CAN 



CAN 



manufactures and commerce, are so much 

 upon the increase." 



CANARINA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Hexandria Monogynia class and order. 

 N: tural order of Campanaceae. Campa- 

 nulaceae, Jussieu. Essential character: 

 calyx six-leaved ; corolla six-cleft, bell- 

 form ; stigmas six ; capsule inferior, six- 

 celled, many-seeded. There are two 

 species, of which C. campanula, Canary 

 bell flower, has a perennial root ; stem 

 three feet high ; corolla resembling that 

 of a crown imperial, with a yellow eye ; 

 style club-form. Native of the Canary 

 Islands. 



CANARIUM, in botany, a genus of 

 the Dioecia Pentandria class and order. 

 Essential character: male, calyx two- 

 leaved ; corolla three-petalled : female, 

 calyx two-leaved ; corolla three-petalled; 

 stigma sessile ; drupe with a three-cor- 

 nered nut. There is but one species ; 

 viz. C. commune. This tree is a native 

 of the Molucca islands, Banda, and New 

 Guinea. The nuts are eaten both raw 

 and dressed by the inhabitants ; and oil 

 is expressed from them, which is used at 

 the table when fresh, and for lamps when 

 stale : bread is also made from them, 

 cakes, biscuits, &c. for the table. 



CANARY bird. See FRINGILLA. 



CANCER. See CARCINOMA. 



CAXCEH, in astronomy, one of the 

 twelve signs of the zodiac, represented 

 on the globe in the form of a crab, and 

 thus marked (25) in books. See ASTRO- 

 NOMY. 



CANCER, tropic of, in astronomy, a 

 lesser circle of the sphere, parallel to the 

 equator, and passing through the begin- 

 ning of the sign Cancer. 



CANCER, the crab, in natural history, a 

 genus of insects of the order Aptera. 

 The generic character : eight legs in ge- 

 neral, sometimes six or ten, besides two 

 chelated arms ; two eyes, distant ; in ge- 

 neral foot-stalked, elongated, and move- 

 able; tail unarmed, and jointed. Ani- 

 mals of this genus at particular periods 

 cast their shells, previously to which the 

 limbs shrink, to facilitate their extrica- 

 tion. The loss of a limb, with other ani- 

 mals irreparable, is of little consequence 

 to these, as a few weeks suffice to repro- 

 duce one : and in cases of bruise or mu- 

 tilation, a consciousness of this eventual, 

 and indeed speedy, reproduction induces 

 them violently to rid themselves of the 

 injured member, and to await in seclu- 

 sion the formation of a complete substi- 

 tute for it. Some species, which are un- 



provided by nature with any shelly cover- 

 ing, uniformly have recourse to such 

 shells as they find best accommodated 

 to their purpose, and in which their bo- 

 dies are immersed, while their claws are 

 protruded and unprotected. The corres- 

 pondence of parts in both sides of al- 

 most all other animals is far from being 

 universally observable in these. The 

 claspers on one side are often of extraor- 

 dinary size, and on the other slender and 

 small ; and in some instances the large 

 arm is obliged to be supported by the 

 back of the animal, both while walking 1 

 and at rest, from its unwieldy and extra- 

 vagant size. The genus comprehends an 

 immense variety of species ; but the 

 chief division is into the Brachyouri and 

 the Macrouri, or the short-tailed and the 

 long-tailed : under the form of which 

 the crab commonly used in this country, 

 for tood, is the principal. It is found 

 chiefly on the rocky coasts. Among the 

 Macrouri, the common lobster is the 

 principal, and a well-known specimen. 

 It inhabits in the clearest water, and at 

 the base of rocks which project over the 

 sea. It is extremely prolific, depositing 

 about 12,000 eggs each time of laying. 

 The warmth or summer is required for 

 maturing them. The C. Norwegicus, or 

 Norwegian crab, is naturally of a pale 

 red colour, and variegated with yellow 

 It is longer, and more slender, than the 

 ordinary lobster. For a representation 

 of it, see Entomology, Plate II. fig. 1. 

 C. grapsus, or the streaked crab, is an 

 inhabitant of the American and Indian 

 seas. Its general pale yellow is finely 

 intergperse'd with red streaks and spots. 

 For a specimen, see Entomology, Plate 

 II. fig. 2. 



CANCROMA, the boat-bill, in natural 

 history, a genus of birds of the order 

 Grallae. Generic character: bill gibbous, 

 shaped like an inverted boat ; nostrils 

 placed in a furrow, and small ; tongue 

 small, and toes divided. Of these there 

 seems to be only one species, though 

 Gmelin speaks, somewhat doubtfully in- 

 deed, of a second. The C. cochlearia, 

 or crested boat-bill, is principally found 

 in places near the water. It is a native 

 of South America, particularly abounding 1 

 in the northern parts of it. Perching 1 

 on trees which overhang the brooks and 

 rivers, it darts down on the fish swim- 

 ming underneath, which constitutes its 

 chief food. It is supposed, but not as- 

 certained, that it feeds also upon crabs. 



CANDLE, a small taper of tallow, wax, 

 or spermaceti ; the wick of which is com- 



