Animals And Plants (C)


Cabbage
Cabbage is a hardy
biennial vegetable of the genus Brassica, order cruciferae.

Cactus
Cactus is the order of fleshy, thickened and mainly leafless
plants.

Cairina moschata
see "
Musk-duck"

Calamus
Calamus (
Sweet Flag) is a perennial herb native to India and southern Asia. It has narrow sword-shaped leaves and a thick branched rhizome. When crushed the leaves emit an odour of tangerine.

Calcarea
Calcarea are a class of sponges with a spicular
skeleton made of calcium carbonate.

Calyptoblastea
The calyptoblastea is an order of
hydrozoa. They are marine colonial forms in which the perisac is extended to form hydrothecae around the hydranths and gonothecae around the blastostyles.

Camel
The camel is a group of even toed, ungulate
ruminating mammals.

Camel-flies
see "
Snake-flies"

Camomile
Camomile is a
perennial dwarf herb of the order compositae.

Camptosaurus
Camptosaurus was a
herbivore dinosaur from the jurassic period. It mainly stayed on all-fours, but could rear up on its hind legs to run away from predators. It had hooves instead of claws on its fingers.

Canaan Dog
The
canaan dog (Kelef K'naani) is a breed of dog known for its intense barking, trainability, and survival abilities when food and water are scarce.
The coat is short to medium in length, harsh, and straight and may be white with large spots in either black, red, or brown or it may be all brown or all black with or without white marks.
The ears are medium-sized, pointed, and held erect. The tail is plumed and usually held curled over the back. The eyes are dark-coloured.
The adult dog stands 48 to 61 cm tall at the shoulder and weighs 16 to 25 kg.
The breed was developed during the late 1930s as a guard dog for kibbutzim and trained for mine detection in World War II.
They are now used also as seeing-eye dogs, herding dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and for tracking

Canadian Pond Weed
see "
Elodea"

Canary
The canary is a
bird of the finch family and native of the Canary islands.

Cannabis
Cannabis is a
plant of the order urticaceae. The dried flowers were once used as a medicine in migraine and neuralgia.

Caprinae
Caprinae is a sub-family of even-toed ungulates of the Bovidae. It includes the
sheep and goat and the musk ox. The family is distinguished by the presence of ridged, curved, or spiral horns in both sexes, a somewhat hairy muzzle, and a short and flattened tail.

Capromys
see "
Hog-rat"

Carapace
A carapace is a dorsal shield.

Caraway
Caraway is a
biennial herb umbelliferae.

Cardamom
Cardamom is an aromatic
perennial herb of the order scitamineae.

Cariama
The cariama is a large, long legged
bird found in south America.

Caribou
The caribou is a north
American reindeer.

Carinatae
The carinatae are an order of
birds. They can fly.

Carmarina
Carmarina is a member of the order
trachylina.a

Carnation
The carnation (
dianthus) is a hardy perennial plant of the order caryophyllaceae.

Carnauba
Carnauba is a native
palm of Brazil. When young the leaves are covered in a wax used to make candles.

Carnivora
Carnivora is the
carnivorous order of eutheria. They primarily eat the flesh of other craniates. Canines are prominent. The caecum is small or absent.

Carnivore
A carnivore is a
carnivorous mammal.

Carnivorous
Something which is carnivorous eats flesh.

Carob
The carob is a
leguminous evergreen tree found in mediterranean countries.

Carp
The carp is a family fresh
water fish.

Carrageen
Carrageen is a common British
seaweed (Chondrus crispus). When dried and boiled it yields a jelly used in food and medicine.

Carrot
The carrot is a vegetable
umbelliferae.

Caruncle
A caruncle is the fleshy excresence on the head of a
fowl, such the comb of a cock or the wattles of a turkey.

Carya
Carya is the
hickory genus of plants.

Caryophyllaceae
Caryophyllaceae are an order of
plants. They have opposite undivided leaves without stipples. The order includes the Carnation, chick-weed and sweet-william.

Caryophyllia
Caryophyllia is a member of the order
zoantharia.

Caryopsis
Caryopsis is the botanical term for small one-seeded, dry, indehiscent
fruit in which the seed adheres to the thin pericap throughout, such as in wheat and other grains.

Caryota
Caryota is a
genus of palms with doubly pinnate leaves.

Cashew
The cashew is a
nut from a small evergreen tree found in the caribbean.

Cassava
Cassava is a South American shrub of the order
Euphorbiaceae. It grows to about 8 feet in height and has broad, shiny leaves roughly in the shape of a human hand and attractive white and pink flowers. The root is used in cooking.

Cassia
Cassia is a large
genus of leguminous plants found in tropical countries. The species consists of trees, shrubs and herbs. The leaves are abruptly pinnated and usually bear glands on their stalks. The drug senna is obtained from the leaflets of many of the species.

Cassicus
The Cassicus is a
genus of American insessorial birds, the Cassicans (American Orioles). They are allied to the Starlings and are remarkable for the ingenuity with which they weave their nests.

Cassowary
The cassowary are a
genus of ruminating birds similar to the ostrich.

Cassowary Tree
see "
Casuarina"

Castoridae
The Castoridae is a family of
rodent animals comprising the beaver and others.

Casuaridae
The Casuaridae are a family of the order
Casuariformes. These are the cassowaries. They have strong legs and a bald head topped with a helmet.

Casuariformes
The Casuariformes is an order of
birds.

Casuarina
The Casuarina (Botany-Bay
Oak), is the only genus of the order Casuarinaceae (cassowary trees). There are around 30 species mainly native to Australia. They are jointed, leafless trees similar to the Birches.

Cat
The cat is a
genus of carnivorous animal.

Cat-bird
The Cat-bird is a
species of the American thrush. It is about 9 inches long. The plummage is dark gray on the top and paler grey underneath.

Cat-fish
The Cat-fish (Anarhichadidae) is a voracious
fish of the gobies family. It was also called the Wolf-fish or Sea-Wolf in the 19th century.

Catalpa
The Catalpa is a
genus of plants of the order Bignoniaceae. They are trees with simple leaves and large, gay, trumpet shaped flowers.

Catamount
Catamount is an old name for any wild
cat, including the Lynx and the Puma.

Catamountain
Catamountain is an old variation of
Catamount.

Catarrhina
Catarrhina is a suborder of
anthropoidea. The nostrils face downwards. The internasal septum is narrow. The tail is never prehensile.

Catchfly
Catchfly is a popular name for several
plants of the genus Silene.

Catha
Catha is a
genus of plants of the order Celastraceae, mostly native to Africa. The leaves and twigs of one species are used to make khat, a drink similar to coffee.

Catmint
Catmint (catnip) is a
plant of the order Labiatae. It grows to a height of around 3 feet and has pink tinged white flowers and stalked, downy, heart-shaped leaves. It is so named for the fascination cats have with it.

Catnip
see "
Catmint"

Cattle
The term cattle applies to all members of the
ox genus.

Cattleya
Cattleya is a
genus of orchids native to Central and South America. They have handsome flowers and leathery or fleshy leaves. They vary in height from a few centimeters to one meter.

Caudex
In
botany, caudex refers to the scaly trunk of palms and tree-ferns.

Cauliflower
The cauliflower is a vegetable of the order
cruciferae.
Reptilia is the reptile class of craniates. They are animals completely adapted to life on dry land. The skin is dry and bears horny epidermal scales. The lungs form the sole respiratory organs. Eggs are laid on dry land.

Cavy
The cavy are small rodents found in south
America.

Cecidomyia
Cecidomyia is the
genus of insects to which the Hessian-fly belongs.

Cedar
The cedar is an ornamental
evergreen tree native of Africa and India.

Cedar-bird
Cedar-bird is a name given to the
American wax-wing on account of its fondness for the berries of the red cedar.

Cedrela
Cedrela is a
genus of large timber trees.

Celandine
Celandine is the name of two british flowers. Greater celandine belongs to the
poppy family. Lesser Celandine (swallow-wort, pilewort) was thought to be a cure for piles.

Celeriac
Celeriac is a variety of
celery in which the root resembles a turnip. It is used in cooking.

Celery
Celery is a
biennial vegetable of the order umbellifereae.

Cembra Pine
The Cembra
Pine (Swiss stone pine, Siberian pine) is a conifer found in Central Europe. It has edible seeds and yields a turpentine called Carpathian balsam.

Centaurea
Centaurea is a
genus of composite plants. They are all annual or perennial herbs with alternate leaves and single heads, the florets of which are tubular. The genus includes corn blue-bottle, purple sultan, white sultan and knapweed.

Centaury
Centaury is an annual
herb of the gentian family. It has pretty red flowers and was extolled for its medicinal properties by herbailists in the past.

Cephalochordata
The cephalochordata is a class of
sub-phylum acrania. They are the lancets. Small fish-like animals. The notochord extends the whole length of the body, even to the tip of the snout.

Cephalopoda
Cephalopoda is a class of
phylum mollusca. They are the squids and octopuses. The head is well developed and surrounded by prehensile tentacles. The eyes are large and complex.

Cephaloptera
Cephaloptera are a
genus of cartilaginous fishes of the ray family. They have a pair of small fins which stand out from the head like horns, hence they are called the fin-headed rays or horned rays.

Ceramiaceae
Ceramiaceae is an order of cellular sea-weeds consisting of thread-like jointed
plants of a red or brown-red colour.

Cerastes
Cerastes is a
genus of deadly African vipers. They have two small horns formed by the scales above the eyes, hence they are called Horned Vipers.

Cerasus
Cerasus is the
cherry genus of trees.

Ceratodus
Ceratodus (barramunda) is a
genus of fishes belonging to the Dipnoi order (lung-fishes). They are between 3 and 6 feet long and are found in Australian rivers.

Cereal
Cereal is a term applied to Gramineae cultivated for food (wheat,
barley, rye, oats &c.). The name comes from Ceres, the goddess associated with corn.

Ceroxylon
Ceroxylon (the
wax palm) is a genus of South American palms.

Cervidae
Cervidae is the
deer family of animals which includes the Cervus genus.

Cervus
Cervus is the
deer genus of animals.

Cestoda
Cestoda is a class of
phylum platyhelminthes commonly known as the tapeworms. They are internal parasites lacking an alimentary canal. They have no definite sense organs, and the nervous system is poorly developed. The cuticle is thick and many-layered. Hooks and/or suckers are limited to one end. They have great reproductive powers, both sexual and asexual.

Cestracion
Cestracion is a
genus of cartilaginous fish allied to the sharks.

Cetacea
Cetacea is an order of
eutheria. They are aquatic mammals with a streamlined body devoid of hair. They have a thick layer of blubber for insulation. The hind limbs are absent, and the fore limbs adapted to form paddles.

Ceterach
Ceterach is a
genus of ferns of the sub-order Polypodiaceae.

Chaffinch
The chaffinch is a common British
bird of the finch family.

Chamaerops
Chamaerops is a
genus of palms belonging to the northern hemisphere and consisting of dwarf trees with fan-shaped leaves borne on prickly petioles and a small berry-like fruit with one seed.

Chameleon
A chameleon is a
lizard. It can change colour to suit its surroundings.

Chamois
The chamois is a
ruminating animal found in south Europe and west Asia.

Champak
The Champak is an Indian
tree of the order Magnoliaceae held in high esteem by Buddhists.

Chanterelle
The chanterelle is an edible British
mushroom of a bright orange colour.

Characeae
The Characeae are an order of cryptogamous
plants, nearly related to the Algae, composed of an axis consisting of parallel tubes which are either transparent or incrusted with lime carbonate.

Charadrius
Charadrius is a
genus of birds which includes the lapwing, pratincole and oyster-catcher.

Charlock
Charlock is a common yellow
weed, also known as wild mustard.

Chat
The chat are several
species of bird of the thrush family.

Chaulmugra
Chaulmugra is a
tree found in South Asia. The oil was used in India and China as a remedy in skin diseases and blood impurities. The medicinal use of the oil in skin and chest infections was introduced to Europe and America around 1900.

Chaus
The Chaus is a
genus of Asiatic and African lynxes including the Libyan chaus and the Caffre-cat. They are fond of water and are excellent swimmers.

Chavica
Chavica is a
genus of plants of the order Piperaceae which includes the long pepper, Java long pepper and the betel-pepper.

Cheetah
The cheetah is a member of the
cat family.

Cheiranthus
Cheiranthus is the wall-flower
genus of plants.

Cheironectes
Cheironectes are a
genus of acanthopterygious fishes, having the pectoral fins supported like short feet upon peduncles. They use these fins to crawl over mud and sand when they get left dry be a receeding tide. They may also take short leaps like a frog, and from this they are often called frog-fish. They are found in North-East Australia.

Chelonia
The chelonia are an order of
anapsida. The trunk is short and broad and protected by a carapace and a plastron. The head, neck, tail and limbs can be withdrawn under the shields for protection. The jaws are strong, but lack teeth.

Chelonians
The Chelonians are an order of
reptiles which includes the tortoise and turtle. They are distinguished by a body which is enclosed in a double shell, out of which the head, tail and four legs protrude.

Chenopodium
Chenopodium (Goosefoot) is a
genus of plants of the natural order Chenopodiaceae. They are weedy plants common on wastelands and bear small greenish flowers which are sessile in small clusters collected in spiked panicles.

Cherry
The cherry is a
fruit tree of the order rosaceae.

Chestnut
The chestnut is a
tree of the order cupuliferae.

Chetah
Chetah is the old 19th century spelling of
Cheetah.

Chick pea
The chick
pea is an annual herb of the order leguminosae.

Chicory
Chicory is a
perennial herb of the order compositae.

Chiffchaff
The chiffchaff is a small song
bird. It visits England in the summer.

Chilopoda
The chilopoda are the centipede order of
myriapoda. The genital aperture is posterior.

Chimpanzee
The chimpanzee is a large anthropoid
ape.

Chinchilla
The chinchilla is a small
squirrel like rodent found in the andes.

Chipmunk
A chipmunk is a
species of ground squirrel common in Siberia and north America.

Chiroptera
The chiroptera is an order of
eutheria. They are small mammals with strong powers of flight. The limb bones are strong and slender. The wings are formed of skin. The teeth bear pointed cusps.

Chiru
The chiru is an
antelope found in Tibet.

Chitin
Chitin is an
organic substance which forms part of the exoskeleton of arthropods.

Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes is a subclass of
fish including the sharks, dogfishes, skates and rays. They are fishes with a cartilage endoskeleton. The jaws are well formed.

Chondrus crispus
see "
Carrageen"

Chordates
see "
phylum chordata"

Chough
The chough is a
bird of the crow family with red feet and bill. It is found on sea cliffs.

Chromosome
A chromosome is a chemical found in all cells which determines
how the cell will act.

Chrysalis
A chrysalis is the inactive
state into which larva pass before becoming imago.

Chrysanthemum
The chrysanthemum is a hardy annual
plant of the order compositae.

Chrysoplenium
Chrysoplenium is a
genus of annual or perannial rather succulent herbs with alternate or opposite crenate leaves and inconspicuous greenish axillary and terminal flowers.

Chub
The chub is a fresh
water fish of the carp family.

Cicada
The cicada is a group of large four winged
insects.

Cilia
Cilia are threads of
protoplasm which beat rhythmically.

Ciliata
Ciliata are a highly organised class of the
Protozoa, characterised by the posession of cilia, which may be distributed all over the body, and act as swimming organs, as in the slipper animalcule, or may be restricted to certain parts of it, as in the stalked bell animalcule, in which their action serves to sweep food-particles into the gullet.

Ciliata vera
Ciliata vera are a subclass of ciliophora. They are free swimming animals.

Ciliophora
Ciliophora are a class of
protozoa with relatively simple life-histories. The locomotor structures are cilia arranged in definite tracts. The cilia arise from grooves in the pellicle. Ciliophora have a unique nuclear structure, comprised of a meganucleus concerned with trophic activities, and a micronucleus concerned with reproduction.

Cinchona
The cinchona is a
tree native to South America with fragrant white or pink flowers. The bark contains quinine and other related alkaloids. The tree was named in honour of the countess of Chinchon, the vice-Queen of Peru after she was cured by cinchona bark in 1638.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a small
evergreen tree.

Cirripedia
Cirripedia is a subclass of
crustacea. These are the barnacles. Sedentary animals with a reduced head and abdomen.

Cistus
Cistus, the rock-rose, is a
genus of plants of the order Cistaceae native to Europe and the countries bordering the Mediterranean.

Citron
The citron is a
tree related to the lemon, bearing large yellowish fruits shaped like a lemon, but with coarse, thick, furrowed skin which is preserved in sugar for confectionary and cakes. The citron is native to India but is cultivated through the Mediterranean and in California and Florida.

Citrus
Citrus is a
genus of trees and shrubs of the rue family which includes the lemon, orange, lime and tangerine. They are widely cultivated for their edible fruit.

Civet
The civet (Viverridae) are a family of
carnivorous animals similar to the cats. They inhabit tropical Asia and Africa and are celebrated for producing a scented substance used in perfume.

Clam
The clam is a
marine Lamellibranch mollusc akin to the cockle. The giant clam is the largest known bivalve mollusc with a shell as large as 1 m across and weighing around 120 kg. Clams are found in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

Clear-wings
The clear-wings are a family of moths, related to the clothes
moth, but distinguished by the absence of the scales from the wings. Many of them mimic hymenoptera, notably the hornet clear-wing, which closely resembles the large wasp, after which it is named.

Cleaver
Cleaver (
Goose Grass) is a plant of the Rubiaceae. It has rough stems and 6 - 8 leaves in a whorl with distinctive curled prickles. The flowers are axillary and greenish white. The fruit is rough with hooked prickles and the seed vessels are globular and tenacious, clinging to the coat of any animal that touches them. The alternative name of Goose Grass comes from the fact that geese like to eat the entire plant.

Clepsine
The clepsine are
hirudinea.

Click Beetle
The
Click Beetle (Skip-jack) is a beetle related to the fire-flies, which when lying on its back, has the power of regaining its feet by a rapid jerk accompanied by a clicking sound produced by the jumping mechanism in its thorax. The larvae, known as wire worms, live in the ground and feed on the roots of cereals damaging crops.

Climbing Perch
The Climbing
Perch is a freshwater fish about 20 cm long, with a compressed body and a long spiny dorsal fin. It is found in India and countries to the east, and can travle long distances on land, breathing air by means of a bony labyrinth richly supplied with blood-vessels and situated in the upper part of the branchial chamber.

Climbing Plants
Climbing
Plants are divided by Darwin into 4 classes. The first group twine spirally round a support, the second are aided by sensitive, modified leaves, branches or flower stems. These two grade into one another. The third ascend by the aid of hooks, and the fourth by rootlets.

Clothes-Moth
Clothes-Moth is a general name for a great variety of small, so-called Tineine moths, the larvae of which feed mainly on dried
animal substances, and are very destructive to woollen goods, furs etc.

Clouded Leopard
The Clouded
Leopard (Clouded Tiger) is a large species of wild cat ranging from Nepal to eastern Borneo. It has a relatively large head, short legs and a long tail and its pattern consists of large, black-edged dark patches. It is about 2 m in total length and weighs around 20 kg. It lives in the forest feeding on birds and small mammals, but is not closely related to either the leopard or the tiger.

Clouded Tiger
see "
Clouded Leopard"

Clover
Clover or trefoil (Trifolium) as it is also known from the division of the leaf into three leaflets, is a small
herb of the order Leguminosae characterised by the crowding of the numerous flowers into a rounded or oval cluster and by the flowers remaining in position after the formation of the pod.

Club-Moses
Club-Moses is a group of epiphytic land
plants, with dichotomous branching of root and stem, and numerous small, closely-placed leaves; with sporophylls resembling the vegative leaves, grouped as cones at the end of some shoots, bearing single sporongia on the upper side.

Coati
The coati (Coati Mundi) is a
carnivorous mammal related to the racoon. Found in south America and Mexico. It has a long mobile snout, a long tail, and feet armed with strong claws for digging and climbing. Coatis often hunt in companies, and feed on lizards, birds, insects and other animals and eggs.

Coati Mundi
see "
Coati"

Cob nut
The cob
nut is a domesticated variety of the hazel.

Cobra
The cobra is a venomous
snake found in Africa and south Asia.

Coca
Coca is a shrub.

Coccidia
Coccidia are a group of the
Sporozoa exclusively parasitic on animals of various kinds, both vertebrate and invertebrate. They are mostly found in such organs as the liver or kidneys, but are not blood parasites. Their reproduction is both sexual and asexual, and they undergo a complicated series of changes in their life history, but each species is restricted to a particular host.

Coccidia vera
The
coccidia vera are a suborder of coccidiomorpha. They are parasites found chiefly in invertebrates, but also in vertebrates. The trophic phase is typically intracellular.

Coccidiomorpha
The coccidiomorpha are an order of
sporozoa.

Cochineal
Cochineal is a
insect (Dactylopius coccus) found on cactii in Mexico. The dried body of the female is used to prepare the red dye, cochineal.

Cockle
The Cockle is a Lamellibranchia bivalve
mollusc. It is recognised by its ribbed, heart-shaped shell. They are found on British shores.

Cockroach
The cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is an
insect of the order Orthoptera. In the common species the male is fully winged and the female wingless. The eggs are enclosed in horny purse-like cases attached to the abdomen of the female and carried about until the young are ready to hatch. The larvae resemble the adults, but are wingless. The American cockroach is larger than the British species, and both sexes are fully winged. The German species is very much smaller, and both sexes are winged and it also has the ability to climb smooth surfaces such as window panes.

Cocoa
Cocoa is a small
tree native to tropical America.

Coconut Crab
The Coconut
Crab is a large land crustacean about 60 cm or more in length and massive in proportion. It is related to the hermit-crab and is found in many of the Indo-Pacific islands. It lives in holes at the roots of palm trees and feeds upon fallen coconuts, fruit, carrion and its injured companions. It uses its powerful claws to tear the husk off the coconut and hammers at the "eyes" until a hole is made. It then either extracts the fruit directly or smashes the coconut against the ground to break the shell.

Cod
The Cod is a
fish of the family Gadidae. They are found in the Atlantic and Baltic. The cod takes from 3 to 4 years to reach maturity and achieves an average length of around 1 meter.

Codlin Moth
The Codlin
Moth is a pretty little moth which in its larval stage is very destructive to apples, devouring principally the pips and causing the condition known as "worm eaten". When full sized, the grub eats its way through the rind and pupates in a crevice of the tree.

Coelacanthini
The coelacanthini is a rare order of
crossopterygii which was thought to be extinct, until a specimen was caught off west africa in 1939.

Coelentera
Coelentera (Coelenterata) are primitive phyla of
water animals, including the jelly-fish, sea anemones, corals and others. The body is radially symmetrical, and in the simplest forms consists of an undivided sac, the alimentary canal with the mouth, which is provided with tentacles and serves both for taking in food and ejecting undigested particles.

Coelenterata
see "
Coelentera"

Coelophysis
Coelophysis was a cunning and agile
carnivorous dinosaur from the triassic era. It was 2.5M long and about 1m tall when standing on its back legs.

Coffee
Coffee is a
genus of evergreen trees and shrubs of the order rubiaceae.

Colchicum
Colchicum is a
genus of the Liliaceae which includes the meadow saffron.

Collembola
Collembola is an order of
apterygota. The spring tails.

Collie
The collie is a
breed of English sheep dog.

Colorado Beetle
The
colorado beetle is a north American beetle that attacks potatoes. It is a striped beetle resembling a ladybird in shape. It reached Europe in 1877, but has been prevented from establishing itself in England.

coluber constrictor
see "
Black snake"

Columbine
Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) is a
plant of the Ranunculaceae family. The flower is purple, blue or white with five petals each ending in a spur.

Comfrey
Comfrey is a large, handsome
plant of the borage family. It is common in watery places and on the banks of rivers. The stems are branched and leafy, almost 1 meter high, winged in part with elliptical leaves. The flowers are white, pink or purple and droop in forked clusters.

Compositae
Compositae is the largest known natural order of
plants containing over 12,000 species of herbs or shrubs found all over the world. The flowers are numerous and sessile, forming a close head on the dilated top of the receptacle and surrounded by an involucre of whorled bracts. The flowers are monopetalous.

Compsognathus
Compsognathus was a tiny
carnivorous dinosaur from the jurassic period. It was 70cm tall, about the size of a hen. It was a fast and agile creature.

Condor
The condor (Sarcorhamphus gryphus) is the largest of the vultures. It is found in
South America, principally in the Andes. It is mainly black in colour with some grey on the wings and a collar of white down on the neck. The wingspan is roughly 3 meters. Condors are carnivorous, feeding mostly on dead animals but may also attack old, young or weak goats, cattle and horses.

Coney
see "
Cony"

Confervaceae
Confervaceae are a family of
marine algae which have green fronds which are composed of articulated filaments.

Conger
The conger is an edible
marine fish of the eel family found in most oceans. The skin is without scales and the back-fin reaches from the neck to the tip of the tail. An adult female conger grows to about 2 meters long, but the male is much smaller.

Conger eel
see "
Conger"

Conger-eel
The
Conger eel is a genus of marine eel characterized by a long dorsal fin beginning near the nape of the neck, immediately above the origin of the pectoral fins, and by having the upper jaw longer than the lower. The common conger eel grows to about 10 feet long and weighs more than 100 pounds.

Coniferae
Coniferae are the conifers; pines, firs and their
allies. Many conifers are tall forest trees of pyramidal shape; the others are irregularly branched shrubs. The male flowers are either solitary or aggregated in clusters, and fall after shedding their pollen. The female flowers vary in the different genera.

Conirostres
Conirostres is a subdivision of the order Insessores consisting of genera having a stout conical beak. The best known genera are the larks, tits, finches, sparrows, crows and linnets.

Conus
Conus is a
genus of gasteropodous molluscs of the family Conidae. They are found in the southern and tropical seas.

Convallaria
Convallaria is a
genus of plants of the natural order Liliaceae, the only species being the lily-of-the-valley.

Convoluta
Convoluta is a member of the order
rhabdocoelida.

Convolvulaceae
Convolvulaceae is an order of
plants comprising about 700 species of climbers having large and very beautiful flowers. They are abundant in the tropics, and are important as medicines.

Convolvulus
Convolvulus is a
genus of plants of the order Convolvulaceae consisting of slender twining herbs with milky juice., bell-shaped flowers and five free stamens.

Cony
Cony (or coney) is an old
English name for the rabbit.

Conyza
Conyza is a
genus of plants of the natural order Compositae. They are annual or perennial herbs found throught warmer regions of the world.

Coot
The coot is a British
water bird of the rail family.

Copaiba
Copaiba is the common name of several
plants of the genus Copaifera, natural order Leguminose, which grow in Brazil, Peru and other countries in South America.

Copepoda
Copepoda is a subclass of free-living or parasitic
crustaceans without a carapace. The antennules are frequently enlarged and used for swimming. The thoracic appendages are biramous.

Copper Head
The copper head (Trigonocephalus contortrix) is a north
American snake allied to the rattlesnake.

Coppersmith
The coppersmith is a south Asiatic
bird of the barbet family, so called from the sound it makes which resembles the sound of hammering metal.

Coptis
Coptis is a small
genus of plants of the natural order Ranunculaceae.

Coquito
The coquito (Juboea spectabilis) is a
palm tree found in Chile and allied to the coconut. It grows to about 15 meters and its sap when boiled makes palm-honey.

Coral
Coral is a
marine organism related to sea anemones.

Corallium
Corallium is a member of the order
alcyonaria.

Coriander
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an umbelliferous
plant native to Italy. The fruit, often called a seed though it is not, is dried and used in cookery.

Coriaria
Coriaria is a
genus of shrub plants found in southern Europe. They are used in tanning and a black dye is extracted from them.

Cork Oak
The
Cork Oak is a tree native to southern Europe and north Africa. It rarely exceeds 12 meters in height, and has egg-shaped ever-green leaves and flowers produced in April and May. The acorns ripen in October and are edible with a sweet taste resembling chestnut. The bark of the tree is stripped off for cork.

Cormogens
Cormogens are those
plants in which there is a distinct axis of growth. They comprise the phanerogams and the higher cryptogams.

Cormorant
The cormorant (Phalacrocorax) is a
genus of birds of the Pelicaniformes family. They are divers with long necks and strong, solid beaks. There are 30 species.

Corn Marigold
The Corn Marigold (
Chrysanthemum segetum) is a rich orange coloured British wild flower.

Corn Salad
Corn Salad (
lamb's-lettuce, Valerianella olitoria) is a plant of the order Valerianaceae nati e to Britain and Europe. It is a weak succulent herb which grows to about 25cm tall and is used as a salad in early spring.

Corn-beetle
The Corn-beetle (Cucujus testaceus) is a minute
beetle, the larva of which is often very destructive to stores of grain, particularly wheat.

Corn-cockle
The corn-cockle (Agrostemma Githago) is a
plant of the natural order Caryophyllaceae, with large purple flowers.

Corn-crake
The Corn-crake (landrail, Crex pratensis) is a
species of bird of the order Grallae of the family Rallidae. It is a wading bird, reddish-brown in colour and feeds on worms and insects.

Corn-fly
Corn-fly is a popular name of several
insects of the family Muscidae.

Corn-moth
The Corn-moth (Tinea granella) is a small
moth the larva of which destroys corn sheaves in the field.

Corn-thrips
Corn-thrips is a minute
species of thrips which feeds on the juice of corn.

Cornaceae
Cornaceae is a natural order of polypetalous exogens consisting of about 100
species of plants.

Corncrake
The Corncrake (land-rail) is a brown
bird akin to the rails and moorhens. It is about the size of a partridge, and spends much of its time on the ground hunting for insects, on which it feeds. It nests in high grass or corn and at nightfall utters a harsh call. The corncrake is found throughout Europe and visits Britain in the summer and Africa in the winter.

Cornel
The cornel (cornelian
tree) is a species of dogwood tree of the order Cornace ae. It is native to Asia and southern Europe.

Cornelian Tree
see "
Cornel"

Cornflower
The Cornflower (
Centaurea cyanus) is a favourite garden flower of the family Compositae. The flowers are double and blue, white, rose or carmine in colour. Cornflowers are effective as cut flowers or for border cultivation. They are hardy annuals, and may be sown in April or May.

Cornus
Cornus is a
genus of plants of the natural order Cornaceae.

Coronellidae
Coronellidae is the smooth
snake family of non-venomous snakes.

Coryne
The coryne is of the order
gymnoblastea.

Corypha
Corypha is a
genus of palms which includes the fa-palm, gebang palm and taliput.

Corythosaurus
Corythosaurus was a
herbivore dinosaur from the cretaceous period. It had a duck-like bill filled with hundreds of tiny teeth which were used for mincing leaves. It had a hollow crescent on top of its head.

Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster is a small shrub belonging to the family
Rosaceae, having entire, ovate leaves, smooth above and cottony on the underside. It has small pinkish solitary flowers and small reddish berries. In Britain, it occurs wild only in part of Wales but is cultivated in the south of England.

Cotton
Cotton is a tropical and sub tropical
herbaceous plant. The cotton is the white or tawny mass of fibres which envelope the seeds within the dry capsular fruit of the plant.

Cotton Boll Weevil
The
Cotton Boll Weevil is the larva of a Noctuid moth which destroys the cotton bolls and the fruit of other useful plants in north America and elsewhere.

Cotton-grass
Cotton-grass is a group of sedges. They are
plants of the colder parts of the northern hemisphere and have long silky hairs springing from the base of the ovary to envelop the seed. The hairs were once used to stuff pillows, but cannot be spun because they do not twist, as do cotton fibres.

Cotton-wood
The cotton-wood is a north
American tree.

Couch-grass
Couch-grass is a noxious
weed whose spiked flowers somewhat resemble an ear of wheat in structure. It is a perennial grass and the rhizome spreads rapidly in all directions in light soil, sending up leafy stems from the nodes.

Cougar
The cougar is a large
American cat. Also called the puma.

Cow
A cow is a female
ox. Also the female of the elephant, rhinocerous, whale and seal.

Cow-bunting
The cow-bunting is a north
American bird of the Sturnidae (Starling) family. It leaves its own eggs in other birds nests for them to hatch.

Cow-tree
see "
Bread-fruit"

Cowrie
The Cowrie is a
marine gastropod mollusc with an oval shell which in some species is the size of a hen's egg.

Cowslip
The Cowslip (Paigle) is a wild
flower found in British pastures and hedge-rows. The flowers possess sedative properties and used to be made into wine.

Coyote
The coyote is a type of wild
dog found in north America.

Coypou
The Coypou (
Coypu) is a South American rodent about the size of and resembling a beaver.

Coypu
The coypu is a south
American water rodent.

Crab
see "
crabs"

Crab-apple
The Crab-apple is a small, wild and very sour
species of English Apple.

Crabs
Crabs are
malacostraca.

Crack willow
see "
Withy"

Cranberry
Cranberry is the
fruit of the whortleberry bush. It is native to Europe, north asia and north America.

Crane
The crane (Megalornithidae) is a family of
birds distinguished by long legs and neck and powerful wings.

Crane's Bill
see "
Geranium"

Crane-fly
The Crane-fly is a
genus of two-winged insects (Daddy-long-legs).

Cranium
The cranium is the
skeleton enclosing the brain.q

Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae is the
stonecrop family of herbs and shrubs. They have thick fleshy leaves and starlike flowers and are found in most parts of the world, especially South Africa. They grow in the diest regions where grass and moss cannot grow, on naked rocks, old walls and on hot sandy plains.

Crawfish
see "
Crayfish"

Crayfish
Crayfish are various
crustaceans. The common crayfish is also known as the river lobster which resembles the lobster in appearance and habits. They are also called crawfish.

Creeper
The creeper is a family of
birds which resemble the woopecker in their habbit of creeping up tree trunks.

Cress
Cress is the name of several
species of plants, most of them of the order Cruciferae. Water cress is used in salad and was used as a medicine for its antiscorbutic properties.

Crinoidea
The crinoidea are the sea
lily class of phylum echinodermata. The body is cup shaped and attached to the substratum by a stalk. Both the mouth and anus are on the side of the body away from the stalk. The five main arms bifurcate, and on the branches are small side branches.

Crocodile
The crocodile is a large aquatic
carnivorous reptile. Related to the alligator.

Crocodilia
Crocodilia is an order of
diapsida. They are large reptiles adapted to life in rivers and lakes. The tail is flattened from side to side and is a powerful swimming tool.

Crossbill
The crossbill (Loxia) is a
genus of birds of the finch family. They are distinguished by the crossed tips of the bill.

Crossopterygii
The crossopterygii is a division of
fish known as the lung fishes. They have a single or double lung, and a modified heart and vascular system. They live in shallow fresh water where oxygen levels are insufficient for gills.

Crow
The crow is a family of 35
species of bird.

Crowberry
Crowberry is a
plant found in northern Europe, Asia, England and Scotland.

Cruciferae
Cruciferae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering
plants with cross like four petaled flowers.

Crustacea
Crustacea is the crustacean class of
arthropods. They are mainly aquatic animals breathing by gills. There are two pairs of antennae and three pairs of jaws.

Crustacean
see "
crustacea"

Crustaceans
see "
crustacea"

Cryptogam
Cryptogam is a general term embracing all the lower or non-seed bearing
plants. The name was given to them before the advent of the microscope made it possible to study their sexual reproduction. The cryptogams are the ferns, mosses, fungi and algae.

Ctenophora
The Ctenophora are a phylum of
animals represented by a number of marine forms which somewhat resemble jelly-fish.

Cuckoo
The cuckoo (Cuculidae) is a family of
birds. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

Cucurbita
see "
Gourd"

Cucurbitaceae
Cucurbitaceae is a large and important group of herbacious
plants with succulent stems which climb by means of tendrils which spring from the base of the leaf-stalks. The leaves are usually lobed and rough; the flowers often large, white, red or yellow; the fruit juicy or fleshy. The group includes the melon.

Cumacea
Cumacea is an order of
malacostraca where the carapace is small exposing four or five of the thoracic segments. The abdomen is slender.

Cunina
Cunina is a member of the order
trachylina.

Cupuliferae
Cupuliferae is a family of
trees distributed chiefly in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere and also in tropical Asia. The family includes the beech, chestnut, oak and birch.

Curassows
Curassows are a family of game-birds inhabiting
Central and South America but related to the bush-turkeys of Australia.

Curlew
The curlew is a British
water bird.

Cusk
The cusk (Brosme brosme) is an edible
fish found in North Atlantic coastal areas.

Cuttle-Fish
The Cuttle-Fish is a name applied to various ten-armed
molluscs of the class Cephalopoda. They are distinguished by their internal calcerous shell (cuttle bone).

Cycad
The Cycads are an order of tropical
trees and shrubs with usually simple, sometimes dichotomous trunks marked with leaf scars, and resembling palms and tree ferns. The leaves are pinnate, and curled in the bud-like fan fronds. The flowers are always terminal, resembling cones.

Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a group of low-growing
herbaceous plants of the Primrose family found in the mountains of the Mediterranean and Central Europe. They have globular, bulb-like roots from which arise long stalked, heart-shaped leaves, and white, pink, lilac or crimson flowers.

Cyclostomi
The cyclostomi are a subclass of
agnatha. They are modern eel-like creatures which eat fish.

Cygnet
Cygnet is the name for a young
swan.

Cyme
A cyme is an irregularly branched inflorescence in which later flowers are produced laterally on the
stem of the first flower, as in the forget-me-not.

Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae is the sedge family of
plants somewhat resembling grasses, but differing from them in the possession of triangular solid stems, closed leaf sheaths, and no ligules. The inflorescence is a group of spikes of glumes, in the axial of each being three stamens and one carpel.

Cypress
Cypress is a group of
evergreen cone-bearing trees and shrubs, with small adnate opposite leaves, and small globular cones on a few fleshy scale-leaves.

Cystoflagellata
The cystoflagellata are an order of
phytomastigina. They are transparent plankton.