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class and order. Natural order of Per- 
sonatae. Pediculares, Jussieu Essential cha- 
racter: calyx tubular, compressed, upper 
lip bifid, lower none ; corol lower, lip trifid, 
with two glands between the segments ; 
capsules two-celled. There are two spe- 
cies, C. fissifolia and C. integrifolia, both 
natives of New Granada. 
CASTING, in foundery, the running of 
a metal into a mould, prepared for that pur- 
pose. See Foundery. 
Casting, a term used for the quitting 
or throwing aside any thing from the body 
of an animal, by an effort of nature. Thus 
deer cast their horns, snakes their skins, 
lobsters their shells, hawks their feathers 
annually. When birds cast their leathers 
it is called moulting. A horse casts his 
hair in the spring, and sometimes in the 
autumn also horses sometimes cast their 
hoofs. 
Casting of drapery, among painters, 
denotes the distribution of the folds ; and 
the drapery is said to be well cast, when 
the folds are distributed in such a manner, 
as to appear rather the result of mere 
chance than of art, study, or labour. In 
that style of painting which is called “ the 
grand,” the folds of the draperies should 
be great, and as few as possible, because 
their rich simplicity is more susceptible of 
great lights. But it is an error to design 
draperies that are too heavy and cumber- 
some, fpr they ought to be suitable to the 
fin-ures, with a combination of ease and 
grandeur. Order, contrast, and variety of 
stuffs and folds, constitute the elegance of 
draperies ; and diversity of colours in those 
stuffs, contributes extremely to the har- 
mony of the whole in historic compositions. 
CASTLE, in the sea-language, is a part 
of the ship, of which there are two, the 
fore-castle, being the elevation at tlie prow, 
or the uppermost deck, towards the mizen, 
the place where the kitchens are. Hind- 
castle is the elevation which reigns on the 
stern over the last deck, where tlie officers 
cabins and places of assembly are. 
CASTOR, the beaver, in natural history,' 
a genus of Mammalia, of the order Glires. 
Generic character: upper fore-teeth trun- 
cated and hallowed in a transverse angle ; 
lower transverse at the top ; four grinders 
in each jaw ; tail long, scaly, and depressed ; 
clavicles perfect. There are two species, 
of which the most worthy of notice is C, 
fiber. The colour of the beaver is generally 
of a deep chesnut ; sometimes it has been 
seen entirely white; less rarely com- 
pletely black ; it is about three feet long in 
the body ; its tail is about the length of one 
foot, and by its peculiarity distinguishes this 
animal from every other quadruped ; it is of 
an oval form, and flat, with a slight con- 
vexity towards the base, destitute of hair, 
and completely covered with scaly divi- 
sions. The beaver was known to the an- 
cients for its possession of that sebacieus 
matter called castor, secreted by two large 
glands neat its genitals and anus, and of 
which each animal has about two ounces ; 
but they appear to have been unacquainted 
with its habits and economy; with that 
mental contrivance and practical dexterity 
which, in its natural state, so strikingly dis- 
tinguish it. Beavers are found in the most 
northern latitudes of Europe and Asia, but 
are most abundant in North America, In 
the months of June and July they assemble 
in large companies to the number of two 
hundred, on the banks of some water, and 
proceed to the formation of their establish- 
ment. If the water be subject to risings 
and fallings they erect a dam to preserve it 
at a constant level ; where this level is na- 
turally preserved this labour is superseded. 
The length of this dam is occasionally eight 
feet. In the preparation of it they begin 
with felling some very high, but not ex- 
tremely thick, tree on the border of the 
river, which can be made to fall into the 
water ; and, in a short time, this is efifected 
by the united operation of many, with their 
fore-teeth, the branches being afterwards 
cleared by the same process. A multitude 
of smaller trees are found necessary to com- 
plete the fabric, and many of these are 
dragged from some distance by land and 
formed into stakes, the fixing of which is a 
work of extreme difficulty and perseve- 
rance, some of the beavers with their teeth 
raising their large ends against the cross- 
beam, while others at the bottom dig with 
their fore-feet the holes in which the points 
are to be sunk. A series of these stakes, in 
several rows, is established from one bank 
of the river to the other, in connection with 
the cross-tree, and the intervals between 
them are filled up by vast quantities of 
earth, brought from a distance, and plashed 
with materials adapted to give it tenacity 
and prevent its being carried off. The bark 
is formed at the bottom, of about the width 
of twelve feet, diminishing as it approaches 
the surface of the water to two or three ; 
being thus judiciously constructed to resist 
its weight and efforts by the inclined plane 
instead of perpendicular opposition. These 
