112 



Cfje <Emurg of Natural f^ 



it readily feeds on almost any kind of vege- 

 table diet, and is particularly fond of sugar 

 and fruits. By the South Americans it is 

 much esteemed as an article of food. [See 

 AGOUTI ; CATYBAKA ; PACA, &c.] 



CEBID-iE. A term used to include all 

 the Monkeys of the American continent ; 

 which differ in several respects from those 

 of the Old World ; viz. by a partial or com- 

 plete absence of the thumb upon the hands ; 

 the callosities and cheek-pouches are al- 

 together absent ; there is a very considerable 

 space between the nostrils ; the tail is usually 

 of great length, never absent, and often 

 prehensile. They are very numerous in 

 those vast forests which occupy the plains 

 between the rivers Oronoko and Amazon. 

 [See MONKEY.] 



CEBRIO: CEBRIONID^. A genus 

 and family of Coleopterous insects, of small 

 extent, but comprising several striking pecu- 

 liarities of structure. The body is of an 

 oblong oval form, of a firm consistence like 

 the Elateridae, arched above and deflexed in 

 front ; the mandibles strong, curved, and 

 entire at the tip ; the thorax broadest 

 behind, with the posterior angles acute ; and 

 the antennae generally longer than the head 

 and thorax, and serrated or pectinated in 

 the males. These insects are of moderate 

 size ; and their colours generally dull and 

 obscure : for the most part they are inhabit- 

 ants of the south of Europe, and the north 

 of Africa ; and but little is known of their 

 habits. 



Some of the genera are most remarkable 

 for their beautiful pectinated antennse, which 

 in the male sex have the brandies often of 



very great length. By some authors these 

 are regarded as a separate family, under the 

 name of Rldpiccrulte. We figure a beautiful 

 Brazilian species, which is of a blackish 

 green , and pubescent : the anterior and 

 lateral margins of the elytra are yellow : 

 hence it is called lihipicera maryinata. The 

 figure in outline represents the beautiful 

 pectinated antenna of the male, considerably 

 magnified. 



CECIDOMYIA: CECIDOMYID^J. A 



genus and family of two-winged flies, of 

 which there are many species. They are 

 always of small size ; many of them deposit 

 their eggs upon the tender buds of various 

 kinds of plants ; others upon the young 

 sprigs, and some upon the flowers. One 

 species (Ceculomyia salicina) fixes each of its 



eggs o 

 enlarg 



s on a bud of the willow, which becomes 

 ged, and ultimately forms a gall in 

 which the larva is lodged and nourished. 

 Another (Cecidomyia tritici), known as the 

 Wheat-fly, may sometimes be seen, in great 

 abundance, flying about wheat fields in the 

 month of June. This little fly deposits its 

 eggs in the centre of the corolla, where the 

 larvae are hatched ; and it is probably by 

 devouring the pollen that they are most 

 injurious to the plant. Another species 

 (Cecidomyia destructor), known in America 

 under the name of the Hessian-fly, attacks 

 the lower part of the stem of the wheat. 

 Dr. Asa Fitch, an American naturalist, has 

 just published a most admirable and readable 

 account of the Cecidomyia, from which we 

 shall make extracts in our article " Wheat- 

 fly." [See WHEAT-FLY and HESSIAN-FLY.] 

 CECILIANS. A name given to a genus 

 of naked serpents, from their supposed 

 blindness. 



CENTIPEDE. (Scotopendra.-) A genus of 

 carnivorous annulosa belonging to the order 

 Myriapoda of Cuvier. They are distin- 

 guished by having antennae of fourteen 

 joints or upwards ; a mouth composed of two 

 mandibles ; a quadrifid lip ; two palpi, or 

 small feet, united at their base ; and a second 

 lip, formed by a second pair of dilated feet, 

 joined at their origin, and terminated by a 

 strong hook, having an opening beneath its 

 point, through which a poisonous fluid is 

 thrown out. The body is long, depressed, 

 and membranous, each ring being covered 

 by a coriaceous or cartilaginous plate, and 

 mostly having one pair of feet : the last is 

 usually thrown backwards, and elongated 

 in form of a tail. These insects conceal 

 themselves under the decayed bark of trees, 

 the decayed timbers of buildings, among 

 stones, lumber, and rubbish, whence they 

 sally forth at night in search of prey. In 

 the West India islands, and throughout the 



lance is necessary, even in cleanly houses, 

 to prevent these creatures from finding their 

 way into the beds ; and although they en- 

 deavour to escape as soon as a light is 

 brought into the room, and run with con- 

 siderable swiftness, they are ready to stand 

 on the defensive, and bite severely : they 

 are accordingly very dangerous when once 

 they have entered a bed ; the bite being not 

 only exceedingly painful at the moment, but 

 followed by a high degree of local inflam- 



hot parts of America, where they multiply 

 rapidly and grow to a large size, they are 

 very formidable pests. The utmost vigi- 



mation, and a fever of great irritation. This 

 truly noxious Centipede grows to the size of 

 five or six inches in length, and is a formid- 

 able inmate of most of the houses in tropical 

 regions. In different countries the species 

 vary : the one common in England is of a 



