CON 
COO 
much they were affefted by the ftench. About 
the end of the fame year, another of thefe animals 
crept into the cellar; but did not exhale the fmalieft 
fcent, becaiife it was not difturbed. A fooliih wo- 
man, however, who perceived it at night by the 
fhining of it's eyes, killed it, and at that moment 
it's ftench began to fpread. The whole cellar was 
filled with it to fuch a degree, that the woman kept 
her bed for fome days after; and all the bread, meat, 
and provifions, v/ere fo infefted, that they v/ere 
obliged to be thrown out of cioors.' 
Notwithftanding it's intolerable ftench, the na- 
tives fometimes eat the flefh of this creature, which 
they aflert to be tolerable food ; but they previoufly 
take care to cut off thofe glands from whence the 
foetid matter proceeds. 
CONGER. The name of the fea-eel, a fpecies 
of the murjena, found on different parts of the 
Britifli coafts; and, according to Dr. Borlafe, fome- 
times weighing an hundred pounds. 
The Conger differs from the common eel in the 
fuperior darknefs of it's colour; in it's eyes being 
much larger in proportion; in having the irides of 
a bright filvery colour; the lower jaw fhorter than 
the upper; the fide- line broad, whitifh, and m.arked 
with a row of fmall fpots ; the edges of the dorfal 
and anal fins black; in having more bones than 
the common eel; and laftly, in the vaft fuperiority 
of it's fize, fome of them having been caught near 
Scarborough which meafured ten feet and a half in 
length, and were eighteen inches in circumference 
towards the middle. 
The Conger, though a fea-fifli, is fuppofed to 
generate like the frefli-water fpecies: innumerable 
quantities of what is fuppofed to be their fry come 
up the Severn about the month of April, preced- 
ing the Ihad-fifh, which probably vifit that river 
for the purpofe of feeding on them. During their 
feafon, they are fovery numerous, as to be ufually 
taken in fieves made of hair-cloth, and fixed to long 
poles. The fiflaerman, ftanding on the brink of the 
river, throws in his net as far as poffible, and, 
drawing it out again almoft inttantaneoufly, en- 
clofes multitudes of thefe fifla at every effort. 
They are called elvers, and are reckoned very de- 
licate food. 
The Congers are extremicly voracious, preying 
on other fifh without exception; and, like all the 
eel kind, they are extremely fond of carcafes, 
being frequently found lodged in fuch as arc 
accidentally taken out of the v/atcr. In Corn- 
wall, thefe fifli form a confiderable article of com- 
merce; great quantities of them being taken on 
that coaft, and exported to Spain and Portugal. 
They are fometimes caught with hooks and lines ; 
but, as that method is very tedious, fifliers ge- 
nerally ufe what they call bulters, being ftrong 
lines, perhaps five hundred feet long, having fixty 
hooks, each eight feet afunder, baited with pil- 
chards or mackrel, and funk to the bottom of the 
fea by means of weights affixed to them. Fifher- 
men are fometimes under great apprehenfions from 
large Congers, which are apt to entwine themfelves 
round their limbs; and they therefore difpatch 
them as quickly as poffible by ftriking them on 
their bellies. 
When thefe fifh are about to be cured, they are 
flit, and fufpended on drying-frames, as they con- 
tain a confiderable quantity of fat which muft al- 
ways be exfuded before they are fit for ufe. It is 
faid that a Conger of a hundred pounds weight will 
wafte in drying to twenty-four pounds; for which 
reafon the fmalieft are generally preferred, as being 
fboneft cured. %TM 
The ingenious Pennant thinks, that a fifhery of 
Congers would be veiy beneficial to the inhabi- 
tants of the Hebrides ; though they might proba- 
bly undertake it at the firft with a degree of re- 
pugnancy, on account of their abfurd averfion to 
the eel kind, .-ii: it?'-; iwcj ' 
CONOPS. A genus of the diptera" order of 
infefts, with an extended jointed roftrum, includ- 
ing thirteen fpecies. 
CONUS. The Linns^an appellation for fliells 
of the voluta kind. See Volute. 
COOK. A fpecies of fifli fometimes caught 
in great abundance on the Cornifh coafts. It is 
extrem.ely full of fcales, and does not grow to 
any confiderable fize. The back is purple and 
dark blue; the belly is yellow; and the tail is 
rounded. 
COOT. A diftinft genus of birds of the order 
of grall-cE; the diftinguifhing chara6lers of which 
are, that the beak is convex ; the thighs are half 
naked; the feet are furniflied with four toes; t'ne 
noftrils are oblong; and the forehead is entirely 
naked. 
Of thefe birds Linnaeus enumerates feven fpe- 
cies. 
Coot, Common. This bird weighs about 
tv/enty-four ounces; it's length, from the tip of 
the bill to the end of the tail, is fixteen inche?, 
but to the end of the claws twenty-two inches ; and 
the expanfion of the wings is two feet and a half. 
The bill is fharp at the point, and of a white co- 
lour, with a fmall tinfture of blue. The feet are 
blueifn, or duiky green ; and about the joints of 
the toes there are femi circular membranes, two on 
the inner toe, three on the middle, and four on 
the outer ; or, in other words, the three four toes 
have lateral membranes on each fide, fcalloped; 
the interior with two, the middle with three, and the 
exterior with four fcallops. From the bill, almoft 
to the crown of the head, there is an excrefcence, 
or flefhy lobe, deftitute of feathers, foft, fmooth, 
and round; on v/hich account this bird is by fom.e 
called the bald Coot. The head and body are en- 
tirely black; the breaft and belly are of a lead- 
colour; and theflaape refembles that of a moor-hen. 
This bird is generally feen hovering over large 
ftj-eams and ruffiy rnarginated lakes ; wliere it makes 
it's neft of fuch weeds as are fupplied by the wa- 
ter, laying them among the reeds, floating on the 
furface, and rifing and falling with the v/ater. This 
neft is fupported by the reeds am.ong which it is 
built, fo that it is feldom wafhed into the middle 
of thxC ftreaiD; but, when this accident happens, 
the bird ftill maintains her ftation like a mariner 
in a boat, and, by the affiftance of her legs, fteers 
her treafure into the neareft place of fecurity. She 
generally lays five or fix large eggs, of a dirty 
whitilh hue, fprinkled over with minute deep rufh- 
colour Ipots. Her young, when juft hatched, arc 
very deformed, and their heads are covered with a 
coarfe red down. In winter thefe birds frequently 
relbrt to the fea; and near Southampton in parti- 
cular the water fometimes appears as if entirely 
covered with them, fo that they are often expofed 
to fale in that market. 
Coot, Larger. This bird entirely refembles 
the former, except in it's fuperior fize and the ex- 
quifite blacknefs of it's plumage. It is found in 
Scotland ; and alfo in fome Englifh counriesj par- 
ticularly in Lancailiire. 
Coot 
