HORNBEAM. 



HORNED-POPPY. 



and lined by a continuation of the membrane ' 

 of the nose. The bone of the horn is exceed- 1 

 ingly vascular, and hence, when broken, the 

 hcemorrhage is so great that there could 

 scarcely be more bleeding from the amputa- 

 tion of a limb. The rings on the horns of 

 cattle have been considered as forming a cri- 

 terion by which to determine the age of the ox. 

 At three years old the first distinct one is usu- 

 ally observed ; at four years old, two are seen; 

 and afterwards one is added each succeeding 

 year. Thence was deduced the rule, that if 

 two were added to the number of rings the age 

 of the animal would be given. These rings, 

 however, are perfectly distinct in the cow only ; 

 in the ox they do not appear until he is five 

 years old, and they are often confused : in the 

 bull they are either not seen until five, or they 

 cannot be traced at all. As a criterion of age, 

 this process of nature is far too irregular for 

 any certain dependence to be placed upon it, 

 and the rings are easily effaced by a rasp. 

 The length of the horn whether classed as 

 long horns, short horns, or middle horns now 

 forms the distinguishing character of the dif- 

 ferent breeds of cattle. The oxen of the north- 

 ern part of central Africa, although smaller 

 than the majority of the English cattle, have 

 horns that are nearly four feet in length, and 

 will contain more than ten quarts. The Bur- 

 mese oxen, which are much larger, have sin- 

 gular horns of a half spiral form, very soft, 

 the pair together scarcely weighing 4 pounds ; 

 yet Captain Clapperton tejls us, they are 3 feet 

 7 inches in length, 2 feet'in circumference at 

 the base, and 1 foot 6 inches midway towards 

 the tip. Some of the true Arnee buffaloes at 

 Bengal, and the Abyssinian cattle, have also 

 enormous horns. The horns of cattle are ap- 

 plied to a variety of purposes ; for making 

 combs, knife-handles, the tops of whips, sub- 

 stitutes for glass in lanterns, glue, and the 

 refuse chippings are used as manure. 



The Iceland sheep sometimes carry five or 

 six horns. ( Youatt on Cattle, p. 278 283.) 



HORNBEAM (Carpinus betulus, from the 

 Celtic car, wood, and pinda, head, the wood 

 being fit for the yokes of cattle). A rigid tree 

 of humble growth, patient of cropping, and well 

 suited for hedges or covered walks in gardens 

 of the old style, some of which may still be 

 seen attached to several old English mansions. 

 In England fashion has entirely swept away the 

 hornbeam, which composed the labyrinth, the 

 maze, the alleys, the verdant galleries, arcades, 

 porticoes, and arches of our forefathers, and 

 which formed the leafy walls that divided their 

 stately gardens into stars, goose-foot avenues, 

 and devices as numerous as geometrical figures 

 are various. When standing by itself and 

 allowed to take its natural form, the hornbeam 

 makes a much more handsome tree than most 

 people are aware of, growing from 12 to 30 

 feet high. It is found in woods and hedges, on 

 a meager, damp, tenacious soil, and makes a 

 principal part of the ancient forests on the 

 north and east sides of London, as Finchley, 

 Epping, &c. The wood is, as Gerarde -says, 

 of a horny toughness and hardness: the bark 

 smooth and whitish or light gray. Leaves re- 

 sembling those of an elm, but smooth, doubly 



serrated, pointed about two inches long, plaited 

 when young, having numerous, parallel trans- 

 verse hairy ribs. 



Young trees are raised from seeds or layers 

 without difficulty. It is known by different 

 local names, such as the hard beam tree, the 

 horse, or horn beech tree, &c. The leaves of 

 the hornbeam afford a grateful food to cattle, 

 but no grasses will grow under their shade. 

 The wood burns like a candle, is much em- 

 ployed by turners, and is very useful for various 

 implements of husbandry, being wrought into 

 cogs for the wheels of mills, presses, &c. which 

 are far superior to those made of yew. 



There are two trees in the United States 

 which go under the common appellation of 

 hornbeam, namely, the water beech (Carpinus 

 jJmericana of Michaux, Betului Virginica of 

 Marsh,) and the hop hornbeam, more generally 

 known by the name of ironwood (the Oxirya 

 nnr/Hi'ra of Darlington, and Carpinus ostrya 

 of Michaux and others). 



The water beech is the only known species 

 of the Carpinus genus in the United States. It 

 is found along the margins of rivulets in the 

 Middle States, where it attains the height of 

 only 10 or 20 feel, with 2 to 5 inches in dia- 

 meter, irregularly and obtusely ridged, and 

 sulcate, often branching from the root. It 

 bears a broad ovoid nut, somewhat flattened, 

 smoothish, and dark brown. 



The ironwood, or hop hornbeam grows from 

 20 to 40 feet high, and 4 to 10 inches in dia- 

 meter, with a brown, roughish, slightly fissured 

 bark, and slender branches. It bears a nut 

 seated in the bottom of a sac, 3 or 4 lines in 

 length, somewhat compressed, smooth, shining, 

 of a pale olive colour, with a leaden tinge. 

 This tree is of very slow growth, and its wood, 

 as its name implies, is very hard, which adapts 

 it to the various useful purposes enumerated 

 in the description of the English hornbeam. 



HORN BUG. A kind of beetle. The largest 

 of these beetles, in the New England States, 

 was first described by Linnaeus under the name 

 of Lucanus capreolus, signifying the young roe- 

 buck; but here it is called the horn bug. Its 

 colour is a deep mahogany brown ; the surface 

 is smooth and polished; the upper jaws of the 

 male are long, curved like a sickle, and fur- 

 nished internally beyond the middle with a little 

 tooth ; those of the female are much shorter, 

 and also toothed ; the head of the male is 

 broad and smooth, that of the other sex nar- 

 rower and rough with punctures. The body 

 of this beetle measures from one inch to one 

 inch and a quarter, exclusive of the jaws. The 

 time of its appearance is in July and the be- 

 ginning of August. The grubs live in the 

 trunks and roots of various kinds of trees, but 

 particularly in those of old apple trees, wil- 

 lows, and oaks. 



Several other and smaller kinds of stag- 

 beetles are found in New England, but their 

 habits are much the same as those of the more 

 common horn bug. (Harris.) 



HORNED-POPPY (Glaucium, from glaukos, 

 alluding to the hoary gray colour of the plants). 

 A genus of very pretty annuals, or biennials, 

 some of which are particularly handsome in 

 the flower borders of the garden, where they 



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