CAN 
abound ; but, from the narrative of ham- 
son’s firebrands, might be supposed still 
more aljundant. The animals employed by 
him in that destructive stratagem were pro- 
bably jackals, which are at least eipially 
abundant, and far more easily accessible. 
In very northern latitudes, tlie fox is fre- 
quently black, and affords a fur more va- 
lued than that of almost any other animal ; 
it has been sometimes sold from Kamt- 
schatka for 400 rubles. The fox has been 
sometimes found perfectly white. The arc- 
tic fox, found particularly in Nova Zerabla, 
is one of the hardiest of all animals, unre- 
mitted in its pursuit of prey during the se- 
verest rigours of winter. In some parts it 
is compelled to sustain itself by berries, 
- shell-fish, or whatever is thrown up by the 
sea. In others, the sustenance of these 
animals consists of wild geese, and every 
kind of water fowls, with their eggs ; and 
in Lapland, particularly, they feed upon 
a species of mice called lemings, which, 
being migratory at uncertain periods, in- 
duce the consequent migrations of the arc- 
tic fox, who will, in the pursuit of this 
prey, be absent from his native country 
sometimes for three, or even four years. 
The ground in Spitzbergen being eternally 
frozen, these animals being consequently 
here unable to burrow, reside in the clifls 
of rocks, and two or three are often found 
in the same hole. The cunning supposed 
to be chai-acteristic of the fox, and which 
it might be supposed that embarrassment 
and hardship would increase, is by no moans 
a quality of the variety under consideration, 
which is indeed rather noted for its simpli- 
city ; instances having been known in which 
the arctic fox, after standing by while a 
trap was baited, has immediately thrust his 
head into it. The Greenlanders convert the 
skins of these animals, which are light and 
warm, but not lasting, to the purposes of 
merchandize, manufacturing some of the 
thicker and harder parts into buttons. They 
occasionally eat the flesh, and the tendons 
are divided by them into slender filaments, 
and substituted for thread. For a represen- 
tation of the fox. See Mammalia, Plate VI. 
fig. 4. 
Canis Major, in astronomy, a constella- 
tion of the southern hemisphere. 
Canis Minor, Caniculus, or Canicula, in 
astronomy, a constellation of the northern 
hemisphere. See Astronomy. 
CANKER, a disease incident to trees, 
proceeding chiefly from the nature of the 
soil. It makes the bark rot and fall. 
CAN 
CANNA, in botany, Indian flowering 
reed, or Indian shot, a genus of the Monan- 
dria Monogynia class and order. Natural 
order of Scitainineae. Cannae, Jussieu. Es- 
sentia! character : corolla six-parted, erect ; 
lip two-parted, revohite; style lanceolate, 
growing to the corolla ; calyx three-leaved. 
There are five species, most of them natives 
of the northern provinces of America. 
CANNABIS, in botany, English hemp, a 
genus of the Dioecia Pentandria class and 
order. Natural order of Scabridae. Urticae, 
Jussieu. Essential character ; male, calyx 
five-parted; corolla none; female, calyx 
one-leafed, entire, gaping on one side ; co- 
rolla none ; styles two ; nut bivalve, within 
the closed calyx. There is but one species, 
viz. C. sativa. The uses of hemp are well 
known, as well as its great importance to 
the navy for sails and cordage. Exceedingly 
good huckaback is made from it for towels 
and common table-cloths. The low-priced 
hempen cloths are a general wear for hus- 
bandmen, servants, and labouring manufac- 
turers. The liemp raised in England is not 
of so di'y and spongy a nature as what we 
have from Russia, and therefore it requires 
a smaller proportion of tar to manufacture 
it into cordage. English hemp, properly 
manufactured, stands unrivalled in its 
strength, and is superior to the Russian, 
Like many other plants, generally cultivat- 
ed, it is difficult to ascertain the original 
place of its native growth. Linnaeus gives 
it to the East Indies and Japan. 
CANNELcoal. See Ampelites. 
CANNON, in the military art, an engine 
or fire-arm for throwing iron, lead, or stone 
bullets by force of gpnpowder. Cannons at 
first were called bombardac, from the noise 
they made ; they had likewise the name of 
cnlverin, basilisk, &c. from the beasts that 
were represented upon them ; and the 
Spaniards, from devotion, gave them the 
name of saints ; witness the twelve apostlea 
which Charles V. ordered to be cast at Ma- 
laga, for his expedition to Tunis. 
C-annon are classed as field-pieces or bat- 
tering-pieces ; the former are usually made 
of mixed metals, but sometimes of pure 
brass ; tlie latter, with veiy few exceptions, 
are of cast iron. Every cannon is made by 
running fused metal into a mold, and is 
afterwards finished by being turned on a 
lathe. The chace is bored by means’ of a 
sti-ong machine. Some snspend the cannon 
vertically over the borer, making it press 
downwards as the borer revolves ; others 
have a horizontal process in wiiich the can-. 
