CRO 



CRO 



larly an accurate description of this cu- 

 rious fossil. It was found in the side of 

 a large mountain in the midland part of 

 Germany, and in a stratum of black fos- 

 sil stone, somewhat like our common 

 slate, but of a coarser texture, the same 

 with that in which the fossil fishes in 

 many parts of the world are found. This 

 skeleton had the back and ribs very plain, 

 and was of a much deeper black than 

 the rest of the stone ; as is also the case 

 in the fossil fishes which are preserved in 

 this manner ; the part of the stone where 

 the head lay was not found, this being 

 broken offjust at the shoulders, but that 

 irregularly, so that in one place a part of 

 the back of the head was visible in its 

 natural form. The two shoulder bones 

 were very fair, and three of the feet were 

 well preserved : the legs were of their 

 natural shape and size : and the feet pre- 

 served even to the extremities of the five 

 toes of each. 



CROCUS, in botany, a genus of the 

 Triandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Ensatae. Irides, Jus- 

 sieu. Essential character : corolla six- 

 parted, equal ; stigmas convolute. There 

 are two species, with many varieties, viz. 

 C. officinalis, officinal crocus, or saffron, 

 and C. vernus, or spring crocus. 



CROISADE, CRUSADE, or CRUZADO, 

 a name given to the expeditions of the 

 Christains against the Infidels for the 

 conquest of Palestine; so called, because 

 those who engaged in the undertaking 

 wore a cross on their clothes, and bore 

 one on their standard. This expedition 

 was also called the holy war, to which 

 people flocked in great numbers out of 

 pure devotion, the pope's bulls and the 

 preaching of the priests of those days 

 making it a point of conscience. The 

 several nations engaged in the holy war 

 were distinguished by the different co- 

 lours of their crosses; the English wore 

 white, the French red, the Flemish green, 

 the Germans black, and the Italians yel- 

 low. From this enterprise several orders 

 of knighthood took their rise. They 

 reckon eight croisades for the conquest 

 of the Holy Land : the first began in 

 the year 1095, at the solicitation of the 

 Greek Emperor and the Patriarch of Je- 

 rusalem. 



CROMLECH, in British antiquities, 

 are huge broad flat stones, raised upon 

 other stones set up on end for that 

 purpose. They are common in Angle- 

 sea. They are 'supposed by some per- 

 sons to have been tombs, though others 



imagine that they were altars for religious 

 services. 



CROSIER, or CROZIER, a shepherd's 

 crook ; a symbol of pastoral authority, 

 consisting of a gold or silver staff, crooked 

 at the top, carried occasionally before 

 bishops and abbots, and held in the hand 

 when they give the solemn benedictions. 

 The custom of bearing a pastoral staff 

 before bishops is very ancient. Regular 

 abbots are allowed to officiate with a 

 mitre and crosier. Among the Greeks 

 none but a patriarch had a right to the 

 crosier. 



CROSIER, in astronomy, four stars in 

 the southern hemisphere in the form of a 

 cross, serving those who sail in south la- 

 titudes to find the antarctic pole. 



CROSS, in heraldry, is defined, by 

 Guillim, an ordinary composed of four- 

 fold lines, whereof two are perpendicular, 

 and the other two transverse ; for so we 

 must conceive of them, though they are 

 not drawn throughout, but meet by cou- 

 ples in four right angles, near about the 

 fesse-point of the escutcheon. The con- 

 tent of a cross is not always the same ; 

 for when it is not charged, it has only 

 the fifth part of the field : but if it be 

 charged, then it must contain the third 

 part thereof. This bearing was bestow- 

 ed on such as had performed, or, at 

 least, undertaken, some service for Christ 

 and the Christain profession : and is 

 therefore held by several authors the 

 most honourable charge in all heraldry. 

 What brought it into such frequent use 

 was the ancient expeditions into the Ho- 

 ly Land, the cross being the ensigns of 

 that war. 



CROSSOSTYLIS, in botany, a genus of 

 the Monadelphia Polyandria class and 

 order. Essential character : calyx sim- 

 ple, four-parted ; corolla four-petalled ; 

 nectary twenty, corpuscles betweert the 

 filaments; stigmas four-jagged. There 

 is but one species, viz. C. biflora, a na- 

 tive of the Society Isles. 



CROSSELET, a little or diminutive 

 cross used in heraldry, where the shield 

 is frequentlv seen covered with crosse- 

 lets ; also fesses and other honourable 

 ordinaries, charged or accompanied with 

 crosselets. Crosses frequently terminate 

 in crosselets. 



C ROT AL ARIA, in botany, a genus of 

 the Diadelphia Decandria class and or- 

 der. Natural order of Papilionacex, or 

 Leguminosae, Jussieu. Essential charac- 

 ter : legume turgid, inflated, pedicelled 

 filaments connate, with a fissure on the 



