COR 
ter I Cowers hermaphrodite, six-staiiiencd ; 
spathe raany-Ieaved ; cor olla three-petalied ; 
pistil one; berry globose, superior, one- 
seeded ; seed bMiy, globose. There are 
two species, viz. C. iinibiaculifera, great 
fan palm, and C. minor; the former of 
■which we shall give a short description of. 
It scarcely flowers till it is between 30 and 
40 years old. Knox describes the great 
fan palm under the name of tallipot ; he 
says it is as large as a ship’s mast, and very 
straight. The leaves are of great use, one 
being so broad and large that it will, cover 
1.5 or 20 men ; being dr ied, it is very strong 
and limber, yet it will fold close like a fan, 
being then about the size of a man’s aritt. 
The whole leaf spread is round, birt is cut 
into triangular pieces for use. Soldiers all 
carry them upon their heads, not only to 
sliade them from the sun, and to keep them 
dry in case of rain on their march, but to 
make their tents for them to lie under. 
These leaves all grow on the top of the 
tree. It bears no fruit until the last year 
of its life; the yellow blossoms, which are 
very beautiful, come out on the top, spread- 
ing abroad in great branches ; these come 
to a round, hard fruit, the size of our largest 
cherries, and in such abundance that one 
tree will yield seed enough for a country, 
but they are not fit for food.Tlie flowers smell 
so strong, that the trees are cut down 
where. they are near houses. It is a native 
of Malabar, the island of Ceylon, the Mar- 
quesas, and Friendly islands. The trunk 
within is only a pith, which they beat in a 
mortar to flower, and bake cakes of it, 
which taste much like white bread. The 
leaves also serve for covering their houses, 
and for writing on will) an iron style. Most 
of the books which are shown in Europe 
for the Egyptian papyrus, are made from 
the leaves of this palm. 
CORYI’HjENA, the Conjphenc, in natu- 
ral history, a genus of fishes of the order 
Thoracic!. Generic character ; head slop- 
ing suddenly downwards, gill-membrane 
with five rays; dorsal fin as long as the 
back. There are -19 species, of which the 
principal is C. hippuiis, the common co- 
i 7 phene. These fishes are commonly 
known by the name of dolphin, and appear 
in the Indian and Atlantic seas in immense 
numbers, frequently following in the wake 
of ships, and seizing with extreme rapacity 
■whatever is thrown from them at all appli- 
cable for food. Indeed, occasionally, on 
their being opened, their stomachs have 
been found to contain hard and indigestible 
COS 
substances. They are endowed with extra- 
ordinaiy strength and vigour, swim with ex- 
treme swiftness, and are perpetually in the 
pursuit of smaller fish, particularly the flying- 
fish, w'hieh has not a more mortal enemy 
throughout tire ocean. They are of parti- 
cularly rapid growth, and they are often 
taken both by the line and net on account 
of their estimation for the table. They are 
about the length of three feet, and display 
in the w'ater the most dazzling splendor and 
the most exquisite combination of colours, 
particularly azure, green, and gold. All 
these vanisli in a short time after the dol- 
phin is taken from the water, exhibit- 
ing, however, incessant changes during 
tire conflict between life and deatli, one 
moment restored to their original lustre, 
the next fading beyond observation, till at 
length bloom and vitality are both finally 
extinguished. During the monotony of an 
Indian voyage, the death of the dolphin is 
considered by sailors as furnishing an agree- 
able variety, and is, indeed, watched with 
singular attention and interest. 
CO-SECANT, in geometry, the secant 
of an arch which is the complement of an- 
other to 90”. 
CO-SINE, in trigonometry, the sine of an 
arch, which is the complement of another 
to 90". See Sine and Trigonometry. 
COSMEA, in botany, a genus of the ,Syn- 
geuesia Frustranea class aud order. Re- 
ceptacle chaffy; seeds four-sided, with a 
two or four-awned crown; calyx double 
each of them of one eight-parted leaf. ’ 
COSMETIC, in physic, any medicine or 
preparation which rendei-s the skin soft and 
wiiite, or help.s to beautify and improve the 
complexion, as lip-salves, cold creams, cc- 
riiss, &c. 
COSMICAL, a term in astronomy, ex- 
pressing one of the poetical risings of a star: 
thus, a star is said to rise cosmically, when 
it rises witli the sun, or with that point of 
the ecliptic in which the sun is at that time : 
and the cosmical setting is when a star sets 
in the west at the same time that the sun 
rises in the east. 
COSMOGONY, a word frequently used 
to denote the science of the formation of 
the universe. 
COSMOGRAPHY, a de.scription of the 
several parts of the visible world, or the art 
of delineating the several bodies according 
to their magnitudes, motions, relations, kc. 
COSMOPOLITE, a term denoting a 
citizen of the world, or one who has no fixec^ 
residence anywhere. 
