Linnaeus, factitious, is drawn indiscrimi- 
nately from different parts of the plant, 
and admits of fewer or more characteris- 
tical marks than are absolutely necessaiy 
for distinguishing the classes, genera, and 
species. Linnaeus, wlio particularly applies 
all the characters just enumerated to the 
distribution of the genera, establishes for 
a criterion of the artificial character, that 
it can never distinguish the genera in a 
natural order ; being calculated merely for 
discriminating such as arrange themselves 
under the same artificial order. To the 
head of artificial characters is referred, by 
Linnaeus, the description of the genera, in 
the methods of Tournefort, Ray, Rivinus, 
Boerhaave, and most of the other systema- 
tic botanists. The classical characters 
only, in tiie sexual method, are deemed ar- 
tificial: the generical, as exhausting the 
description of the parts of fructification, 
its author considers, as true natural cha- 
racters. 
Linnmus’s idea of an artificial character 
is well expressed by Ray, when he says, 
that no more characteristical marks of 
the genera are to be collected, than are 
found absolutely necessary for determining 
the genus wath certainty and precision. 
Essential Character . — The essential cha- 
racter discriminates' one plant from an- 
other by means of a single mark, so striking 
and particular, as to distinguish the plant 
in which it is found from every other at 
first sight. It serves, says Linnaeus, to dis- 
tinguish such genera as arrange themselves 
under the same natural order. The essen- 
tial character of the classes and genera, by 
the consent of all tlie modern systematic 
botanists, ought to be drawn from one of 
the seven parts of fructification ; that of 
the species from any of the other parts, /as 
the stem, leaf, root, buds, &c. 
Natural character . — This character in- 
cludes the two former, and collects all the 
possible marks of plants. It is useful, says 
Linnseus, in every method ; lays the foun- 
dation of the systems ; remains unchanged, 
although new genera be daily discovered ; 
and is capable of emendation by the de- 
tection of new species alone, which afford 
an opportunity of excluding such charac- 
teristical marks as are totally superfluous. 
He adds, that the Genera Plantatum first 
introduced these cliaracters into the sci- 
ence. 
CHARADRIUS,or the plover, in natural 
history, a genus of birds of the order Gral- 
Ise. Generic character ; bill straight, and in 
general about tlie length of the head ; nos- 
trils linear ; three toes, and all placed for- 
ward. There are twenty-six species, of 
which the most interesting are the follow^ 
ing. 
C. pluvialis, or the golden plover. This 
species inhabits Great Britain during the 
whole of the year, frequenting particularly 
the Grampian Hills and the mountains of 
the’ Hebrides. Their length is about ten 
inches and a half. They make a shrill 
noise like that of a whistle, by the imita- 
tion of which they are easily decoyed within 
reach of the gun. 
C. himantopus, or long legged plover, is 
occasionally to be found in England, thougli 
now but rarely. It is common in Egypt, 
w'here its food consists of flies. It is most 
characteristically designated, as the length 
of its legs is most extraordinary. 
C. hiaticula, or ringed plover, arrives in 
England in the spring, and leaves it in au- 
tumn. During the summer these birds fre- 
quent the coast. They run w'ith great ra- 
pidity, and often for a considerable time 
mingle short flights and rapid runnings, till 
at length they avoid the danger pursuing 
them, by retreating to some cleft or hole, 
or flying off completely. It is observed 
to use various stratagems to attract atten- 
tion from its young. The female builds no 
nest, and lays her eggs upon the ground. 
C. moi'inellus, or the dotterel. This spe- 
cies abounds in various parts of England, 
particularly in Cambridgeshire. They are 
migratory, and appear often in flocks of 
eight or ten. They are supposed to breed 
in the mountains of Cumberland, as they 
appear there in May, and are not seen 
there after the breeding season. In June 
they become extremely tat in Lincolnshire 
and Derbyshire, and are highly esteemed 
for their flavour and delicacy. They abound 
in Sweden, Russia, and Siberia, and from 
their extraordinary stupidity fell an easy 
prey to the clumsiest stratagem of the 
fowler. See Plate IV. Aves, fig. 4 and 5. 
CHARCOAL is wood burnt through, 
and suddenly extinguished by being covered 
with fresh earth. It is perhaps one of the 
most durable substances with which we are 
acquainted, not being decomposed either by 
the air or the water. It is of great use in 
many processes where a strong heat is re- 
quired : it is an antiseptic ; but very dan- 
gerous as fuel in confined places. In che- 
mistry tlie terms carbon and charcoal were 
long confounded, and supposed to mean 
the same thing, but the experiments by 
