CHA 



CHA 



fin, in animals ; all differ in their figure, 

 situation, number, and proportion, and 

 exhibit characters proper for distinction. 

 Experience shows that one part, or pro- 

 perty of a part, varies'more than another; 

 in constituting a method, therefore,those 

 parts and properties are to be selected 

 which vary least. Thus the parts of 

 flowers in vegetables, the feet,fins, beaks, 

 in animals, are more fixed, with respect to 

 the above mentioned properties. A.gain, 

 the figure and number of these parts are 

 more apt to vary than theirjjsituatiori, con- 

 nection, and proportion ; the characters, 

 therefore, are, if possible, to be taken 

 from these last. 



Artificial character. The artificial cha- 

 racter, otherwise called accidental, and, 

 by Linnaeus, factitious, is drawn indiscri- 

 minately from different parts of the plant, 

 and admits of fewer or more characteris- 

 tlcal marks than are absolutely necessary 

 for distinguishing the classes, genera, 

 and species. Linnaeus, who particularly 

 applies all the characters just enumerated 

 to the distribution of the genera, estab- 

 lishes for a criterion of the artificial cha- 

 racter, that it can never distinguish the 

 genera in a natural order? being calcu- 

 lated merely for discriminating such as 

 arrange themselves under the same arti- 

 ficial order. To the head of artificial 

 characters is referred, by Linnaeus, the 

 description of the genera, in the methods 

 of Tournefort, Ray, Rivinus, Boerhaave, 

 and most of the other systematic bo- 

 tanists. The classical characters only, 

 in the sexual method, are deemed ar- 

 tificial : the generical, as exhausting the 

 description of the parts of fructification, 

 its author considers as true natural cha- 

 racters. 



Linnaeus's ,idea of an artificial charac- 

 ter is well expressed by Ray, when he 

 says, that no more characteristical marks 

 of the genera are to be collected, than 

 are found absolutely necessary for deter- 

 mining the genus with certainty and pre- 

 cision. 



Essential character. The essential 

 character discriminates one plant from 

 another by means of a single mark, so 

 striking and particular, as to distin- 

 guish the plant in which it is found 

 from every other at first sight. It serves, 

 says Linnaeus, to distinguish such genera 

 as arrange themselves under the same na- 

 tural order. The essential character of 

 the classes and genera, by the consent 

 of all the modern systematic botanists, 

 ought to be drawn from one of the seven 

 parts of fructification ; that of the species 



from any of the other parts, as the stem, 

 leaf, root, buds, &c. 



Natural character. This character in- 

 cludes the two former, and collects all the 

 possible marks of plants. It is useful, 

 says Linnaeus, in every method ; lays the 

 foundation of the systems ; remains un- 

 changed, although new genera be daily 

 discovered ; and is capable of emendation 

 by the detection of new species alone, 

 which afford an opportunity of excluding 

 such characteristical marks as are totally 

 superfluous. He adds, that the Genera 

 Plantarum first introduced these charac- 

 ters into the science. 



CHARADRFUS, or the/>/or>er, in natu- 

 ral history, a genus of birds of the or- 

 der Grallae. Generic character : bill 

 straight, and in general about the length 

 of the head; nostrils linear; three toes, 

 and all placed forward. There are twen- 

 ty-six species, of which the most interest- 

 ing are the following. 



C. pluvialis, or the golden plover. This 

 species inhabits Great Britain during the 

 whole of the year, frequenting particular- 

 ly the Grampian Hills and the mountains 

 of the Hebrides. Theirlength is about ten 

 inches andahalf. They make a shrill noise 

 like that of a whistle, by the imitation of 

 which they are easily decoyed withiix 

 reach of the gun. 



C. himantopus, or long legged plover, 

 is occasionally to be found in England, 

 though now but rarely. It is common in 

 Egypt, where its food consists of flies. It 

 is mostcharacteristicallydesignated,as the 

 length of its legs is most extraordinary. 



C. hiaticula, or ringed plover, arrives 

 in England in the spring, and leaves it 

 in autumn. During the summer these 

 birds frequent the coast. They run witl 

 great rapidity, and often for a considera- 

 ble time mingle short flights and rapid 

 runnings, till at length they avoid the dan- 

 ger pursuing them, by retreating to some 

 cleft or hole, or flying off completely. It 

 is observed to use various stratagems to 

 attract attention from its young. The fe- 

 male builds no nest, and lays her eggs 

 upon the ground. 



C. morinellus, or the dotterel. This 

 species abounds in various parts of Eng- 

 land, particularly in Cambridgeshire. 

 They are migratory, and appear often ia 

 flocks of eight or ten. They are suppos- 

 ed to breed in the mountains of Cumber- 

 land, as they 'appear there in May. and 

 are not seen there after the breeding 

 season. In June they become extremely 

 fat in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, and 

 are highly esteemed for their flavour and 



