CRO 
with an admixture of grey; and, of otherSj a red- 
difii yellow; but the former is the mofb common. 
This tremendous anim^al is a native of the rivers of 
the torrid zone, where it lies concealed among 
fedges and reeds till an opportunity offers of at- 
tacking fome other animal, man himfeli not ex- 
cepted. It's general food, however, is fifh, of 
which it devours immenfe quantities. It's eggs 
are about the fize of thofe of a goofe, of which it 
lays fifty or fixty for a brood, burying them in the 
fand, and then leaving them to be impregnated by 
the heat of the fun. For a full and particular de- 
fcription of this animal, fee Alligator. 
CROCOTTA. A name given by the ancients 
to a very fierce and terrible animal produced by 
copulation between the large hytena and the lion- 
efs. 
CROOK-BACK FISH. The name of this 
filli is derived from it's very fingular fhape. It's 
fldn is fmooth, having no fcales ; it's belly is white; 
and it's fins and tail are yellow. It grows to up- 
wards of four feet in length ; and it's flefli is much 
admired all over the Eaft Indies on account of it's 
agreeable flavour. 
CROPPER. A particular fpecies of pigeon, 
called by Moore the columba gutturofa Batavije. 
It's figure is clumfy ; and it receives it's name from 
a large crop, or bag of wind, under it's beak, 
which it can either raife or deprefs at pleafure. The 
legs, which are thick and fhort, are covered witli 
feathers down to the very feet ; the feathers on the 
thighs hang loofe ; and the legs are placed at an 
uncommon diftance from each other. The crop, ' 
which is large, hangs very low; and the eyes are of 
a gravelly hue. Pigeons of this kind are of various 
colours. 
CROSS-BILL. A genus of birds of the or- 
der of pafferes, in the Linnasan fyftem of zoology; 
'the diftinguifhing charafters of which are, that the 
tongue is plain, equal, and v/hole ; and that the 
beak is large, thick, fhort, crooked, and convex 
both ways. 
The Crofs-Bill is an inconftant vifitant of the 
Eritifl:! iflands; but Gefner informs us that, in Ger- 
many and Switzerland, it inhabits the pine-forefts, 
where it breeds fo early as the months of January 
and February. It feeds on the feeds of the cones 
of pines and firs, and is very dextrous in fcaling 
them ; for which purpofe the crofs ftrufture of the 
lower mandible of the bill is admirably adapted. 
It alfo fubfifts on hempfeed and the kernels of 
apples. 
It is indifputabiy true that Crofs-Bills change 
their colours, or rather the fhades of their colours ; 
the males, which are ufually red, varying at certain 
feafons to a deep red, to an orange, or to a kind of 
yellow ; and the females, v/hich are green, changing 
to different varieties of the fame colour. 
There are two forts of this bird, the largeft of 
which is very rarely feen; but Edwards thus de- 
fcribes the leffer. 
Cross-Bill, Lesser. The bill is pretty thick 
and ilrong, and of a dufl<y colour ; the eyes are a 
dark hazel; the head, neck, breaft, back, and 
rump, are a very deep red ; the upper fides of the 
tail and wings are dufl<y; the edges of the quills 
and the tail-feathers are reddifh; the infides of the 
wings and under-fide of the tail are alh-coloured; 
the thighs, lower belly, and covert-feathers beneath 
the tail, are whitiili, with fome dufky fpots; and 
the legs and feet are of a tawny flefh-colour. The 
female is of a yeiiow-greenifh hue where the male 
CRO 
is red ; but, in other relpecls, they pretty mucli 
afrree. 
''CROTALOPHORUS ANGUIS. A term 
frequently ufed to exprefs the rattle-fnake. 
Crotalophorus Anguis is alfo fometimes applied 
to a remarkable fpecies of ferpent more ufually 
known by the name of cobra de capello. 
CROW. The carrion or common Crow re- 
femibles the raven in the fliape of it's body, it's 
appetites, and the manner of bringing up it's 
young. It feeds on carrion, or any other filth; 
and, when that cannot be obtained, k contents it- 
felf with grain and infe6ls. Like the raven, it will 
pick Out the eyes of lambs as loon as they are 
dropped ; and indeed it only differs from that bird 
in being lefs bold, lefs docile, and lefs favoured by- 
mankind. 
England produces more birds of this kind than 
any other country in Europe. In the reign of 
tlenry VIII. they were grown lb numerous, and 
deemed fo injurious to the farmer, that they were 
regarded as an evil vs^orthy of parliamentary redrefs ; 
and an aifl was accordingly paffcd, in the twenty- 
fourth year of the reign of that prince, for their 
deffru£iion, in which rooks and choughs v/ere alfo 
included. Every hamlet v/as to provide crow-nets 
for ten years ; and, during that fpace, the inhabi- 
tants were obliged to affembie at certain times, in 
order to proje6l: the moft effeftual methods for ex- 
tirpating thern. But though Crows are very nu- 
m.erous in England, they are fo uncommon in 
Sweden, that Linnreus mentions them only as birds 
he once knew killed there. The Crow lays about 
the fame nuniber of eggs as the raven, and they 
are of the like colour. Both of thefe birds are 
fometimes found wliite, or pyed; but fuch ar6 
elleemed no inconfiderable objefts of curiofity. 
The leng-th of the Crow is about eighteen inches: 
the expanfion of it's wings is two feet two inches; 
and it's weight is about twenty ounces. 
Crow, Royston, or Hooded. The bill of 
this fpecies agrees in fhape with that of the rook; 
and they refcmble each other in their habits, both 
of them flying in flocks, and feeding on infe6bs. 
The Royflon, or Hooded Crow, which is a bird 
of paffage, vifits England in the beginning of v/in- 
ter, and leaves it with the woodcock. It is found 
both in the inland and maritime parts of this king- 
dom; and, in the latter, it feeds on crabs andfhell- 
fiih. 
This kind of Crow is very common in Scotland j 
and in many pares of the Highknds, as Avell as in 
all the Hebrides, Orknies, and Shetland ifles, is the 
only genuine fpeciesj the carrion and the rook be- 
ing there entirely unknown. It breeds and con- 
tinues in thefe places during the whole year; and, 
perhaps, thofe of them which inhabit the northern 
parts of Europe are fuch as migrate here. , In the 
Highlands, they build indifferently in all kinds of 
trees ; lay fix eggs ; have fhriller notes than the 
common Crows; and are much more mifchievous. 
Belon, Gefher, and Aldrovandus, all agree, that 
the Crow is a bird of paffage in their refpe6live 
countries ; and that it vifits high mountains in the 
breeding feafon, and defcends into the plains on 
the approach of winter. 
The length of this fpecies is about twenty-two 
inches, the breadth tvv'enty-three inches, and the 
weight twenty-two ounces. The head, the under- 
fide of the neck, and the wings, are black, finely 
glofled with blue ; the back, brcaff, belly, and up- 
per part of the neck, are of a pale afh-colour; tht 
lec;3 
