a 
ea = 
vex, more oblong, much larger leaves. 
CRADLE. 
is so hung upon a horse as to restrain him from 
interfering with the medicinal application of a 
blister. 
CRADLE. A sort of bow or rake attached to 
the heel of the blade of a reaping scythe, to as- 
sist in gathering the corn into regular swerths. 
The construction of cradle-scythes is very various. 
See the article Scyrus. 
CRAG. A rocky precipice; also, in Suffolk, 
calcareous sand or gravel, largely consisting of 
comminuted or broken sea-shells, and serving as 
an excellent manure on cold, wet, or clayey land. 
CRAMBE, See Sra-K ate. 
CRAMP. A sudden and severe spasm, akin to 
tetanus, but of much shorter duration. It at- 
tacks principally the hinder extremities of the 
horse; and occurs, for the most part, after the 
animal has been hard worked, and just when he 
is led out of the stable. . A horse attacked by it 
ought, in order to be preserved from a repetition 
of it, to be exceedingly well groomed, and to have 
the affected limb rubbed hard with the hand; 
and if he have stood in a confined stall, he should 
be removed to a stall of greater capacity. 
CRANBERRY. A small red fruit, produced 
by four species of small, hardy, wiry, evergreen 
undershrubs, of the heath family. These species 
are four in number, and formerly belonged to the 
whortleberry genus, but now constitute a genus 
of themselves, under the name of Oxycoccus,—a 
word which signifies “acid-fruit,” and alludes to 
the sharp taste of the berry. The marsh species, 
Oxycoccus palustris, formerly called Vaccinia oxy- 
coccus, grows in peaty bogs and marshy grounds 
in Russia, Sweden, the north of England, and 
Germany, and in North America. The leaves 
are small, somewhat oval, and rolled back at the 
edges, and the stem is thread-shaped and trail- 
ing. The blossoms are small, but beautiful, each 
consisting of four distinct petals, rolled back to 
the base, and of a deep flesh-colour. The Amer- 
ican cranberry, O. macrocarpus, growing in bogs 
principally, on sandy soils, and on high lands, 
frequent from Canada to Virginia, is a larger and 
more upright plant than the last, with less con- 
The ber- 
ries are larger, of a brighter red, and collected in 
great abundance for making tarts, jelly, We. 
They are also exported to Europe, but are not 
considered equal to the Russian cranberries. 
These fruits are collected in America by means 
of a rake; in Germany, by wooden combs. In 
Scotland and England they are picked by hand, 
as they grow with us but scantily. They are pre- 
served with sugar, much of which is required to 
correct the natural tartness of the berries. They 
may be preserved dry in bottles, corked so closely 
as to exclude the external air: some persons, how- 
ever, fill up the bottles with spring water. They 
keep very long in fresh and pure water. At sea, 
they are an agreeable addition to the few articles 
of diet which can be had. The other two species 
of cranberry are the red-fruited and the hispid, 
893 
CRANE. 
both rather recently introduced to Britain, the 
former from the United States of America, and 
the latter from Hudson’s Bay. ‘The hispid is 
about the same size of plant as our indigenous 
species; but the red-fruited is 6 or 7 times larger. 
CRANE. A genus of birds belonging to the 
order Gralle, Lu.; and, by the great Swedish na- 
turalist, comprised in his extensive genus Ardea, 
though properly ranked as a distinct genus by 
all subsequent naturalists. The distinctive char- 
acters of this genus are as follows:—The bill is 
but little cleft, is compressed, attenuated towards 
the point, and rather obtuse at its extremity ; 
the mandibles are subequal, with vertical mar- 
gins, the upper being convex, with a wide furrow 
on each side at the base, which becomes obliter- 
ated before reaching the middle of the bill. The 
nostrils are situated in these furrows, and are 
medial-concave, elliptical, pervious, and closed 
posteriorly bya membrane. The tongueis fleshy, 
broad, and acute. The ophthalmic region and 
lora are feathered, though the head is generally 
bald, rough, and sometimes crested. The body is 
cylindrical, having long and stout feet. The 
naked space above the tarsus is extensive, and 
the latter is more than twice as long as the mid- 
dle toe. The toes are of moderate length, cov- 
ered with scutelle, or small plates, and submar- 
gined; a rudimental membrane connects the 
outer one at base; the inner is free; the hind toe 
is shorter than a joint of the middle one, and is 
articulated with the tarsus, elevated from the 
ground; the nails are tile-shaped, faculate, and 
obtuse; the middle one has its cutting edge en- 
tire; the hind nail is the longest; the wings are 
moderate, with the first and fifth primaries sub- 
equal; the tail is short, and consists of twelve 
feathers. These birds are generally of consider- 
able size, and remarkable for their long necks 
and stilt-like legs, which eminently fit them for 
living in marshes and situations subject to inun- 
dations, where they usually seek their food. This 
is principally of vegetable matter, consisting of 
the seeds of various plants, or grains plundered 
from grounds recently ploughed and sown. They 
also devour insects, worms, frogs, lizards, reptiles, 
small fish, and the spawn of various aquatic ani- 
mals. They build their nests among bushes, or 
upon tussucks in the marshes, constructing them 
of rushes, reeds, &c., surmounted by some soft 
material, so high that they may cover the eggs 
in a standing position. They lay but two eggs, 
for whose incubation the male and female alter- 
nately take their place on the nest. During the 
time that one is thus engaged, the other acts asa 
vigilant sentinel ; and, when the young are hatch- 
ed, both parents unite in protecting them. The 
cranes annually migrate to distant regions, and 
perform voyages astonishing for their great length 
and hazardous character. They are remarkable 
for making numerous circles and evolutions in 
the air, when setting out on their journeys, and 
generally form an isosceles triangle, led by one of 
a He) 
