CUP 



[121 ] 



CUT 



members of the natural order 

 Cupressina. I have thought it 

 advisable to place the whole of 

 them together, and to term them 

 Cupressinites, which will allow of 

 our uniting under one designation, 

 a greater number of these evidently 

 very nearly allied fruits, than could 

 have been done had I attempted to 

 refer them to M. Adolphe Brong- 

 niart's genus Cupressites" Mr. 

 Bowerbank has separated this genus 

 into four divisions, comprising thir- 

 teen species ; for a description, the 

 reader is referred to his admirable 

 work on the Fossil Fruits of the 

 London Clay. 



CU'PULE. (copula, Lat.) The cup of 

 the acorn and of similar fruits. 



CUBL. The name given by the miners 

 to a variety of argillaceous lime- 

 stone, found in connexion with the 

 iron-stone. Werner gave it the 

 name of Dutenmergel or funnel marl. 

 It has been thus described by the 

 Rev. James Yates. " The name 

 evidently alludes to the convoluted 

 form of its distinct concretions, 

 each of which is either itself a 

 complete and regular cone, or is 

 wrapped round part of a cone, 

 which serves as the basis of its 

 structure. Each distinct concretion, 

 on being parted from the conical 

 surface to which it has been attach- 

 ed, presents on its concavity a series 

 of wrinkles, regularly indented, and 

 always parallel to the base of the 

 cone. The convex surface is longi- 

 tudinally striated. The circular 

 bases of the cones project a little 

 one beyond another, and thus give 

 to the external surface of the mass 

 the appearance of leaves folded over 

 one another. Hence has arisen 

 the conjecture, that the mineral in 

 question is a petrified palm, or 

 lotus. The fracture of this mineral 

 is splintery ; its colour greyish- 

 black. The masses, which are ex- 

 posed to the weather, soon acquire 

 externally a yellow rusty aspect, 



from the combination of oxygen 

 with the iron which they contain. 

 Geological Transactions. 



CURBAGH. The name given in some 

 parts, as in the Isle of Man, to any 

 tract of peat bog. 



CUBSO'KES. The sixth order of the 

 class aves, comprising the ostrich, 

 emu, bustard, &c. 



CT/SPATED. (from cuspis, Lat.) Point- 

 ed ; terminating in a point, as the 

 leaves of the thistle. 



CUSPIDATE. } 



CUSPIDATED, j 



1. A botanical term, applied to 

 leaves terminating in sharp ridged 

 spines. 



2. In entomology, having a pointed 

 process much extended, and nearly 

 setiform. 



CUTA'NEOTJS. (cutante, Er. cutaneo, 



It.) Pertaining to the skin. 

 CifTiCLE. (cuticula, Lat. cuticule, Fr.) 



1. The scarf-skin; the outermost 

 skin. The cuticle is a thin, greyish, 

 semi-transparent, insensible mem- 

 brane, which covers the skin, and 

 adheres to it by small vascular 

 filaments. It is this which is 

 separated by the application of 

 blisters. 



2. In botany, the outward covering 

 of plants. Every plant is covered 

 by a cuticular expansion, analogous 

 to the scarf-skin that covers animal 

 bodies. The cuticle, or epidermis, 

 of plants varies in thickness, being 

 extremely delicate on some parts 

 of a flower, and very thick, hard, 

 and coarse on the trunks of many 

 trees. 



CU'TIS. (Lat.) The skin, dermis, 

 or true skin, as distinguished from 

 the cuticle or scarf-skin. It lies 

 immediately under the corpus mu- 

 cosum, and gives a covering to the 

 whole body. It is formed of fibres 

 intimately interwoven, and running 

 in every direction, like the hairs in 

 the felt of a hat, and is so plentifully 

 supplied with nerves and blood- 



