CUT 
gantly ftriped tranfverlely with black ; and the wings 
zte of various colours, green at their beginnings, 
whitifli in their centres, and blackifh at their ex- 
tremities. 
CuRucur, Spotted. This bird is of the fize 
of the nlit-hatch ; the bill is brown ; the crown of 
the htad is a deep green; the neck, breaft, and 
bellyi are a pale brown barred with dufky; the 
edges of the wings are white ; tlie coverts and fe- 
condaries are green tipped with white; and the tail 
is dufky, barred with white. This little animal is 
a native of the ifle of Ceylon. 
CURVICAUDA. A fpecies of bee-fly very 
common in England, extremely troublefome to 
horfes, and vulgarly known by the name of wrig- 
gle-tail. 
CURURUCA. An American freOi-water filh 
of an oblong figure. It grows to the length of a 
foot and a half, has a remarkably large mouth, and 
it's flefh is efteemed agreeable food. 
CUSHEW-BIRD. This bird fo greatly refem- 
bles the curaflbw, that fome naturalifts have enter- 
tained an opinion that they are of the fame fpecies. 
The Cufhew-Bird derives it's name from the knob 
over it's bill, in fliape like the American Cufhew- 
nut; which knob, together with the bafis of the up- 
per mandible, are of a fine blue colour ; the reft of 
the bill is red ; and the eyes havereddifh brown irides. 
The whole upper part is a deep glofly black, re- 
flefting different hues, according to the pofition of 
the bird and the rays of light falling on the eyes 
of the fpedlator. The lower part of the belly, the 
covert-feathers under the tail, and the tips of the 
tail-feathers, are white; and the legs and feet are 
covered with a fcaly fkin of a dark flefh-colour. 
The Cufhew-Bird appears to be the fame with the 
pauxi of Nieremberg. 
CUSI. The Philippine name of a very fmall 
and beautiful fpecies of parrot. 
CUTHBERT DUCK. A particular fpecies 
of aquatic fowl. 
CUTTLE-FISH. A genus of fea infers of 
the gymnarthria kind, called alfo the Ink-fifh. 
The Cuttle-Fifh, which is of an oblong fhape, 
is about fix inches in length, and three and a half 
in breadth. The body is fomewhat oval ; but it is 
broadeft near the head, and grows fmaller towards 
the extremity, where it is obtufely pointed. The 
back is covered with a fliell as large as a man's 
hand, about an inch thick in the middle, but more 
flender on the fides : this fhell, which is hard above, 
but very fpungy and brittle below, is of a whicifh 
colour, and is ufed for a variety of well-known pur- 
pofes. Under the throat there is a vefTel or blad- 
der containing a fluid blacker than ink, which the 
Cuttle-Fifh, when purfued by it's enemies, eje£ls 
in confiderable quantities ; and this darkening the 
water all around, enables the animal to efcape with 
iacility. There are two forts of legs joined to the 
head of this fifh, which afTift it in fwimming, and 
conveying it's food to it's mouth ; the two fhorteft, 
which are in the middle, areferrated on their infides ; 
next to them there are two long ones, one on each 
fide; and the fix remaining ones are of a pyramidal 
figure, and generally turned backwards. This 
animal, which feeds on fmall fifh, is found on many 
of the European fhores, particularly the Mediter- 
ranean ; and it's flefh is efteemed falubrious andplea- 
fant. 
The bone of the Cuttle-Fifh is rough and ab- 
fterfive, and chiefly ufed in rriedicine as a denti- 
frice : it is hard on one fide^ but fo very foft on the 
CYN 
other, as to receive neat imprefTions from medals, 
and to ferve as a mould for cafting metals, which 
thus take the figure of the original ; and it is alio 
ufed in the polifhing and cleaning of filver. 
CUT-WATER. This bird, which is defcribed 
by Catefby as a fpecies of gull, is black from the 
middle of the head to the tail ; but the legs, and 
part of the bill, are red. The bill is very irregu- 
lar, the under mandible being nearly two inches 
longer than the upper; and it is almoft as ftrong 
and fliarp as the blade of a cafe-knife. 
C YCLOPTERUS. A genus of branchioftcr 
gious fifhes; the diftinguifhing characfters of which 
are, that the branchioftege membrane on each fide 
contains fix fmall cyllndric bones; that the body k 
of an oblong, globoie figure ; that the belly-fins unite 
at their extremities, fo as to form one regular fin of 
the fhape of a funnel ; and that the fins are fix in 
number. The only fpecies yet difcovered of this 
curious genus is the fea-owl. 
The above appellation is derived from Kuklos, 
a Circle; and Pteron, a Wing. In the Linnsearj 
fyftem, this conftitutes a genus of the nantes arn-; 
phibia. 
CYGNUS CUCULLATUS. A name iair 
properly given by fome naturalifts to the dodo, a 
very large bird approaching to the cafTowary kind, 
but weaker in the legs and neck. 
CYLINDRUS. A genus of fliell-fifh of which 
there are many very elegant and valuable fpecies. 
This genus, however, is more ufually known at 
prefent under the name of rhombus ; though with 
lefs propriety, as the word Cylindrus very aptly 
expreffes the fliape of the fhell, which is cyllndric 
and oblong ; while the rhombus refers to a lozenge, 
which by no means conveys any idea of the real 
figure. 
The fliells of this genus are univalve, of an ob- 
long, cyllndric figure, having oblong mouths, ancj 
frequently the clavicles feparated from the bodies 
by circles; and the columella is in fome fpecies 
fmooth, and in others rough. But the moft ob- 
vious diftinft'on of this genus, without having re- 
courfe to the formation of the mouth, is, that in all 
the fpecies, both ends of the fhell are nearly of the 
lame fize, though the tail-part is certainly fome- 
what fmaller than the head. The head is not fe- 
parated from the body by an elevated rib, as in the 
volute, but follows the fhape of the body, though 
fometimes it is divided by a dentated furrow; and 
in fome, but very few fpecies, by a prominent cir- 
cle. This charadler, which brings the Cylindri 
nearly in alliance with the volutje, renders the dif- 
tindion the more difficult; but, in this cafe, the ex- 
tremity of the fhell muft be regarded, which in the 
Cylindrus is always obtufe, and in the voluta as 
invariably pointed. The family of the Cylindri 
are very numerous. 
CYMBIUM. An appellation given by many 
conchologifts to a kind of fea-ihell, called alfo the 
gondola fhell. It is a genus of the concha glo- 
bofa, or dolium, and comprehends feveral fpecies. 
CYNIPS. A genus of four- winged infefts of 
the hymenoptera kind, having a fpiral fting which, 
is generally concealed, and being deftitute of a 
probofcis. 
CYNOCEPHALUS. A name given by fome 
naturalifts to an animal ef the monkey kind, the 
magot of BufFon, It has no tail, but only a fmall 
protuberance at the place of infertion. The face, 
which is prominent, bears fome refemblance to that 
of the dog; the body is covered with, a brownilii 
hair. 
