CAN 



191 



CAN 



is compounded of zatviov. a basket, and 

 Oo^icti, to carry : hence also a bride was 

 called xavi$o$a.. 



CANES VESATICI (Latin), the greyhounds, 

 two constellations (asterion andcAnra,) be- 

 tween the toil of the great bear, una major, 

 and BoOtes' arms, above Coma Berenices. 



CAXE-TRASH, refuse of the sugar-cane 

 reserved as fuel to boil the sugar-juice. 



CASIC'CLA (Latin), a little dog; a star 

 of canis major, called also the dog-star or 

 Sirius. It is the largest and brightest of 

 all the fixed stars. The ancients reckoned 

 their canicular or dog-days from the 

 heliacal rising of this star. 



CA'MSE, Lat. eaninus, appertaining to 

 or partaking of the nature of a dog, as 

 (1). Canine appetite, see BULIMIA. (2). Ca- 

 nine madness, see HYDROPHOBIA. (3.). Ca- 

 nine teeth; the four eye-teeth are thus 

 named from their resemblance to those of 

 a dog. (4). Canine muscle, the levator 

 anguli oris. (5). Canine spasm, the sar- 

 donic laugh ; a kind of convulsive grin 

 observed chiefly in cases of tetanus and 

 inflammation of the diaphragm. 



CA'.NIS MA'JOR (Latin), the Great Dog, 

 a constellation of the southern hemi- 

 sphere, having 64 stars, among which is 

 the brilliant Sirius of the first magnitude. 

 The Canis Major is fabled to have been 

 one of Orion's hounds, but it more pro- 

 bably represents the Egyptian god Anu- 

 bis. Sirius (latrator anubis) is vertical on 

 the 30th June, when the Nile overflows. 

 The Egyptians regarded the Nile as under 

 the influence of this star, and hence gave 

 the constellation of which it is the orna- 

 ment, the figure of a dog, the most watch- 

 ful and faithful of the brute creation. 



CA'.NIS MI'NOR (Latin), the Little Dog; 

 a constellation of the southern hemi- 

 sphere, said to be the type of one of the 

 beagles of Orion's pack, or from the ken- 

 nel of BoOtes, or it is the sagacious cur 

 Msera ; but it is more probably the sym- 

 bolical companion of Anubis (the Egyp- 

 tians introducing all their astronomical 

 symbols in pairs). The constellation has 

 14 stars, of whi?h the chief is Procyon, 

 which comes to the meridian about 50 

 minutes later than Sirius. 



CAN'KER, Lat. cancrum. 1. A cancer- 

 ous affection which occurs frequently in 

 fruit-trees.-^ 2. A fungous excrescence 

 in the feet of horses discharging a fetid 

 matter from the cliff in the middle of the 



frog. 3. Small eroding ulcers in the 



mouth, particularly of children, generally 

 covered with a whitish slough. 4. Any 

 virulent ulcer. 



CANKER-FLT, a name common to all 

 flies which prey on and destroy green 

 fruit. 



CAN'KER-WORM, a worm that destroys 

 the leaves of fruit-trees. 



CA.N'NA (Latin). 1. a reed or hollow 



cane. 2. A genus of perennial plants. 



dlonandria Monogynia. There are 25 

 species all natives of "hot climates ; popu- 

 lar name Indian shot. 



CAN'JJABIS, hemp ; a genus of plants. 

 Dicecia Pentandria, Name xnttatSi;, 

 supposed to be from %avva,a reed. There 

 is properly only one species of this im- 

 portant plant, the C. sativa, a native of 

 India and Persia, but now naturalised in 

 the south of Europe. The C. Indica is a 

 variety of the same plant ; its leaves are 

 used as those of tobacco, and an intoxi- 

 cating liquor is prepared from them in 

 many parts of Asia. 



CAN'NEL COAL. See CANDLE COAL. 



CAS'NIBALS, or anthropophagi; man- 

 eaters, a custom attributed especially to 

 the Caribee or people of Cariba, wheuce 

 this term is derived. 



CAN'S ON, a long hollow engine for 

 throwing iron, lead, or stone balls by the 

 force of gunpowder. Cannons are com- 

 monly made of iron, but frequently also 

 of a mixture of copper, tin, and brass. 

 They are either cast hollow or solid, and 

 then bored ; the latter kind are superior. 

 The Moors appear to have used cannon 

 in Spain in 1312. The origin of the term 

 is doubtful ; probably it is Lat. canna, t 

 tube. The parts of a cannon are as fol- 

 low ; namely, The reinforce, that part of 

 a gun next the breech, which is made 

 stronger to resist the force of powder. 

 This is divided into the first and second 

 reinforce, which differ in size. The 

 chace, the whole space from the trun- 

 nions to the muzzle. The muzzle, pro- 

 perly so called, is that part comprehended 

 between the muzzle, astragal, and the 

 end. The cascable, the hindermost part 

 of the breech, from the base-ring to the 

 end of the button. The cascable -astragal, 

 the diminishing part between the two 

 breech-mouldings. The neck of the cas- 

 cable, the narrow space between the 

 breech-moulding and the button. The 

 breech is the solid piece behind, between 

 the vent and the extremity of the base- 

 ring, which terminates the hind part of 

 the gun, exclusive of the cascable. The 

 breech-mouldings, the eminent parts, as 

 squares or rounds, which serve only 

 for ornaments to the piece, &c. The 

 base-ring and ogee are ornamental mould- 

 ings ; the latter of which is always in 

 the shape of the letter S, after the man- 

 ner of the ogee in architecture. The 

 vent-field is the part from the vent to the 

 first reinforce-astragal. The vent-astra- 

 gal and fillets are the mouldings and fil- 

 lets at or near the vent. The charging 

 cylinder is all the space from the chase- 

 astragal to the muzzle-astragar. fhefirtt 

 reinforce-ring and ogee are the ornament* 



