301 
C A P 
CAP 
the top of a high tower, and falling on is 
horns, immediately spring up on its limbs 
and leap about without having received the 
least apparent injury. See Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 90. 
The flesh of the young ibex is said to be 
in good esteem as" an article of food. Its 
period of gestation is said to be the same as 
in the common goat, viz. five months. 
2, Capra /Rgagrus, or caucasan 
ibex, supposed to be tiie stock or origin of 
the domestic goat, is considerably superior 
to that animal in size, and its form in some 
degree resembles that of a stag. Its general 
colour is a brownish or subferruginous grey 
above, and white beneath ; the forehead is 
nearly black, which colour is continued 
down the back in the form of a list or stripe : 
the chin is furnished with a large brownish 
beard, and the horns, which are very large, 
and bend considerably backwards, are 
smooth, black, and sharply ridged on their 
upper part. The female is "destitute both of 
horns and beard. 
In point of strength and agility this species 
is at least equal, if not superior, to the com- 
mon ibex ; it inhabits the loftiest rocky 
points of mount Caucasus, and particularly 
the parts about the rivers Kuban and Terek ; 
almost all Asia Minor, and may probably 
extend even to India. It is said" to abound 
on the hills of Laar and Chorazan, in Persia. 
3. Capra Hircus, or common goat, 
in its domestic state, is found in almost every 
part of the globe, bearing the extremes of 
neat and cold, and differing in size and form 
according to various circumstances. It may 
be observed, that the horns have generally 
a curvature outwards towards the tips ; and 
it may be added, that the animal was entire- 
ly unknown to the Americans on the disco- 
very of that continent, having been intro- 
duced by the Europeans. 
The colour of the domestic goat is various, 
being either black, brown, while, or spotted. 
The flesh is of great use to the inha- 
bitants of Wales, and affords them a cheap 
and plentiful provision in the winter months, 
when the kids are brought to market : the 
haunches are often dried and salted, and 
used as a substitute for bacon. The skin of 
the goat is peculiarly well adapted for the 
glove-manufactory, especially that of the 
kid ; and as it takes a dye better than any 
other skin, it was formerly much used for 
hangings in the houses of people of fortune ; 
being susceptible of the richest colours. The 
goat goes with young four months and a half. 
The skin of the Chamois goat is also in high 
esteem for fine leather. See Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 91. 
The following are the most remarkable 
varieties of the domestic goat. 
1. Capra mambrica, or Syrian goat, is 
distinguished by the great length of the ears, 
which are pendulous, like those of abound, 
and sometimes reach so low as to be trouble- 
some to the animal while feeding. 2. Capra 
Angor'ensis, Angora goat, is generally of a 
beautiful milk-white colour, short-legged, 
with black, spreading, spirally twisted horns, 
and with the hair on the whole body dispos- 
ed in long pendant spiral ringlets, it is 
from the hair of this animal tlvat the finest 
camlets, & c. are prepared, 3. Capra de- 
pressa, or African goat, is a very small or 
dwarf variety, fount! in some parts of Africa. 
4. Copra rovers a, or WJiidaw goat. This is 
CAP 
also a dwarf variety, found in Africa, where 
its flesh is considered as an excellent food. 
5. Long-horned Whidaw goat. 6. Capricorn 
goat. 
CAPTLARIA, Sweet- we ed, a genus of 
the afigiospermia order, in the didynamia 
class of plants ; and in the natural method 
ranking under the 40th order, personatse. 
The calyx is quinquepartite ; the corolla 
is campanulated, quinquelid, with acute seg- 
ments ; the capsule bivalved, bilocular, and 
polyspermous. There are five species. 
CAPRICORN, in astronomy, one of the 
twelve signs of the zodiac, represented in 
globes in the form of a goat, and character- 
ised in books by this mark Vjh 
It is the tenth sign in order, and contains 
twenty-eight stars according to Ptolemy and 
Tycho Brahe ; twenty-nine, according to He- 
velius ; and fifty-one according to Flamsteed. 
Tropic o/'C’apricorn, a lesser circle of 
the sphere, which is parallel to the equinoc- 
tial, and at 23 G 3f/ distance from it south- 
wards. 
CAPRIMULGUS, goat-sucker, a genus 
of birds belonging to the order of passeres. 
The beak is incurvated, small tapering, and 
depressed at the base: the mouth opens wide. 
There are two species: 1. The Europams, 
with tiie tubes of the nostrils hardly visible, 
which feeds on moths, gnats, &c. It appears 
in May, and leaves us in August. 2. The 
Americanos, a night bird, found in America. 
See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 81. 
CAPSICUM, in botany, Guinea pepper, 
a genus of the monogynia order, in the pen- 
j tandria class of plants; and in the natural 
method ranking under tiie 28th order, lu- 
■fidae. The corolla is verticillated, and the 
fruit is a sapless berry. There are live spe- 
cies, the principal are : 
1. Capsicum annuum, the common long- 
podded capsicum, commonly cultivated in 
the gardens. Of this there is one variety 
with red and another with yellow fruit ; and 
of these there are several sub-varieties, differ- 
ing only in the size and figure of their fruit. 
2. Capsicum baccatum, bird pepper, rises 
with a shrubby stalk four or five feet high ; 
tiie leaves are of a lucid green ; the fruit 
grows at the division of the branches, stand- 
ing erect; these are small, oval, and of a 
bright red ; they are much more sharp and 
biting than those of the other sorts. Tins is 
the Cayenne pepper. 
3. Capsicum grossum, tiie bell pepper. 
The fruit of this is red, and is tiie only kind 
proper for pickling, the skin being tender, 
whereas those of the other sorts are thin and 
tough. 
CAP-SQUARES, in gunnery, strong plates 
of iron which come over tiie trunnions of a 
gun, and keep it in the carriage. 
CAPSTAN, or Main-capstan, in a ship, 
a large piece of timber in tiie nature of a 
windlass, placed next behind the main-mast, 
its foot standing in a step on the lower deck, 
and its head between tiie upper decks, 
formed into several squares with holes in 
them. Its use is to weigh the anchors, to 
hoist up or strike down top-masts, to heave 
any weighty matter, or to strain any rope 
that requires a main force. 
Capstan Tear is placed, between the 
main-mast and the mizen, and serves to strain 
any rope, heave upon the jegr-rope or upon 
the viol, or hold off by at (he weighing of an 
anchor, 
CAPSULE, among botanists, a species of 
pericarpium or seed-vessel. 
Capsulaj atra biliar fjE, called also 
glandular renales, and rones succentmiati, 
are two yellowish glands ot a compressed 
figure, lying on each side ot the- upper part 
of the kidneys. See Anatomy. 
CAPTION, in law, is where a commission 
is executed, and the commissioners subscribe 
their names to a certificate, declaring when. 
; and where tiie commission was executed. 
It relates chiefly to commissions to take an- 
swers in chancery and depositions of wit- 
nesses, and take fines of lands, See. 
Caption and Horning, in the law of 
Scotland. When a decrete or sentence is 
obtained against any person, the obtainer 
takes out a writ, whereby the party decerned 
is charged to pay or fulfil the will of tiie de- 
crete, under the pain of rebellion : this writ is 
called letters ot horning. If lie refuses to 
comply, then the writ or letters of caption 
may be raised, whereby all the inferior judges 
and magistrates are commanded to assist in 
apprehending the rebel, and putting him in 
prison. 
CAP UR A, a genus of the class and order 
hexandria monogynia. The essential cha- 
racter is, cal. none ; cor. six-cleft ; stain, 
within the tube.; germ, superior; stigma 
globular ; per. berry. There is one species, 
a native of the East Indies. 
CAPUT draco N is,the Dragon’s head, 
in astronomy, the ascending node of the 
moon. Jt is also a star of the first magnitude, 
in the head of the constellation Draco. 
Caput mortuum, in chemistry, that 
thick dry matter, which remains after distil- 
lation of any thing, but of minerals espe- 
cially. See Chemistry. 
CARABINE, a fire-arm, shorter than a 
musket, carrying a ball of twenty-four in the 
pound, borne by the light horse, hanging at 
a belt over the left shoulder. 
CAR ABUS, in zoology, a genus of insects 
belonging to the order of coleoptera, or the 
beetle kind. The feelers are bristly ; the ' 
breast is shaped like a heart, and murginat- 
ed, and the elytra are likewise marginated. 
There are 34 species of this genus, mostly 
distinguished by their colour. The most re- 
markable is the crepitans, or bombardier, 
with the breast, head, and legs ferruginous, 
or iron-coloured, and the elytra black. It 
keeps Itself concealed among stones, and 
makes but little use of its wings ; when it 
moves it is by a sort of jump; and when- 
ever it is touched, it makeji a noise resem- 
bling the discharge of a musket in miniature, 
during which a blue smoke may be perceiv- 
ed proceeding from it. The insect may be 
made to play off its artillery, by scratching 
its back with a needle. A bladder placed 
near the amis, is the arsenal whence it de- 
rives its store, and this is its chief defence 
against an enemy ; but tiie smoke emitted 
seems altogether' inoffensive, except by caus- 
ing a fright, though it is useful to the insect ' 
by concealing its course. Its chief enemy is 
another species of tiie same genus, but tour 
times larger. When pursued and fatigued, 
tiie bombardier lias recourse to stratagem, 
by lying down in the path of the large cara- 
bus," which advances with open mouth and 
claws to seize it ; but* on tiie discharge of tiie 
artillery, suddenly draws back, and remains 
' a wlule confused, during which the bombaj: 
