similar deadly powers. Its monstrous generation has already been noticed in the article BASILISK. For protection against it, travelers in Africa are said to have carried with them its relative, the cock, the crowing of which caused it instantly to expire. The word C. is sometimes used in the English version of the Old Testament. Perhaps all that can safely be affirmed of the meaning of the original Hebrew, is that it is the name of a venomous serpent. In heraldry, the C. is an imaginary monster, with the wings of a fowl and the tail of a serpent.

COCKBURN, Sir ALEXANDER JAMES EDMUND, 1802-1880; son of Alexander Cockburn who was English minister in Colombia. He was educated at Cambridge, and called to the bar in 1829. In 1841, he was made a queen's counsel, and in 1847 was elected to parliament from Southampton, where he distinguished himself (1850) by defending Palmerston's foreign policy. He was soon afterwards appointed solicitor-general, and in 1851, promoted to attorney-general. In 1854, he was made recorder of Bristol; in 1856 appointed justice of the common pleas, and in 1859 he became lord chief justice of England. In 1871, he was made English arbitrator for the settlement of the Alabama claims. He differed with his colleagues at Geneva, refusing to sign the award. In 1878, he was chairman of the Cambridge university commission.

COCKBURN, ALISON, (Mrs.), 1712-94; author of one of the most delightful Scotch ballads, known as The Flowers of the Forest. She was the daughter of a border laird, and had little education, and was fond of rambling around the country. The song is generally believed to have been written after the departure for London of one John Aikman, an early lover. In 1731, she was married to Patrick Cockburn, of Ormiston, an advocate. She subsequently became acquainted with all the celebrities of the day. She was one of the belles of Edinburgh, a graceful dancer, an indefatigable letter-writer and composer of parodies, squibs, toasts, and character sketches. She was a relative of Walter Scott's mother.

COCKBURN, CATHERINE, 1679-1749; an English authoress, wife of a non-juring clergyman who finally conformed and received a living in Cumberland. She wrote A Defense of Locke's Essay on the Understanding, besides plays, poems, and essays.

COCKBURN, Sir GEORGE, 1772-1853; an English naval officer whose operations against Martinique secured that island to Great Britain. He was active in the war with the United States in 1812-15, marauding along the shores of the Chesapeake and burning the public buildings at Washington. His last noteworthy sea employment was to convey Napoleon to St. Helena. He rose to the rank of admiral, was several times returned to the house of commons, and was one of the lords of the admiralty.

COCK BURN, HENRY, a Scottish advocate and judge, was b. at Edinburgh on Oct. 26, 1779. At the age of eight, C. began attendance at the high school of Edinburgh, but exhibited no indications of extraordinary abilities. Sent to the university of Edinburgh at the age of fourteen, his powers began to develop themselves; and though never dis tinguished as a student, he became the companion of men like Brougham, Horner, and Jeffrey, from whom he imbibed liberal opinions, greatly to the annoyance of the hered. itary toryism of his family. He was called to the Scottish bar in 1800, and after seven years spent in becoming patience, according to the manner of his profession, he was appointed, by his relative, Lord Melville, one of the advocates whose duty it is to assist the lord advocate in the prosecution of criminal offenders. Though the appointment was conventionally a political one, and though the party to whom C. was opposed was then in power, he was persuaded to hold the office, as it had in itself really nothing of a political character, upon the understanding that his own views were not to be compromised. It was expected, however, that he would give up his liberalism; and when this expectation was disappointed, advantage was taken, about four years after, of some trivial excuse to dismiss Cockburn. Not till the introduction of jury trial in civil causes into Scotland in 1816, did C. find opportunity for remunerative professional employ. ment. His powers were better adapted for success with a popular, than with a professional tribunal. Extremely simple, clear, and impressive, at times humorous, at times pathetic, always unaffected, and, when he pleased, eloquent, he urged his side of the question with so much earnestness and candor, that the effect was almost irresistible. Under the Grey ministry of 1830, he was appointed solicitor general for Scotland; and four years later, he was made one of the judges of the Scottish supreme civil and criminal courts, and took, according to the Scottish custom, the title of lord Cockburn. He died 26th April, 1854, at his residence of Bonaly, in the neighborhood of Edinburgh. The efforts of C. as an author were not numerous. He contributed to the Edinburgh Review a few articles, having, it would seem, chiefly a temporary interest. Those upon Scottish law reform are known to have had considerable influence in producing the changes desired. Late in life, he undertook, at the request of Jeffrey's executors, the life of his beloved friend. This work was published in 1852. C. will be best remem bered by the Memorials of his Time, which appeared posthumously in 1856. It is a kind of autobiography, into which have been interwoven numerous anecdotes illustrating old Scottish life, and numerous sketches of the men who composed the brilliant circle of Edinburgh society at the beginning of the present century. A portion of the MS. kept

Cockle.

back until a date further removed from the times of which it treats, appeared in 1874, entitled Journal of Henry Cockburn.

COCK'CHAFER, Melolontha vulgaris, a beetle of the family lamellicornes (q.v.), and section phyllophagi (leaf-eaters), very common in England and most parts of Europe, comparatively rare in Scotland, famous for the ravages which it commits, both in the grub state and in that of a perfect insect—the winged beetle feeding on the leaves of fruit-trees, and of many forest-trees, as the sycamore, lime, beech, and willow; the grub devouring the roots of plants, particularly of pasture-grasses and corn. The C. is fully an inch in length, of a pitchy black color, with a whitish down, giving a sort of powdered appearance; the sides of the abdomen marked by a range of triangular spots; the abdomen terminating in a point; the antennæ short, terminating in a club formed of six or seven leaflets: the grub is about an inch and a half long, thick, whitish, with a red head and six legs. The C. does not live long after it has passed into its perfect state, but it lives nearly four years in the grub or larva state. The female C. deposits her eggs in the earth. The ravages of cockchafers were so great in some of the provinces of France in 1785, that the government offered a premium for the best mode of destroying them. The whole grass of a field has often been destroyed in a short time by their grubs, and the beetles themselves strip off the foliage of trees like locusts. They have sometimes appeared in prodigious numbers in some places in England: the river Severn is said to have been so filled with their bodies in 1574, that the water-wheels of the mills were clogged; and in 1688, they so abounded in the county of Galway, in Ireland, that they hung in clusters on the trees and hedges like bees swarming; the noise of their countless jaws at work was heard by every traveler, and was compared to that of the sawing of timber. In Scotland they are called clocks. See illus., BEETLES, ETC., vol. II., p. 386, figs. 52-54.

COCKE, a co. in e. Tennessee, bordering on North Carolina, traversed by the Cincinnati, Cumberland Gap and Charleston railroad, and watered by French Broad and Big Pigeon rivers; 270 sq.m.; pop. '80, 14,808-1420 colored. Surface mountainous and well wooded; productions, agricultural. Co. seat, Newport.

COCK'ER, a small kind of spaniel, very similar to the Blenheim dog, often black. The habits and disposition are similar to those of the spaniel. The small size of the C. fits it for ranging in low and thick coverts, and it is accordingly much employed by sportsmen in pheasant and woodcock shooting; but it must not be allowed to range to any considerable distance, as it cannot be trained to wait for the sportsman, but starts the game.

COCK ER, EDWARD, widely celebrated on account of his Arithmetic, which has served as the model of almost all school-treatises subsequent to its publication, was born, it is supposed, in London about the year 1631 or 1632; and died between the years 1671 and 1675. The first edition of his famous Arithmetic (which was the first to confine itself to commercial questions only) was published, after his death, in 1677, by John Hawkins, who came into possession of C.'s MSS. C. was author of some other works, but his fame rests entirely on the one mentioned. The expression, "according to Cocker," became common through its frequent use on the title-pages of arithmetical treatises following his method.

COCKERELL, CHARLES ROBERT, 1788-1863; an English architect who visited Greece, Italy, and Asia Minor to study ancient architectural remains, making excavations at Ægina and other places, and enriching the British museum with many rare and valuable fragments. He became a member of the royal academy, and a professor of architecture, his lectures on which were highly esteemed. He was the designer of many public buildings in London, Cambridge, Liverpool, and other places, and was the author of several works on his favorite theme.

COCKERILL, JOHN, 1790-1840; an English engineer, who established at Seraing one of the largest machine-shops in Europe, half of it being owned by the king of Holland. He often had 2,000 men employed at one time. In 1839, he failed.

COCK ERMOUTH, a parliamentary borough in the w. of Cumberland, at the confluence of the Cocker and Derwent, 25 m. s. w. of Carlisle. It is delightfully situated in an agricultural district, and has a promenade a mile long along the Derwent. The ruins of a castle, founded in the end of the 11th c., stand on a bold height on the left bank of the Cocker, near its junction with the Derwent. The castle was besieged for a month by the royalists in 1648, and afterwards reduced to ruins by the parliamentarians. Near C. is a tumulus, with a Roman camp and ditch 750 ft. in circuit. Many ancient relics have been found near Cockermouth. There are manufactures of linens, woolens, cottons, hats, hosiery, and paper, and in the vicinity, extensive coal-mines. Wordsworth the poet was born here. Pop. '81, 7,189. C. returns one member to parliament.

COCK-FIGHTING is said to have originated with the Athenians. In the earlier part of our history; since the conquest, we find little mention of it; but it is evident that it existed in the days of Thomas-à-Becket, and until the time of the commonwealth it flourished, the pit at Whitehall having been erected and patronized by royalty. It was prohibited in 1654; and although there have been other acts passed with the view of putting it down, it still exists under prohibition.

Cockle.

The greatest point considered in choosing cocks, is the breed. Formerly, there were established favorites, and very large sums were given for their chicks. Much art is said to be displayed in the training of cocks, and in trimming and preparing the cock for the combat; the fastening on of the spurs is a matter of considerable experience. Young cocks are called stags; two years is the best age. In fighting a match a certain number of cocks to be shown on either side is agreed upon, and the day before the match, the cocks are shown, weighed to the greatest nicety, and matched according to their weights. Their marks are all also carefully set down, to prevent trickery. The cocks within an ounce of each other in weight are said to "fall in" and are matched. Those which do not fall in, are matched to fight what are called "byes." Those which do fall in, come into the main. The main is fought for a stake upon each battle, and so much for the main, or the winner of the most battles in the main; while the byes have nothing to do with the main, and are usually fought for smaller sums. Should the numbers be equal, so that the main cannot be decided, it is usual to separate two or more cocks which are matched to fight, and are of equal or a dead-weight, and to give or take an ounce either way with one of each of the birds which would fall into the byes, so as to make an uneven number.

A middling size is considered the best, and from 3 lbs. 6 oz. to 4 lbs. 8 oz. is the medium. Cocks sometimes fight in silver spurs, but more often in steel. The laws of fighting are very precise and particular.

To lend to brutes the means of destroying each other, and of rendering their conflicts more deadly than nature ever intended them to be, cannot be considered a spectacle calculated either to refine or to improve humanity; while the indulging in it as a sport, as it is practiced even in its lightest and least objectionable form, is simply cruelty. But the practices of placing a bird, that has perhaps been crippled in combat, down, without even his natural weapons, before a young stag armed, in order that the stag may be taught the art of killing, and the Welsh main, where the cocks fight until only one is left alive, are too disgustingly cruel to be thought of without indignation.

Cock-fighting is prohibited by 12 and 13 Vict. c. 92. A penalty of £5 may be levied on any person keeping fighting-cocks, letting a cock-pit, or otherwise connecting himself with cock-fighting, for every day that he shall so act.

COCK LANE GHOST. In the year 1762, London was thrown into a state of extraordinary excitement by the reported existence of a ghost in the house of a Mr. Parsons, in Cock lane, Smithfield. Strange and unaccountable noises were heard in the house, and a luminous lady, bearing a strong resemblance to one who, under the name of Mrs. Kemt, had once resided in the house, but who had died two years before, was said to have been seen. Dark suspicions as to Mr. Kemt having poisoned the lady were immediately aroused, and were confirmed by the ghost, who, on being interrogated, answered, after the fashion of the spirits of our own day, by knocking. Crowds, including Dr. Johnson, were attracted to the house to hear the ghost, and the great majority became believers. At length a plan was formed by a few skeptics to ascertain the real origin of the noises. The girl from whom the sounds were supposed to proceed, was taken to another house by herself, and threatened with the imprisonment of her father in Newgate if she did not renew the rappings that evening, the noises having for some time been discontinued. She was observed to take a board with her into bed, and when the noises took place, no doubt was entertained that they had all along been produced by similar methods. A prosecution was then raised by Mr. Kemt, and Parsons was condemned to stand thrice on the pillory for imposture and defamation.

COCK'LE, Agrostemma, a genus of plants of the natural order caryophyllea, in which the flower has ten stamens and five styles; the five teeth of the leathery naked calyx are much longer than the tube of the corolla, and the capsule is perfectly 1-celled. The common C., or corn C. (A. githago), is a frequent weed amongst crops of grain, a native of Europe or the w. of Asia, but now to be found in almost all parts of the world. It is an annual plant, clothed with very long hair; with large, solitary, terminal lilac flowers. The root, stem, leaves, and seed were formerly used in medicine; the seed is still sometimes sold in Germany under the name of black cumin (schwartz-kümmel). The corn C. is a very troublesome weed in some parts of Britain and the U. S.

COCKLE, Cardium, a genus of lamellibranchiate mollusks, having a shell of two equal ventricose valves, more or less of a heart-shaped appearance. The animal has two adductor muscles for drawing the valves closely together; its foot is remarkably large, and bent in the middle, and is capable of being suddenly straightened, so that the animal may move by a jump. More commonly, however, the foot is employed for excavating a hole in the sand or mud, in which the C. burrows; and when used for this purpose, it is distended by being filled with water. Cockles are usually gregarious, and vast numbers are found on sandy and muddy banks. The common C. (C. edule) is very abundant on the sandy parts of the British shores, and is one of our most valuable shell-fish, affording much palatable and nutritious human food. The number of known species is about 200; they are most numerous within the tropics, and particularly in the Indian ocean.-The genus cardium is made the type of a family cardiada, and of an order carliacea, which includes venerida, mactrida, tellinida, and other families. See illus., OOLITE GROUP, vol. X., p. 876, fig. 13.

-nut

COCKNEY. This word is connected with cocker (Dutch, kokeln, to pamper; Fr. coqueliner, to dandle), which, according to Wedgwood, means primarily to rock the cradle, and hence to cherish, pamper. C. thus meant originally a child delicately nurtured, and was hence applied to the citizens of luxurious towns, as opposed to the hardier inhabitants of the country. The French pays de cocagne, and similar expressions among other nations, denote a utopia-an imaginary land of luxurious abundance without labor. London has been famed for its luxury from the earliest times-a veritable cocagne; and its inhabitants have now appropriated the name of cockneys.

COCKPIT, in a ship of war, is a room near the after-hatchway, under the lower gundeck; it adjoins the surgeon's cabin and the surgery. It contains the medicine-chests for the entire crew, and is the place where wounded men are attended to during an action.

COCK OF THE PLAINS, Tetrao or Centrocercus urophasianus, the largest of the North American species of grouse. It is about one third smaller than the European capercailzie (q.v.), or cock of the woods. Its plumage is dense and soft, the prevalent color yellowish-brown, but beautifully mottled and varied with darker tints; the under parts white, with dark streaks and patches. On each side of the neck is a large bare space, capable, when the bird struts, of being inflated into a hemispherical sac. The female is smaller, and of less showy plumage than the male, and is destitute of the neck-sacs. This bird is an inhabitant of the desolate plains on the upper parts of the Columbia, and in the interior of California, living in flocks, and often feeding so much on species of artemisia that its flesh is almost too bitter to be eaten.

COCKRAN: co., Texas. See page 886.

COCKRELL, FRANCIS MARION. See page 886.

COCK'ROACH, Blatta, a genus of orthopterous (q.v.) insects, having an oval or orbicular flattened body, the head, hidden beneath the large plate of the prothorax, long thread-like antennæ, and wings folded only longitudinally. The elytra are parchment-like, and the wings are sometimes very imperfectly developed, particularly in the females, as in the case of the common cockroach. The eggs of these insects are collected in a sort of a shell fixed to the abdomen of the mother, which at last she deposits in a suitable situation, attaching it by a glutinous secretion. The larva, when hatched, discharge a fluid which softens the cement that holds together the toothed edges of a longitudinal slit in this remarkable shell, and emerging through it, at once enter upon active life. They are very similar in form to the perfect insects, and, like them, very voracious. Cockroaches are most numerous in warm countries, and even the common C. (B. orientalis)-now so well known in Britain, a pest in many houses, particularly in towns, and, although not a coleopterous insect, often called the BLACK BEETLE is said to have been imported from abroad, but its native country is uncertain It is a nocturnal insect, concealing itself in holes during the day, and fleeing on the approach of a candle. It devours both animal and vegetable substances; and a dark-colored fluid, which it emits from its mouth, gives a disgusting smell to everything that it passes over. A tame hedgehog is of great use for reducing the number of cockroaches in kitchens and other places where they abound. Another excellent method of getting rid of cockroaches, is to place a washing-basin on the floor, with some treacle in the bottom. A piece of wood resting between the floor and the edge of the basin, conducts the C. to the fatal trap, from which the slipperiness of the sides of the basin prevents their exit. In this way thousands of "black beetles" may be caught in a single night. The common C. is only about an inch long, but some of the tropical ones are much larger, and are more troublesome because of their frequent use of their wings. The KAKERLAC, or American C. (B. Americana), a native of the warm parts of America, has found its way into Europe, and infests some seaport towns. A small species (B. lapponica) is very common in Lapland, sometimes doing great injury by devouring the winter stores of salted fish. See illus., BEETLES, ETC., vol. II., p. 386, fig. 9.

COCKS COMB, Celosia cristata, an annual plant of the natural order amarantaceœ, a native of the East Indies, one of the most familiar inmates of our hothouses and conservatories, often also planted out in warm borders, especially in the southern parts of Britain. It grows with an upright stem, which becomes flattened upwards, divides, expands, and forms a sort of wavy crest, covered with pointed bracts, and bearing on its surface many very small flowers, so crowded as often to present a rich velvety appearance. The colors are various, and often very brilliant.

COCK'S-FOOT GRASS, Dactylis, a genus of grasses, having the panicle of flowers much on one side of the stem, its secondary branches so short that the spikelets are much crowded into clusters; the glumes unequal, the larger one keeled; each spikelet containing 2 to 7 florets, each of which has two lanceolate scarcely awned paleæ. This genus is closely allied to fescue (festuca), but differs in habit. The common or rough cock's-foot grass (D. glomerata) is a native of Europe, Asia, North America, and the n. of Africa. It is very abundant in Britain, growing in tufts by waysides, in meadows, woods, etc., from the level of the sea to high altitudes on the mountains. It forms an important part of almost all the best natural pastures, is much relished by cattle, and grows with great rapidity after it has been cut, yielding a large quantity of herbage, and succeeding well on most kinds of soil, and in situations too shady for many other grasses. It is therefore generally sown along with other grasses. An improved variety.

of greater size than the ordinary one, has been introduced into cultivation. In America, this grass is called ORCHARD GRASS, and is extensively cultivated. To this genus belongs also the TUSSAC GRASS (q.v.).

COCK'S-SPUR THORN. See CRATÆGUS.

COCKSWAIN, or CoxswAIN (pronounced cosn), on board ship, is the steersman of a boat and commander of the boat's crew. He is expected to have his men always ready for service at short notice, and is furnished with a whistle to summon them.

COCLES, HORATIUS, "the one-eyed," one of the mythical heroes of ancient Rome, who, aided by Lartius and Herminius, defended the Sublician bridge against a great army under Lars Porsena, keeping the enemy at bay until the Romans behind them destroyed the bridge. When the bridge was about to fall, Cocles sent his two companies back; and when it had fallen, sheathing his sword and praying the river to favor him, he plunged in and swam safely to the shore. He was given as much land as he could draw a plow around in a day, and a statue in the comitium. No hero was held in higher honor, and Roman writers never wearied of telling what Macaulay repeats in his spirited Lays of Ancient Rome, "How well Horatius kept the bridge, in the brave days of old,”

COCK OF THE WOODS. See CAPERCAILZIE.

COCOA, CACAO, or Co'co. The different kinds of C. either consist of, or are prepared from, the seeds of trees of the genus theobroma.

The genus theobrōma (Gr. food of the gods) belongs to the natural order byttneriacea, and contains a number of species, trees of moderate size, with large undivided leaves and clustered flowers, all natives of the tropical parts of America. It is distinguished by a 5-leaved calyx; 5 petals, concave at the base, and extended into a strap at the apex; the stamens united at the base into a cup, which is divided upwards into 10 segments, 5 tips being without anthers, and the other 5, alternate with them, bearing 2 anthers each; a thread-like style, terminating in a 5-partite stigma; the fruit a 5-angled capsule, of a substance between leathery and woody, not splitting when ripe, 5-celled, and containing many seeds in a pap-like or butter-like pulp. The seeds of several species yield more or less of the C. of commerce. By far the most important species of this genus is T. cacao, to which the name cocoa-tree is often exclusively appropriated. It is extensively cultivated in tropical America and the West Indies, and its cultivation has been introduced into some parts of Asia and Africa. It generally rises with a bare stem to the height of only 6 or 7 ft., dividing into many branches, and attaining a height of only 16 or 20 ft. altogether, although it is sometimes twice that height. The fruit is somewhat like a cucumber in shape, and is 6 or 8 in. long, yellow, and red on the side next the sun; the rind is thick and warty, the pulp sweetish, and not unpleasant; the seeds numerous, compressed, and not unlike almonds, with a thin, pale, reddish-brown, fragile skin or shell, covering a dark-brown, oily, aromatic, bitter kernel, which consists mostly of the wrinkled cotyledons. These seeds are the C. beans of commerce; when bruised so as to be reduced to small pieces, after being shelled or decorticated, they become C. nibs. The cocoa-tree produces larger seeds in cultivation than in a wild state. The tree attains its full vigor and productiveness in seven or eight years, and generally yields two principal crops in the year. When gathered, the fruit is subjected to five days' fermentation in earthen vessels or in heaps on the ground, and then opened by the hand, and the seeds dried by the sun or by fire; or it is buried for a while in the earth, till the pulp becomes rotten. The latter method is said to produce the best cocoa (earthed C., or cacao terré). See illus., TEA, ETC., vol. XIV., p. 240, fig. 2.

C. is very nutritious. The principal constituent of C. beans is the soft, solid oil called C. butter, which forms more than 50 per cent of the whole shelled bean, about 22 per cent being starch, gum, mucilage, etc., and 17 per cent being gluten and albumen. They contain also a crystallizable principle called theobromine, analogous to caffeine (q.v.), but more nitrogenous.

For dietetic use, C. is prepared in several ways. It is made into chocolate (q.v.); it is crushed into C. nibs, the purest state in which C. can be purchased in shops; or the unshelled bean is powdered in a hot mortar, or between hot rollers, which yields a paste capable of being mixed with sugar, honey, starch, etc., sold in shops under the name of soluble C., rock C., and common cocoa.

C. is eaten in the solid state in the form of cakes and bonbons, or is scraped down, and treated with boiling water or milk. When C. nibs are infused with water like coffee, they yield a highly palatable beverage, which is much lighter than any other infusion of cocoa. The large quantity of oily matter present in the bean tends to make the various infusions thick and heavy, so that they do not agree with some delicate stomachs. The annual consumption of C. is upwards of 100 millions of pounds.

An infusion of the broken and roasted shells of cocoa-beans is sometimes used in the same way as tea or coffee. The pulp of the fruit is eaten in the countries in which the tree grows, and a kind of spirit is obtained from it by fermentation and distillation.

CO COA-NUT, or Co'co-NUT, the well-known fruit of a species of palm, cocos nucifera, perhaps originally a native only of the Indian coasts and South Sea islands, but now diffused over all tropical regions. The cocoa-nut palm belongs to a genus having pinnate leaves, and male and female flowers on the same tree, the female flowers at the base of