Page:LA2-NSRW-1-0479.jpg



COBRA DE CAPELLO

417

COCKATOO

Its public buildings, churches, banks, schools and hotels are unusually attractive. It is the best harbor on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The Grand Trunk Railway has a daily ferry-service to Rochester, New York. Cobra de Capello (kd'brd da kd-pelflo}, the hooded, snake of India, the most dreaded of the serpent tribe. Its poison fangs stand out, not like those of the rattlesnake at the time of striking, but permanently. There is a more venomous snake in India, but the cobra is more abundant and is extremely poisonous. About 25,000 deaths occur annually in the In-d i a n peninsula from cobra bites. Its usual food is

-I  -1          , •-.

small reptiles, frogs, fish, etc., and it may climb to roofs or among branches or take to the water in search of food. Its natural enemies are the jungle-fowl, which devours the young, and the ichneumon, which can overcome the full-grown animals. When excited, the hood (see illustration) is expanded by dilating the neck. The colors of this serpent vary from brownish olive to black, with white or black spots (usually^ two) on the hood. The natives hold it in superstitious reverence, and it is a favorite with the snake-charmers of India.

Cochin-China (ko'ctiin chi'na), the maritime region of Anam, an Asiatic possession (since 1861) of France, lies along the east coast of Indo-China, washed by the China Sea. The area of the whole of the Indo-Chinese dependencies of France is about 255,000 square miles, with a population of 181-4 millions. It is divided into four main parts: Tonquin in the north, south of it Anam proper, south of Anam, Cochin-China proper, and in the far southeast, Champa. The capital is Hu6. The delta-lands of Tonquin are very fertile, yielding two harvests a year. They are formed by the red soil carried down by the main river of the country, the Song-coi, which is rapidly enlarging the delta. Hanoi, a seaport built by the Chinese in- the i8th century, is now 100 miles inland. Everywhere the delta-lands are crossed by deep dikes, many miles in length, from 20 to 30 feet high, and broad enough at the top for three carriages to drive abreast. The people of the hills are taller and stronger than those of the coast, who are small and so inactive that "lazy as an Anamese" has become a proverb. The great crop is rice,

which is also the main food, though the people are fond of snakes, locusts, rats and dogs. The emperor is a despot, and the bastinado, mutilation and torture are regular punishments. All men between 18 and 60 must serve in the army, and the field-work is usually left to the women.

Cochin-China, which has an area of 23,-160 square miles, was conquered by China in 214 B. C., gained its independence in 929 A. D., and was successful in a second war with China in 1403-28. In 1517 came the Portuguese, and soon after the Dutch; in 1789 appeared the French, who have slowly made themselves masters, so that now the whole country is a dependency of France. The capital is Saigon, and the chief products are rice, cotton, silk, hides, fish, pepper and copra. Population is about 2,226,935, and the population of Saigon the capital is 47,577. See AN AM and CAMBODIA.

Cochineal. A dyestuff, made from the cochineal insect, scarlet or crimson in color. From the same source are derived the carmine and lake paints or pigments. Of late years this coloring matter is of less importance, because of the use of aniline dyes which are prepared cheaply by chemicals from coal-tar. The home of the insect is Mexico and Central America. It is very small, a pound of cochineal containing about 70,000 dried insects. It feeds on the cactus, and is secured by taking branches of that plant and giving the females an opportunity to lay their eggs. These little eggs are hatched in enormous numbers, and when this second generation of insects is just ready to lay the little creatures are gathered in trays and placed in a hot oven. They are later dried thoroughly in the sun. From the dead bodies 10% of pure dye is secured. The insect has been successfully introduced into Java and Australia.

Cockatoo, any member of a family of parrot-like birds inhabiting the East Indian

archipelago, Guinea and Australia. There is in most species a crown of feathers on the head, which are raised when the bird is excited, but quite smooth when it is quiet. The birds live in * flocks in the tops of tall trees, and make a note sounding like their name, but

they are also great screamers. They are very common in zoological gardens. The prevailing color of plumage is white, but there are a yellow-crested and a pink-

LEADBEATER'S COCKATOO

COBRA