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colour of the plumage is black, which is for the moil; 
part uniform, and like velvet on the head and neck, and 
fometimes fprinkled with white fpeckles; the reft of the 
body has greenifli reflections, and in fome fubje&s it 
changes into a deep chefnut. Others are white below 
the belly and not at the tail, and vice verfd ; and we mull 
obferve, that thefe colours are liable to vary both in their 
tints and in difpofition, according to the lex and age of 
the bird. The bill is near two inches long; ftiaped like 
that of the gallinaceous tribe, but is rather ftronger-: in 
fome, it is of a flefli colour, and whitilh near the point; 
in others, the end of the upper mandible is grooved on 
bothTides, and covered with a yellow Ikin, in which are 
placed the noftrils. The legs alfo refemble thofe of the 
gallinaceous tribe, but want l'purs ; they vary too in their 
colour, from a darkiih brown to a reddifh yellow. The 
loweft part of the belly, vent, and thighs, are generally 
white ; the tail is eleven inches long, and confifts of 
fourteen feathers, a little rounded in Ihape, and barred. 
Tlvefe birds are frequent at Guiana ; and are called poznefe 
by the natives, from their cry, which is fomewliat limi- 
lar; they are numerous in the woods, and make no fmall 
part of the food of the planters, being fupplied there¬ 
with by the Indian hunters'; and their flelh is reckoned 
delicate, much like that of the turkey. They are eafily 
brought up tame, and are frequently found in the Dutch 
feftlements of Berbice, Eflequebo, and Demerary, in 
common with other poultry. 
2. Crax mitu, the mute curalfow : fize of a fmall tur¬ 
key; bill crooked, an inch and a half long ; the upper 
chap almoft four times as large as the lower, of a fielli- 
colour, with a w.hitifh tip; behind the ear’is a white 
naked foot; on the'head are long feathers, which it can 
elevate into a confpicuous creft ; thofe on the head, neck, 
and breaft, are i’oft, and comparable to velvet: the whole 
of the plumage is black, except the belly, and under the 
tail, which are of a brown colour, almoft like that of a 
partridge : the tail is a foot in length. There is a variety 
with the tip of the tail white. There .is another variety, 
having a white creft: tipped with black; the neck alter¬ 
nately barred with black and white, and the breaft 
marked with narrow bars of white, three quarters of an 
inch afunder; the fore part of the neck brown as far as 
the belly, and the thighs alfo brown ; the vent white. 
3. Crax rubra, the red curalfow : fize of the preceding; 
general colour reddifh brown, paled on the under parts : 
the bill is yellow', with a brown tip ; Tides of the head 
covered with feathers, and black ; creft white, tipped 
with black ; the whole of the neck encircled with alter¬ 
nate rings of black and white ; the tail red brown, eroded 
with eight or nine bars of yellowilh white, ermined with 
dulky ipots., and bounded above and below with black- 
iftt; legs yellow ; claws dulky'. Thefe birds are natives 
of Mexico and Peru,''and in the date of nature are per¬ 
haps conftantly of the original colours; but as they foon 
become familiar, they are kept in all the warmer parts 
of America and the Weft India Blands, as we do.turkeys 
in England; and in courfe, like them, fubjeCt to infinite 
varieties. In the wild date they frequent mountainous 
places, and are fo exceedingly tame as to fuller them- 
felves to be fhot at feveral times without offering to 
el'cape. They feed on fruits, and perch on trees to 100ft: 
the flefli is white, and efteemed very good food. Thefe 
are frequently kept in fome of our menageries in England, 
and readily mix with other poultry, feeding on bread and 
grain ; but this climate is not warm enough for their na¬ 
ture, and they are not able to bear the dampuefs of the 
grafs of our meadows, which renders them fubjeCt to 
have their toes rot off. 
4. Crax globicera, the globe-cered curalfow : fize of a 
hen turkey; tip of the'bill alb-coloured, there!! yellow; 
on the top over the noftrils is a round knob like a cherry, 
very hard, and of a fine yellow; the irides are red; round 
tlie eyes white; on the head the feathers are long, and 
iofyxi a creft that points forwards; the feathers of it are 
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black, with white tips, which are a little bent: the reft 
of the plumage is a blackifti blue, except the lower part 
of the belly, vent, and acrofs the thighs, all of wfiich 
are white ; legs pale ferruginous. The female has the 
head and hind part of the neck black ; the creft is black, 
crofted with a white band ; fome of the neck feathers 
have white tips; the fore part of the neck and breaft, 
back, and wings, are dull brown ; the upper part of the 
belly white, with fome of the feathers tipped with black ; 
lower part of the belly, vent, and thighs, pale yellowilh 
brown; tail black, crofted with four broad bands of 
white ; the knob on the bill is yellow, as in the male; 
but the bill and legs are afh-colour. They inhabit 
Guiana, moftly about Curasao. 
5. Craxpauxi, the Mexican curalfow, or cufhew bird : 
fize of the preceding, but rather of a more elegant make ; 
bill red ; at tire bafe of the forehead is a very large gib— 
bofity, as big as a fmall pearr-and not unlike it in lliape; 
this is very hard, and of a fine blue colour; the bafe of 
the mandible is alfo blue : the plumage is of a glolfy 
purplilh blue black, except the lower belly, under tail- 
coverts, and tip of the fail, which are white : the legs 
are pale red; claws black. The female differs only in 
having thofe parts brown which are red in the male. 
They are natives of Mexico, and as delicate as the 
pheafant. 
CRAY, a river of England, which runs into the Da* 
rent, near Dartford, in Kent. 
CRAYE, a river of Wales, which runs into the Ufk s 
in Glamorganfhire. 
CRAY'ER (Gafpar de), born at Antwerp in 1585, 
wasdifciple of Raphael Coxis; but he foon fhewed fucli 
proofs of genius, and of an elevated capacity, that he 
fai furpaifed his mailer, and quitted him. Afterwards 
he made judicious obfervations on tire particular excel¬ 
lencies of the moll renowned mailers to which he had 
any accefs ; and, taking nature for his guide, he formed 
for himfelf a ma’nner that was extremely pleafing. The 
fuff work which eftablilhed him in the favour of the 
court of Bruffels, was a portrait of cardinal Ferdinand, 
brother to the king of Spain, which lie painted at full 
length, and as large as life. Nothing places the talents 
of Grayer in a ftronger light, than the teftimony .of fo 
excellent an artift as Rubens. That great man went to 
Antwerp, particularly to' vifit Grayer, and to fee his 
works; when, after examining attentively a picture of 
his painting, in the refectory of the abbey of Affleghem, 
he publicly declared that no painter could furpal’s Crayer. 
Nor was this nyifter lefs diftinguifhed by Vandyck, who 
always expreffed an efteem and friendlhip for him, and 
painted his portrait- He had fomewhat lefs fire in his 
compolitions than Rubens ; but his defign is frequently 
more correft. His compolition generally confided of a 
fmall number of figures ; and he very judicioufly avoided 
the encumbering his defign with fuperfluqus particulars, 
or loading his fubjeft with any thing that feemed not to 
contribute to its elegance or probability. He grouped 
his figures with exquifite (kill, and his expreflions have 
all the truth of nature. There is a remarkable variety 
in his draperies, and an equal degree of fimplicity in their 
folds; and his colouring is admirable. The fubjeCt of 
that picture which, was fo highly honoured by the ap¬ 
probation of Rubens, is the centurion alighting from his 
horfe to proftrate himfelf at the feet of Chrift. It is a 
capital defign of Crayer; and though it confifts of a 
great number of figures, the harmony and union are well 
preferved. 
CRAY'FISH,yl fee Crawfish. The river lobfter.-— 
The cure of the muriatic and armoniac faltnefs requires 
flimy meats; as fnails, tortoifes, jellies, and crayfi/kes. 
Floycr. 
CRAY'FORD, a fmall town in the county of Kent, 
on the high road from London to Dover, thirteen miles 
from London. It had its name from being the principal 
place of palfage through the Cray, a river which partly 
gives 
