Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/547

 CTENOPHOR^E CUBA 543 CTENOPHOR.il (comb- or fringe-bearers ; Gr. /f, gen. nrev6^ a comb, and 6peiv, to bear), the beroid medusae, the highest order of the class of acalephs or jelly fishes. They are more or less spherical, the body being made up of eight homologous segments, bearing eight rows of locomotive appendages. About 70 species are enumerated by Agassiz, distributed in more than 30 genera. Of the pleurobrachia, com- mon on the N. E. coast of America, he says : " When active, it hangs out a pair of most re- markable appendages, the structure and length and contractility of which are equally sur- prising, and exceed in wonderful adaptation all I have ever known among animal struc- tures. Two apparently simple, irregular, and unequal threads hang out from opposite sides of the sphere. Presently these appendages may elongate, and equal in length the diameter of the sphere, or surpass it, and increase to 2, 3, 5, 10, and 20 times the diameter of the body, and more and more ; so much so, that it would seem as if these threads had the power of end- less extension and development. But, as they lengthen, they appear more complicated ; from one of their sides other delicate threads shoot Pleurobrachia. out like fringes, forming a row of beards like those of the most elegant ostrich feather, and each of these threads itself elongates till it equals in length the diameter of the whole body, and bends in the most graceful curves." A common species of idyia, of our coast, of a beautiful rose color, attaining a length of three or four inches, is sometimes so abundant in summer as to tinge large patches of the sea with a delicate rosy hue. They are all vora- cious, feeding on their fellows. CTESIAS, a Greek physician and historian, contemporary with Xenophon, born at Onidus, in Garia, and supposed to have repaired to the Persian court about the year 416 B. 0. He accompanied Artaxerxes II. on his expedition against his brother Cyrus, dressed his wounds after the battle of Cunaxa, and returned to Cnidus in 398. During his residence at the Persian court he formed the design of writing a history of Persia ; and as physician to the great king, he was allowed access to the state archives. His work, entitled UepatKa, in 23 books, opened with a history of the Assyrian monarchy, and brought down the history of Persia to the author's own time. It was often quoted by ancient writers. There are many 240 VOL. v. 35 important discrepancies between Ctesias and Herodotus; and recent researches show that on most of these points the former is untrust- worthy. Only a few fragments of this work are extant. Of a second work, entitled *Iv&/ca, we have also a few fragments. Besides these he wrote several others which are entirely lost. CTESIBIUS, a native of Alexandria, celebrated for his mechanical inventions, flourished in the latter half of the 3d century B. C., or, according to Athenseus, a century later. He is said to have been the first to apply the elastic force of air as moving power. He invented numerous ma- chines, including a clepsydra or water clock, and a hydraulic organ. CTESIPHOff, an Athenian orator of the 4th century B. C., son of Leosthenes. After the disastrous battle of Chaeronea (338) he moved that Demosthenes, in consideration of his great services and sacrifices in the cause of Athens and Greece, be honored with a golden crown ; whereupon he was prosecuted by ^Eschines, but was triumphantly defended by Demosthe- nes himself, who was the real defendant. CTESIPHON, an ancient city of southern As- syria, on the left bank of the Tigris, opposite Seleucia. It is said to have been founded by a Parthian ruler named Vardanes, but at an uncertain date. It rose into consequence with the Parthian empire, being, according to Strabo, the royal winter residence. It was especially important at the time of the restoration of the Persian empire under the early Sassanides. Tacitus speaks of it as the seat of empire, and it was subsequently, when Seleucia decayed, so large that Septimius Severus took from it 100,000 prisoners. In the time of Gallienus its walls effectually resisted Odenathus, who ravaged the surrounding country, and it was a strong place at the time of Julian's invasion. Some have supposed it to be identical with the primeval city of Calneh, mentioned in Scripture, but this is improbable. It has been identified with the modern Al-Madain (the two cities), near which are ruins called Tak Kesra, or the Arch of Chosroes, which are thought to be remains of the palace of one of the Sassa- nian princes. CUBA, an island belonging to Spain, the largest and most westerly of the West India group, lying between the Caribbean sea and the gulf of Mexico, and between lat. 19 50' and 23 10' K, and Ion. 74 7' and 84 58' W. Its W. extremity, Cape San Antonio, is distant about 130 m. from the coast of Yuca- tan, from which it is separated by the channel of Yucatan ; Point Maysi, its E. end, is 48 m. from Hayti, with the Windward channel be- tween ; the strait of Florida separates it on the north from Florida, which is distant 130 m. from Cape Ycacos; and on the south the island of Jamaica lies about 85 m. from English point, near Cape Cruz. The greatest length from E. to W. is 760 m. ; the width varies from 20 to 135 m. ; area, including dependencies, 47,278 sq. m. In shape it is long, narrow, and slight-