CYP 



CYP 



thing, as if an index locupletissimus y^re 

 made of the author to the minuteness 

 here mentioned, and one of the numeral 

 indications were to be put down in each 

 instance instead of the word itself. The 

 other method consists in the use of a 

 piece of parchment, ruled with lines cor- 

 responding with other lines upon the pa- 

 per upon which the letter is to be written. 

 Holes are cut through the parchment here 

 and there upon the lines. The parchment 

 thus prepared being laid upon the paper, 

 the letter is to be written through the 

 holes ; after which the paper is to be un- 

 covered, and the remaining spaces be- 

 tween the words filled with other matter, 

 so as to make a significant letter. The 

 true letter can therefore only be read by 

 a correspondent in possession of a parch- 

 ment exactly like the original. 



Upon this contrivance it may be re- 

 marked, that it is crude and inartificial; 

 and that it supposes the writer to possess 

 sufficient ingenuity and talent to make a 

 rational and clear letter by filling the 

 spaces, and also that he has so much com- 

 mand and management of his pen, as that 

 the secret words shall not be discovered 

 by some crookedness in the line, crowd- 

 ing of the space, difference in the pen or 

 ink, or some other circumstance attendant 

 on the writing. In the event of these or 

 any other failure, the letter will be liable 

 to suspicion. It is true, nevertheless, that 

 the method of \\ riting by interposed words 

 may be rendered less objectionable, by 

 placing the significant parts at certain in- 

 tervals among the others ; not by mea- 

 sure,but by reckoning from the beginning 

 according to some agreed rule ; and in 

 this method the objections with regard 

 to penmanship will be done away by writ- 

 ing the letter over again, after it has been 

 once completed. 



The method of secret writing by trans- 

 parent or invisible inks has been little 

 used in real business, and is entitled to 

 no confidence. This process is effected 

 by^using a transparent or dilute solution 

 of some ingredient which becomes colour- 

 ed by the action of heat or light, or of 

 some other ingredient. Thus, if a letter 

 be written with a dilute solution of sul- 

 phate of iron, or green copperas, it will 

 be invisible when dry : but if the paper 

 be wetted by a feather dipped in the 

 infusion of galls, the writing will become 

 black ; or if the prussiate 'of potash be 

 used instead of the galls, the letters will 

 be blue. The objection to sympathetic 

 inks is, that the writing becomes visible 

 spontaneously after a short time, and 



that most of them are rendered visible 

 by the application of any metallic solu- 

 tion, or simply by holding them to the 

 fire till the paper is a little scorched. 

 When a secret ink is used, it is advisable, 

 in order to prevent suspicion, that a com- 

 mon letter should be written with the or- 

 dinary ink between the lines. See INK, 

 and also DECIPHERING. 



CYPRJEA, cowr#, in natural history, a 

 genus of the Vermes Testacea. Animal 

 a slug; shell univalve, involute, sub-ovate, 

 smooth, obtuse at each end, linear, ex- 

 tending the whole length of the shell,and 

 toothed on each side. This is a very nu- 

 merous genus, of which there are several 

 distinct families ; one of these is dintin- 

 guished by being obtuse, and without any 

 manifest spire; such as the caputserpen- 

 tinus and tigris, the last of which is well 

 known by the appellation tiger cowry. 

 Another kind is perforated or furnished 

 with an umbellicus, as in the C. ziczac. 

 A different sort is margined like the com- 

 mon West India cowry, commonly called 

 " blackamoor's teeth." In the young, the 

 cypraea have much the appearance of a 

 volute, and are entirely destitute of the 

 thick denticulated lip or margin, so ob- 

 vious in the adult shells. 



CYPRESS, the English name of a ge- 

 nus of trees. See CUPRESSUS. 



CYPRINUS the carp, in natural histo- 

 ry, a genus of fishes of the order Abdo- 

 minales. Generic character : mouth small 

 and without teeth ; gill membrane, with 

 three rays; ventral fins often, and, per- 

 haps, generally nine-rayed. Of this fish 

 there are fifty species, of which it will be 

 sufficient to notice the following : C.car- 

 pio, or the common carp. This fish in- 

 habits the slow and stagnant waters of 

 many countries in Europe, in which it is 

 found extremely to vary in size, from 16 

 inches to the length of 3 or 4 feet. In 

 Persia the carp is not unfrequently found 

 of this length, and will weigh from 30 to 

 40 pounds. It was introduced into Eng- 

 land in the 16th century. It feeds on 

 herbs, worms, and water insects : it is ex- 

 tremely prolific, the roe having been oc- 

 casionally found to weigh as much as the 

 real substance of the fish : the principle 

 of vitality in the carp is uncommonly 

 strong: it may be kept alive in a damp 

 situation for a very considerable time af- 

 ter being taken from the water ; ajid if 

 wrapped in wet moss, and plunged in wa- 

 ter every four hours, and fed on bread 

 and milk, will not only continue to exist, 

 but will thrive and fatten ; it has been as- 

 certained to live to a very considerable 



