Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

COR ( 2
It is found on the Philippine ifles. 12. . The afer, is
of a violet blackifh colour, and has a wedge-like tail.
It is a nat *e of Africa. 13. The pica, or magpye,
is variegated with black and white, and its tail is Iha-
ped like a wedge. They build their nefts in trees in
a very artificial manner; the outfide confilts of thorns
both above and below, leaving only a hole for their
entrance. They lay five or fix eggs, which are pale
and fpotted: they feed upon fmall birds, and
carefully lay up fuperfluous food till they become hungry
again. They may be learned to talk pretty diftin&ly.
14.^ The fenegalenfis, is of a blackifh violet colour,
with black legs, and a wedge-fhaped tail. It is a na¬
tive of Senegal. 15. The brachyurus, is green be¬
low, with yellow lines on the head, and white fpots on
the wings. It is found in the Molucca ifles. 16. The
canadenfis, is of a dufky colour, with a yellow fore
head, and white below : it has a roundiflr tail, and is
a native of Canada. 17. The pyrrhocorax, is black-
iftr, with a yellow, beak, and black legs. 18. The
graculus, is of a blackifli violet colour, with a yellow
back and legs 19. Theeremita, is greenifh, with a
yellowifli head, a fmall creft on the back part of the
head, and a red beak and legs. The three lall are
natives of Switzerland.
Corvus, the Raven, in aftronomy. See Vol. I. p.
487-
Corvus, in Roman antiquity, a military engine, or ra¬
ther gallery, moveable at pleafure by means of pullies,
chiefly ufed in boarding the enemy’s ftiips, to cover
the men.
CORYBANTES, in antiquity, priefts of the goddefs
Cybele, who, infpired with a facred fury, danced up
and down, tolling their heads, and beating on cymbals
or brazen drums. They inhabited mount Ida, in the
ifland of Crete, where they nourifhed the infant Ju¬
piter, keeping a continual rattling with their cymbals,
that his father Saturn, who had refolved to devour
all his male offspring, might not hear the child’s cries.
CORYB ANTICA, in Grecian antiquity, a feffival kept
in honour of the Corybantes.
CORYCOMACHIA, among the ancients, was a fort
of exercife in which they pulhed forwards a ball, fu-
fpended from the ceiling, aijd at its return either
caught it with their hands, orfuffered it to meet their
body. Ofibafius informs us it was recommended for
extenuating too grofs bodies.
CORYDALIS, in botany. See Fumaria.
CORYLUS, the Hazle, in botany, a genus of the
monoecia polyandria clafs. The calix of the male
confifts of one trifid leaf, and contains but one flower;
h has no corolla, but eight (lamina : the calix of the
female confifts of two lacerated leaves ; it has no co¬
rolla ; the ftyli are two; and the nut is oval. There
are two fpecies, viz. the avellana, a native of Bri¬
tain ; and the colurna, a native of Bizantium.
CORYMBIUM, in botany, a genus of plants belonging
to the fyngenefia monogynia clafs. The calix confifts
of two leaves lhaped like a prifm, and containing one
.flower; the corolla has but one regular petal; and
Vox.. II. No. 42. 3
83 ) G O S
the fruit contains one downy feed. There is but one
fpecies, a native of Africa.
CORYMBUS, in botany. See Vol. I. p. 637.
CORYPHA, in botany, a genus belonging to the order
of palmse flabellifolise. The corolla confifts of three-
petals; it has fix ftamina, and one pifiillum; and the
fruit is a drupa containing one feed. There is but one
fpecies, a native of India.
CORYPHiENA, in ichthyology, a genus belonging to
the order of thoracici. The head is.declined and trun¬
cated ; the branchioftege membrane has fix rays; and
the back fin runs the whole length of the back. There
are twelve fpecies, moft of them found in foreign feas.
CORYZA, in medicine, a catarrh of the nofe. See
Catarrh.
CORZOLA, orCuRscouA, an ifland in the gulf of
Venice, divided from Ragufa in Dalmatia, by a nar¬
row ftrait: E. long. 180, and N. lat. 420 35'.
COS, the Whet-stone, in natural hiftory, a genus
of vitrefcent (tones, confiding of fragments of an inde¬
terminate figure, fub opaque, and granulated.
Of this genus there are feveral fpecies, feme confid¬
ing of rougher, and others of fmoother, or even of al¬
together impalpable particles ; and ufed not only for
whet-ftones, but alfo for mill-ftpnes, and other the
like purpofes.
CO-SEC ANT, in geometry, the fecant of an arch
which is the complement of another to 90° See Geo¬
metry.
COSENZA, the capital of the hither Calabria, in the
kingdom of Naples : E. long. 160 35/, N. lat. 390 15'.
It is an archbifhop’s fee.
CO-SINE, in trigonometry, the fine of an arch, which
is the complement of another to 90°. See Geome¬
try.
COSMETIC, ip phyfic, any medicine or preparation
which renders the (kin foft and white, or helps to
beautify and improve the complexion; as lip-falves,
cold creams, cerufs, £}c.
COSMICAL, a term in aftronomy, exprelling one of
the poetical rifings of a ftar: thus a ftar is faid to rile
cofmically, when it rifes with the fun, or with that
point of the ecliptic in which the fun is at that time :
and the cofmical fetting is when a ftar fets in the weft
at the fame time that the fun rifes in the eaft.
COSMOGRAPHY, a defeription of the feveral parts
of the vifible world ; or thq. art of delineating the fe¬
veral bodies according to their magnitudes, motions,
relations, &c.
Cofmography confifts of two parts, aftronomy and
geography. See Astronomy, and Geography.
COSSACKS, people inhabiting the banks of the rivers
Neiper and Don, near the Black-fea and frontiers of
Xurky. Their country is commonly, called the U-
kraine, and is moftly fubjedl to Ruflia.
COSSET, among farmers, a colt, calf, lamb, &c.
brought up by hand, without the dam.
COSTAL, an appellation given by anatomifts to feveral
parts belonging to the (Ides : thus we meet with coftal
mufejes, vertebras, fyc.
4 C
COSTA-