C E R 
■ CERAMBYX. The clafficai name for a kind 
of beetle. 
CERASTES. A fpecies of ferpent called in 
England the horned fnake, having two protube- 
rances on it's forehead like fhells, but of a more 
folid texture: thefe horns are frequently not 
larger than barley-corns. The teeth are like thofe 
of the viper, and placed in the fame order. This 
animal, which partakes of the nature of vivipa- 
rous ferpents, is remarkable for it's almoft total 
abfiinence from water. It is found in Lybia; and 
aifo in Arabia, particularly near the town of Suez. 
Ceraftes is alfo a nam^e given by the ancient 
Greeks to a ftag arrived at it's full growth, or at 
the end of it's fourth year. 
CERCOFITHECUS. A fpecies of long- 
tailed monkies. Aldrovandus, Marcgrave, and 
otiier authors, have given the figure and hiftory 
of many of the Cercopitheci ; and the former men- 
tions Ibme as large as maftiff-dogs, having tails five 
cubits long. In Brazil there is a yellowifli fpe- 
cies, which fmells of mufl-:. 
Thefe monkies, when in danger of falling from 
trees, fave themfelves not only by their feet, but 
alfo by their tails, which they wrap round the 
boughs. The nation of the Zygantes, in Africa, 
efteem their flefh prooer for food. 
CEREBRUM jdvIS. A name given by the 
ancient poet Ennius to a peculiar filli of the labrus 
.kind. Called Icarus by the generality of authors. 
It is diftinguillied by Artedi from the other fpecies 
of the fame genus by the name of the labrus, the 
fcarus of naturalifts. 
CERIGO. An appellation given by many au- 
thors to that fingular American animal called the 
opoiTum. The Americans, in fome parts of the 
continent, call this creature carigueya; and it is 
probable that the name Cerigo is only a corruption 
of that word, though it is generally received as a 
proper name, and uled as fuch by IVIafFei, BarlEus, 
and Nieremberg. 
CERNUA. A fmall frefli-water fift, called 
by authors the aurata, afpredo, and perca minor; 
and, in Englifli, the vuffe. It is nearly of the fliape 
and figure of the common perch; but, when ar- 
rived at it's full growth, feldom exceeds fix inches : 
it differs alfo from that fifh in bcins; deflitute of 
thofe black tranfverfe lines with which the back 
and fides of the common perch are variegated. 
It is caught in many of our rivers, particularly in 
the Yare, at Norwich. 
CEP.RUS. An appellation given by Pliny, 
and other ancient v/riters, to the fifh called by tlie 
generality of naturalifts fmaris, and m^na Candida. 
It' is of the fparus kind, according to the Artedian 
fyftem; and diftinguiflied from the other fifhes of 
that genus by it's having a black fpot in the mid- 
dle of each fide, and in the perioral fins and tail 
being red. 
CERVUS VOLANS. The clafficai name for 
the flag-fiy, or flag-horned beetle; a very large 
fpecies of fcharabsqMpivith fioping horns, fome- 
what like thofe of iHRag. It is of a blackifh co- 
lour; but the horns have fometimes apurplifh call, 
and in feme few they have been found of the co- 
lour of red coral. This infefl, when at it's full 
growth, is an inch and a half long. 
The flag-beetle is commonly feen in EfTex, and 
a few other counties of England. But, befides this 
fpecies, there is another produced from a hexa- 
pode worm, of a deeper black than the former, 
the horns of which fend forth only one branch. 
C H A 
CERYX. A name by which Pliny, and other 
ancient writers, have denominated the three genera 
of fhell-fifh fince diflinguifhed under the names of 
buccinum, purpura, and murex. v 
CESTREUS. A fifh of the mullet kind, but 
whofe head is miuch fmaller and narrower; and the 
fides are variegated with fhorter lono-itudinal lines. 
It is caught in mofi: places; but it's fleih is efleem- 
ed greatly inferior to tliat of the mullet. 
CETACEOUS FISHES. A term generally 
denoting all fuch large fea-fifhes and beafis as re- 
fembie the whale. Plowever, in a proper fenfe, 
the word Cetaceous denotes only thofe large fifh 
which are viviparous, or bring forth their young 
alive; that have no gills, but relpire through lungs 
like quadrupeds; which have but one pair of fins; 
and that luckle their young. 
Thefe animals fcarcely differ from quadrupeds, 
except in the circumflance of their having no feet. 
They have no air-bladders ; but are enabled, by 
means of the air rec-ived into their lungs in refpi- 
ration, to render their bodies equiponderant to 
water. 
In the ordinary acceptation of the term. Ceta- 
ceous is applied to all fifii of the larger kinds, called 
by the Latins bellucs marine, or fea-beafts. In 
this refpefl, Cetaceous Fiflies are divided into 
greater, including the whale kind properly fo called ; 
and lefTer, to v/hich belong the porpoiie, fhark, 
dog-fifh, and many others; but thefe lafl are more 
properly termed cartilaginous fifhes. 
CETUS. See V\^hale. 
CHjI^lRUS. A name given by Strabo, and 
fome other ancient authors, to the fifh called caprif- 
cus by the moderns. See Goat-Fish. 
CFliETIA. A fpecies of infefts of the apte- 
ria kind, without any vifible limbs. The Chastia 
refembles a hair, or rather a piece of fine thread; 
it's furface is fnooth; and it's body rounded, and 
very flender. In England it is called the hair- 
worm. 
CH^TODON. A genus of the acanthopte- 
rygious or thoracic fiflies ; the characters of which 
are the following : the branchioflegious memibrane 
on each fide contains five or fix fmiall bones ; the 
body is comprefTed, thin, and fhort ; the back has 
but one fin, which reaches it's whole length; the 
tail is large, and, exclufive of it, there are fix other 
fins ; the mouth is fmall; and the lips may be open- 
ed and extended, though, naturally, they cover a 
part of the teeth; the teeth in the jaws are oblong, 
contiguous to each other, and flexile ; the fcales are 
rough ; and the eyes are not covered with the ficin. 
of the head. 
CHAFFER. A fort of beetle. 
CHAFFINCH. A fpecies of the fringilla, a 
well-l-cnown bird, which begins it's fong early in 
the fpring ; but, towards the clofe of lummer, af- 
fumes a chirping note. It may be properly termed 
a native of Great Britain, as both fexes continue in 
this country during the whole year: but, what is 
very remarkable, the females migrate in flocks 
from Sweden to Holland in the month of Septem- 
ber; and in the fpring return to their mates. 
This bird builds it's nefl almoft of the fame ma- 
terials as the goldfinch, except that the infide has 
the addition of fome large feathers, and lays four 
or fire eggs, of a dull v/hite colour, tinged vv'ith 
deep purple. The feathers on the forehead are 
black; the bill is of a pale blue, with a black tip, 
the crown of the head, as well as the hind-part and 
fides of the neck, are of a blueiih grey ; the fpace 
above 
