick as a man's 

 thumb, and then commences the formation of the 

 cocoon, which is so strong as to be cut with difficulty 

 by a penknife ; this cell is composed of chips of the? 

 bark of the tree upon which it is built, and which 

 are cemented together with a glutinous matter, which 

 quickly hardens into the firmest plaster. Many of 

 these caterpillars, however, fall a prey to the ich- 

 neumons, which, notwithstanding the statement, that 

 the larva endeavours to lash them off with its tail, 

 (emitting at the same time a black fluid from the 

 neck) contrive to deposit their eggs upon its body. 

 An account is given of these cocoons in the Insect 

 Architecture, pp. 19/5 and 3ii(>. In the former in- 

 stance it is stated that "notwithstanding its strength, 

 one of the ichneumons had contrived to deposit its 

 eggs in the case" and in the latter it is stated, that in 

 another case five empty cells (being those of the 

 ichneumons) has been surreptitioutly introduced into 

 the original case of the cocoon. Both these state- 

 ments are incorrect ; indeed we believe no instance 

 has yet been recorded, in which the ichneumons bore 

 through cocoons to deposit their eggs in pupae ; and in 

 fact the proceedings of this ichneumon (Opliion vinnla:) 

 have been observed and arc very extraordinary, the 

 eggs not being deposited within, but upon the body 

 of the larva. See Gravenhorst, Ichneumonologia, 

 vol. i. p. 97. 



The appearance of the puss moth is very elegant, 

 the legs, which are very hairy, being stretched out in 

 front of the body. The wings vary in expanse from 

 two and half to three inches. There are nine British 

 species belonging to this genus. 



CESTRACIONS. A genns of cartilaginous 

 fishes, with fixed gills, belonging to the shark family, 

 the principal character of which is that of having 

 pointed jaws, with sharp teeth at the middle, and 

 larger ones at the angles of rhomhoidal shape, bear- 

 ing a slight resemblance to some of the spiral shells. 



CESTRUM (Linnaeus). A handsome genns of 

 mostly tropical shrubs, belonging to the fifth class of 

 Linnaeus, and to the natural order Solancfc ; generic 

 character : calyx pitcher shaped, five toothed ; corolla 

 funnel formed, limb plaited and five cleft ; stamens 

 inserted in the tube, often toothed ; capsule one 

 celled, many seeded. Some of the species of this 

 genus are ornamental, most of them having fine 

 foliage. Their qualities are said to be poisonous. 

 The cestrum tinctorum, a native of the Caraccas, 

 is used by the dyer. The greenhouse kinds are 

 increased by cuttings. 



GET ACE A WHALES. A very singular but 



well defined, and to man exceedingly useful, order of 



.mammalia. They have the internal structure, the 



