C A N* 
C A N 
sr^ obliged to conform to the face of the 
country ; and if it is intersected with rivers, 
they are then seen to wind along the course 
of the stream. They are often obliged to 
halt for want of rain, and logo into the most 
convenient encampment till the weather 
changes. The main body of the army is 
composed of females, which never leave the 
mountains till the rain is set in for some time. 
The night is their chief time of proceeding ; 
but if it rains by day, they do not fail "to 
profit by the occasion ; and they continue 
to move forward in their slow uniform man- 
ner. When the sun shines and is hot upon 
the surface of the ground, they make an uni- 
versal halt, and wait till the cool of the even- 
ing. When they are terrified, they march 
back in a confused disorderly manner, hold- 
ing up their nippers, with which they some- 
times tear off a piece of the skin, and then 
leave the weapon where they inflicted the 
wound. They even try to intimidate their 
enemies; for they often clatter their nippers 
together, as if to threaten those that disturb 
them. But though they thus strive to be 
formidable to man, they are much more so 
to each other; for they are possessed of one 
most unsocial property, which is, that if any 
of them by accident is maimed in such a 
manner as to be incapable of proceeding, the 
rest fall upon and devour it on the spot, and 
then pursue their journey. When, after a 
fatiguing march, and escaping a thousand 
dangers, (for they are .sometimes three 
months in getting to the shore,) they have 
arrived at their destined port, they prepare 
to cast their spawn, which shaking off into 
the water, they leave accident to bring it 
to maturity. At this time shoals of hun- 
gry fish are at the shore in expectation of 
this annual supply ; the sea to a great dis- 
tance seems black with them ; and about 
two thirds of the crabs’ eggs are immediately 
devoured by these rapacious invaders. The 
eggs that escape are hatched under the 
sand ; and, soon after, millions at a time of 
these little crabs are seen quitting the shore, 
and slowly travelling up to the mountains. 
This animal, when possessed of its retreats 
in the mountains, is impregnable : for, only 
subsisting upon vegetables, it seldom ven- 
tures out : and its habitation being in the 
most inaccessible places, it remains for a 
great part of the season in perfect security. 
It is only when impelled by the desire of 
bringing forth its young, and when compelled 
to descend into the flat country, that it is ta- 
ken. At that time, the natives wait for its de- 
scent in eager expectation, and destroy 
thousands ; but, disregarding their bodies, 
they only seek for that small spawn which 
lies on each side of the stomach within the 
shell, of about the thickness of a man’s thumb. 
They are much more valuable upon their re- 
turn after they have cast their shell ; for, be- 
ing covered with a skin resembling soft 
parchment, almost every part except the sto- 
mach may he eaten. They are taken in the 
holes by feeling for them with an instrument; 
they are sought after by night, when on their 
journey, by flambeaux. The instant the ani- 
mal perceives itself attacked, it throws itself 
on its back, and with its claws pinches most 
terribly whatever it happens to fasten on. 
But the dextrous crab-catcher takes them 
by the hinder legs in such a manner that the 
jiippers cannot touch him, and thus he 
V-OLs I. * 
CAN 
throws them into his bag. Sometimes also 
they are caught when they take refuge in 
the bottoms of holes in rocks by the sea-side, 
by covering the mouth of the hole, to prevent 
their getting out; and then soon after, the 
tide coining, enters the hole, and the animal 
is found, upon its ebbing, drowned in its re- 
treat. These crabs are of various sizes, the 
largest about six inches wide ; they walk side- 
ways like the sea-crab, and are shaped like 
them : some are black, some yellow, some 
red, and others variegated with red, white, 
and yellow, mixed. 
The light-coloured arc reckoned best ; and 
when full in flesh, are very well tasted. 
lb. Cancer serratus, or the prawn, with 
a long serrated snout bending upwards; three 
pair of very long filiform feelers ; claws small, 
furnished with two fangs ; five joints to the 
tail ; middle caudal flu subulated, two out- 
most flat and rounded. It is frequent in se- 
veral shores among loose stones ; sometimes 
found at sea, and taken on the surface over 
30 fathoms depth of water ; cinereous when 
fresh; of a tine red when boiled. 
17. Cancer squilla, with a snout like a 
prawn, but deeper and thinner ; the feelers 
longer in proportion to the bulk ; the sub- 
caudal fins rather larger ; is, at full growth, 
not above half the bulk of the former. — Itinha- 
bits the coasts of Kent ; and is sold in London 
under the name of the white shrimp, as it as- 
sumes that colour when boiled. 
19. Cancer velutinus, or velvet crab, with 
the thorax quinquedentated ; body covered 
with short, brown, velvet-like pile ; claws co- 
vered with minute tubercles; small spines 
round the top of the 2d joint ; hind legs broad- 
ly ovated. It inhabits the western coast of 
Anglesea. 
20. Cancer volans, or sand crab, is but of 
a small size; its colour light' brown, or dusky 
white. It has eight legs, and two claws, one 
of which is double the size of the other ; these 
claws serve both to defend and feed them. 
1 he head has two square holes, which are re- 
ceptacles for its eyes ; out of which it thrusts 
them, and draws them in again at pleasure. 
1 heir abode is only on the sandy shores of 
I lath era, and others of the Bahama islands. 
1 hey run very fast, and retreat from danger 
into little holes thev make in the sand. 
CANCROMA, or boat-bill, in ornitho- 
logy, a genus of birds belonging to the order 
of gralke ; the characters of which are : The 
bill is broad, with a keel along the middle ; 
the nostrils are small, and lodged in a fur- 
row ; the tongue is small ; and the toes are 
divided. There are two species: 
1. Cancroma cancrophaga, or the brown 
boat-bill, resembles the cochlearia so milch 
in size, head, crest, and every thing almost, 
except the colour, that Mr. Latham considers 
them both as only varieties of the same spe- 
cies. Linnaeus however ranks them as dis- 
tinct. In this species the under parts, instead 
ot ash colour, are of a pale rufous brown ; the 
tail rufous ash ; and the upper parts wholly 
of a cream colour ; the bill and legs of a yel- 
low brown. Jt inhabits Cayenne, Guiana, 
and Brasil, and chiefly frequents such parts as 
are near the water : in these places it perches 
011 the trees which hang over the streams, 
and, like the king’s-fisher, drops down on the 
fish which swim beneath. It has been thought 
to live on crabs likewise, whence the Linnaeau 
name. • I 
Pp 1 
2 97 
2. Cancroma cochlearia, the crested boat- 
bill, as well as the cancrophaga, is of the size 
of a domestic fowl ; the length 22 inches, 
The bill is four inches long, and of singular 
form, not unlike a boat with the keel upper- 
most, or, as some think, like the bowls of two 
spoons, placed with the hollow parts together; 
from the hind head springs a long black crest; 
the leathers which compose it are narrow, and 
end in a point ; the middle ones are six inches 
in length, the others lessen by degrees ; the 
plumage on the forehead white ; the rest of the 
bird of a pale bluish ash colour ; across the 
lower part of the neck behind is a transverse 
band of brownish black, which passes foi'- 
wards on each side towards the breast. Its 
place and manners are the same with those of 
the cancrophaga. 
CANDlDATI Milites, an order of sol- 
diers among the Romans who served as the 
emperor’s body guards to defend him in battle. 
CANDLE, a taper of tallow, wax, or 
spermaceti, the wick of which is commonly 
of several threads of cotton, spun and twisted 
together. 
'I he machine for cutting the cotton is a 
smooth board made to be fixed on the knees; 
on the upper surface are the blade of a razor, 
and a round piece of cane, placed at a cer- 
tain distance from one another, according to 
the length of the cotton wanted : the cotton 
is carried round the cane, and being brought 
to the razor, is instantly separated from the 
several balls. 
A tallow-candle, to be good, must be half 
sheep’s and half bullock’s tallow, for hog’s 
tallow makes the candle gutter, and always 
gives an offensive smell, with a thick black 
smoke. r l he wick ought to be pure, suffi- 
ciently dry, and properly twisted, otherwise 
the candle will emit an unconstant vibratory 
flame, which is both prejudicial to the eyes 
and insufficient for the distinct illumination 
of objects. 
There are two sorts of tallow-candles ; the 
one dipped, the other moulded: the former 
are the common candles. The tallow is pre- 
pared by chopping the fat, and then boiling 
it for some time in a large copper ; and when, 
the tallow is extracted by the process of fire, 
the remainder is subjected to the operation 
of a strong iron press, and the cake that is 
left after the tallow is expressed from it is 
called greaves : with this dogs are fed, and 
the greater part of the ducks that supply the 
London markets. It is also sometimes given 
to pigs, but certainly without benefiting 
the flavour of the meat. 
When the tallow is in proper order, the 
workman holds three of the broaches, with 
the cottons properly spread, between his 
fingers, and immerses the cotton into the vat 
containing the tallow : they are then hung on 
a frame and suffered to cool ; and when 
cold they are dipped again, and so the process 
is continued till the candles are of the proper 
size. During the operation the vat is sup- 
plied from time to time with fresh tallow, 
which is kept to the proper heat by means of 
a gentle fire under it. 
The mould in which the moulded candles 
are cast, consists of a frame of wood, and se- 
veral hollow metal cylinders, generally made 
of pewter, of the diameter and length of the 
candle wanted: at the extremity of these is 
the neck, which is a little cavity in form of a 
dome, having a moulding wfthinside, a $4 
