442 
COR 
COR 
lower sides of their exterior webs are white 
tinged with blue ; the two next wholly black ; 
the last of a line bay-colour, tipt with black. 
Jays build chiefly in woods, making their 
nests of sticks, fibres of roots, and tender 
twigs; and lay five or six eggs, of the size of 
a pigeon’s, cinereous olive marked with pale 
brown. The young keep with the old ones 
till the next pairing-time in spring, when they 
choose each his mate to produce their future 
progeny. In general they feed on acorns, 
nuts, seeds, and fruits of ail kinds, but will 
sometimes destroy young chickens and eggs, 
and will also take away -birds that have been 
caught in a trap, or entangled with birdlime. 
They are often kept in cages, and will talk 
pretty well. 
8. The caryocatactes, or nutcracker, is 
somewhat less than the jackdaw : the bill is 
strong, straight, and black; the colour of the 
whole head and neck, breast and body, of 
a rusty brown; the crown of the head and 
rump are plain ; the other parts marked with 
triangular white spots; the wings are black; 
the coverts spotted in the same manner as 
the body; the tail is rounded at the end, 
black tipt w ith white ; the vent-feathers are 
white; the legs dusky. We find these birds 
scattered in many parts of Europe, but no 
where so plenty as in Germany. They visit 
England very seldom; and are also found in 
North America, but not near the sea-coasts. 
9. The pica, or magpie, is in length above 
18 inches, and weighs eight or nine ounces. 
In manners it approaches the crow, feeding 
almost on every thing in turn, both animal 
and vegetable ; and like that will kill young 
ducks and chickens, and suck the eggs. It 
builds its nest with art, making a thorny 
cover at top, leaving a hole in the side for ad- 
mittance ; lays six or seven pale-greenish eggs, 
thickly spotted with black. It is a crafty bird 
in every state, and, if' brought up young, be- 
comes exceedingly familiar ; and will talk a 
great many sentences, as well as imitate 
every noise within hearing, like a parrot, but 
not so plain.. 
10. The graculus, or red-legged crow, is 
but thinly scattered over the northern world: 
no mention is made of it by any of the Faun- 
ists ; nor do w r e find it in other parts of Eu- 
rope, except Britain and the Alps. It is pro- 
duced in the island of Candia in Asia ; and 
if visits Egypt towards the end of the inunda- 
tion of the Nile. Except in Egypt, it affects 
mountainous and rocky places ; builds its 
nest in high cliffs or ruined towers ; and lays 
four or five eggs, white spotted with a dirty 
yellow. It feeds on insects, and also on new- 
sown corn. They commonly tly high, make 
a shriller noise than the jackdaw, anti may be 
taught to speak. It is a very tender bird, 
and unable to bear very severe weather ; is of 
an elegant, slender make; active, restless, and 
thieving; much taken with glitter, and so 
meddling as not to be trusted w here things of 
consequence lie. It is very apt to catch up 
bits of lighted sticks, so that there are in- 
stances of houses being set on fire by its 
means ; on which account Camden calls it 
iucendiaria avis. It is found in Cornwall, 
Flintshire, Caernarvonshire, and Anglesea, 
iii the rocky cliffs along the shores. It is also 
found in Scotland as far as Strathnavern, and 
in some of the Hebrides. Its colour is wholly 
black, beautifully glossed over with blue and 
purple: the legs and bill are of a bright 
COR 
l orange-colour inclining to red ; the tongue is 
almost as long as the bill, and a little cloven ; 
the claws are large, hooked, and black. 
11. The cristatus, or blue jay, is much 
smaller than the common jay. The bill is 
black, and above an inch long : the head is 
crested and blue : a streak on each side of 
the head and throat are of a blueish white, 
and there is a spot of the same over the eye : 
the hind part of the neck and back is blue : 
the wings and tail the same ; all the feathers 
of the last, except the two middle ones, 
tipped with white; the feathers of both it and 
the wings elegantly barred with black, and 
the greater coverts and second quills tipped 
with white: the breast is of a blossom-colour: 
the belly and under tail-coverts white : the 
legs are dusky brown: the tail is nearly as 
long as the re-.t of the bird. The colours of 
the female are less bright than those of the 
male. The species is said to be peculiar to 
North America, but not seen farther north 
than the town of Albany. 
12. The canadensis is in length nine inches, 
and weighs two ounces. The bill is blackish, 
and not quite an inch long: the irides are 
black : the forehead and throat are of a dirty 
yellow-white ; the hind-head and sides of a 
blackish brown : the upper parts of the body 
are brown: beneath, pale ash. These birds 
inhabit Canada ; and are frequent near Hud- 
son’s- bay, where they are called whiskijohn 
and vvhiskijack. They breed early in the 
spring ; build in pine-trees ; and have two, 
rarely three, young at a time. The eggs are 
blue. They are not gregarious. Their food 
is black moss, worms, and flesh. They are 
very bold pilfering birds, stealing from the 
traveller even salt meat ; and devouring often 
the bait from the traps set for the martins, as 
soon as the persons who set them turn their 
backs. They lay up stores for winter; at 
which time they are seldom seen unless near 
habitations. 
Corvus, the raven, in astronomy, a con- 
stellation of the southern hemisphere, where- 
in, according to Ptolemy and Tycho’s cata- 
logue, are seven stars; whereas the Britannic 
catalogue reckons no less than ten. 
Corvus, in Roman antiquity, a military 
engine, or rather gallery, moveable at plea- 
sure by means of pulleys, chiefly used in 
boarding the enemy’s ships, to cover the 
men. 
CGRYBANTES, in antiquity, priests of 
the goddess Cybele, who, inspired with a sa- 
cred fury, danced up and down, tossing their 
heads, and beating on c\ mbals or brazen 
drums. They inhabited mount Ida, in the 
island of Crete, where they nourished tne in- 
fant Jupiter, keeping a continual rattling with 
their cymbals, that his father Saturn) who 
had resolved to devour all his male offspring, 
might jiot hear the child’s cries. 
CORYBAN PICA, in Grecian antiquity, 
a festival kept in honour of the corybantes. 
CORY COMACHIA, among the antients, 
was a sort of exercise in which they pushed 
forwards a ball, suspended from the ceiling, 
and at its return either caught it with their 
hands, or suffered it to meet their body. 
Oribasius informs us it was recommended for 
extenuating too gross bodies. 
CORY LUS, the hazel, a genus of the po- 
lvandria order, in the monceeia class of plants ; 
and in the natural method ranking under the 
50th order, ameiitaccs. The male calyx is ! 
monophyllous, scale-like, trifid, and uniflo* 
rous; there is no corolla; the stamina eight 
in number: the female calyx diphyllous 
and lacerated ; no corolla; two styles; and an 
egg-shaped nut. There are three species: 
1st. The corylus avellana (from Avellino, in 
Italy, where they were first cultivated), or 
hazel, of which the filbert is a variety. 
2d. Corylus rostrata, or American cuckold- 
nut. 3d. Corylus columo, Constantinopolitan 
hazel. They are all of the large shrub kind, 
hardy and deciduous; and have several va- 
rieties valuable for their nuts, as also for 
their variety in large wildernesses and shrub- 
bery works. They will prosper in almost any 
soil or situation, and turn to good account 
when growing in coppices to cut as under- 
wood, and as poles for various uses ; as hoops, 
spars, hurdles, handles to husbandry imple- 
ments, walking-sticks, fishing-rods, &c. for 
which purposes they may be cut every fifth, 
seventh, or eighth year, according to the 
purposes for which they are designed. The 
best method of propagating them is by layers, 
though they may also be raised Irom the 
nuts. 
The kernels of the fruit have a mild, fari- 
naceous, oily taste, agreeable to most palates. 
Squirrels and mice are fond of them, as well 
as some birds, such as jays, nutcrackers, &c. 
A kind of chocolate has been prepared from 
them, and there are instances of their having 
been formed into bread. The oil expressed 
from them is little inferior to the oil of al- 
monds ; and is used by painters, and by che- 
mists, for receiving and retaining odours. 
Evelyn tells us, that no plant is more pro- 
per for thickening of copses than the hazel, 
tor which he directs the follow ing expeditious 
method: Rake a pole of hazel (ash or poplar 
may also be used) of 20 or 30 feet in 
length, the heads a little lopped, giving 
it a chop near the ground to make it suc- 
cumb ; this fastened to the earth with a hook 
or two, and covered with some fresh mould 
at a competent depth, (as gardeners lay their 
carnations), will produce a great number of 
suckers, and thicken and furnish a copse 
speedily. 
COKYMBIUM, a genus of the monoga- 
mia order, in the syngenesia class of plants, 
and in the natural method ranking under the 
49th order, composite. The calyx is diphvl- 
lous, uniliorous, and prismatica! ; the corolla 
monopetalous and regular; there is one 
woolly- seed below eucii floret. There are 
four species. 
CORY MBITS. See Botany, Glossary. 
CORY NOCARPUS, a genus of the mo- 
nogynia order, in the pentandria class of 
plants. The calyx is a pentaphyllous peri- 
anthium : the corolla consists of live roundish, 
erect, and hollow petals; the stamina five 
subulated filaments arising from the base of 
the petals; the antherx* are erect and oblong; 
the pefiearpium a monospermous, turbinated, 
clavated nut. I here is one species, a native 
of New Zealand. 
CORYPHA, mountain palm, or umbrella- 
tree, a genus of the order ofpalma?, belonging 
to the monceeia class of plants. The corolla 
is Inpetalous ; the stamina six, with one pistil; 
the fruit a monospermous plum.' There are 
two species. The Umbracuia is a native of 
the West Indies, where it is called codda 
puna. It rises to a considerable height, and 
produces at the top many large, palmated. 
