Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/562

 558 CUCUMBER tie smaller than the preceding species, from which it is also distinguished by its dark bill, a bare scarlet space around the eyes, and the browner tint of the under parts. The present species does not frequent the interior of deep woods, but prefers the edges of forests on the border of the sea and lakes. It feeds princi- pally on shellfish and aquatic larvae and insects ; it is very fond of the small frogs so numer- ous after summer showers. Its flight is more rapid than that of the yellow-billed species; in other respects, as in its migrations, general habits, and manner of constructing its nest, it much resembles the last named bird, and has frequently been mistaken for it. The eggs are greenish blue. III. The mangrove cuckoo (C. minor. Cab.) is 12 in. long and 15 in. in extent of wings ; the general color of the upper part is light greenish brown, the head tinged with gray; primaries umber-brown; tail feathers, excepting the two middle ones, brownish black with white tips; the under parts brownish orange. In other characters it much resem- bles the yellow-billed cuckoo. Its habits are the same as those of the other species ; it feeds on insects, fruits, and the eggs of other birds ; it is vigilant and shy, not extending its migrations northward beyond Florida ; it pre- fers the mangrove-covered islands, building its nest amid their dark foliage. The flight is rapid and elevated during migration. The fe- male is paler than the male, especially on the lower surface, which is grayish. CUCUMBER (cucumis, Linn.), a genus of cu- curbitaceous plants, to which likewise be- longs the melon, having annual fibrous roots, brittle climbing stems, rough, unequally di- vided leaves, and tendrils formed of the abor- tive stipules. The cucumber is thus a sort of gourd, represented in its real type, better per- haps, by the colocynth gourd, a bitter, power- fully purgative species, known as C. (citrul- lus) colocynthis (Persoon). These plants are to be placed between the myrtles and passion flowers ; to the latter, indeed, they are so close- ly allied that they scarcely differ except in some particulars of structure, their habit being the same. It has been conjectured that long con- tinued cultivation has done much toward ameliorating the bitter and dangerous proper- ties of this group of plants ; for several allied kinds in their wild state, it is known, have proved deleterious. All the numerous, culti- vated varieties of the melon and cucumber are delicious or wholesome fruits. The writer has raised cucumbers from seeds received from the East Indies, which looked like the common cu- cumber, only smaller ; they were, so intensely bitter as to be worthless ; and the stem end of the better sorts of garden cucumber is frequent- ly bitter. The drastic property is strong in many of the allied genera from Brazil, and in the squirting cucumber it exists in concentrated virulence. The common cucumber (C. sativus, Linn.) is a native of tropical Asia. In culti- vation it requires a deep and rich soil, an abun- dance of moisture, and continued heat. If planted late enough to escape the frosts, it will grow with scarcely any care. It is subject, however, to the depredations of numerous in- Common Cucumber (Cucumis sativus). sects. The best way to prevent these is to cover the young plants with boxes having gauze tops, until the foliage is large and abun- dant. The cucumber loves to support itself by its tendrils in an upright position upon pieces of brushwood, and the cleanest and best fruit is thus obtained. This will be found to be a good practice, too, where there is but little room for horizontal growth. As an early vege- table, scarcely any plant can be so successfully forced in the hot-bed ; but the best sorts should be selected for the purpose. Great skill often- times is requisite to keep the plants vigorous Squirting Cucumber (Momordica elaterium). and healthy, and to sustain an unchecked growth. Besides affording a palatable and cool- ing salad, the cucumber has been used in medi- cine for pectoral complaints and as a febrifuge.