Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/878

* CACIQUE. 774 CACTUS. the chiefs of independent Indian tribes. Locke iidopted this title in his Fundamental Constitu- lioiix of Carolina (1600). In this revival of feudal society there were to be. according to TJte Grand Model, two county dignitaries who shdiild bear the title caciqne, and rank nent after the landgrave. CACIQUE, or CAS'SICAN (Sp., from native Haitian). Any of several icterine birds of Cen- tral and South America, allied to the Baltimore oriole, and forming the genvis Cassicus. They are noted for their intricately woven pensile nests, composed of grass or thin bark, in the fonn of a purse or poucli, sometimes a yard long, and suspended from the extremity of a branch of a tali tree, apparently to insure safety from monkeys and serpents. Several of these nests are often to be seen hanging from the branches of the same tree. (See Plate of Pensile Nests OF Birds, with the article NimFiCATioN.) The name "cassiean" is also given sometimes to the l)il>ing crow of Australia and Papiui. CAC'ODYL, or KAK'ODYLE (Gk. mKuih^, kakddi'f:, ill-smel!ing + »'/'/, Inile, wood, stuff, matter). An organic substance composed of carbon, hydrogen, and arsenic. It is a highly poisonous liquid, spontaneously taking fire if exposed to the air. Its formula is As2(CH3)j. Its oxide. As, (CH,)40, is obtained by distilling a mixture of arsenious oxide and potassium acetate ; in the pure state it does not, like cac- odyl, take fire on exposure to the air; it read- ily combines with acids to form salts, such as cacodyl chloride. As(CH3)X'N; eacodyl cyan- ide, As(CH3)oCN, etc. The eacodyl group, As(CH3)., was the first metallo-organic radical known to chemists. Its discovery by Bunsen, following Wiihler and Liebig's discovery of the benzoyl group, had an important influence on the development of the science of organic chem- istry. CACOMISTLE, k.nk'Omls-el (native Mex.). A small animal {Bassariscus astutus) of the raccoon family, inhabiting Mexico and adjacent parts of the United States. Its body is about 16 inches long, and its tail about 15. It is rather slender, with a sharp, fox-like face, and large, bright eyes, surrounded by light patches, which, with the erect ears, give an alert and pleasing expression to the countenance. The fur is lon,2, soft, and light brown above, darker along the back, and the long, bushy tail has six or eight broad, white rings; the under parts are white. It has much the same habits as a rac- coon, catching small nuimmals. birds, and in- sects, and is often tamed and regarded as a most pleasing pet among miners, who usually call it the American civet-eat. Consult Bulletin Am. .1/«s. Xat. Hist. (New York, 1895). See Plate of Carnivores (Minor American). CACOS, kfi'kos (Sp., pi. of caco, pickpocket). An epithet applied to the 'Separatist' Party of 1820 in Guatemala. A faction in Haiti has also received the name. CACOUNA, ka'kuona. A picturesque and fashionable watering-place in Temiscouata Coun- ty. Quebec, Canad.i" (Map; Quebec, G 3). It is situated on the right bank of the Saint Lawrence Kiver, 114 miles from Quebec. It contains nu- merous summer cottages of wealthy Canadians, has good hotels and boarding-houses, while a smooth, sandy beach affords admirable bathing facilities. It is also resorted to for trout-fish- ing and hunting. A small Indian settlement is located near the beach. Population, in 1891, 620: in 1001, 589. CACTA'CEiE. See Cactus. CACTUS (Lat., from Gk, A-d/c-oc, l:aktos) . A general name given to the peculiar plants which belong to the family Cactacete. These plants have been specially adapted to the arid regions of America. They are chiefly displayed in Mexico, but are very abundant also along the Mexican border of the United States, and some of them extend even far north on the plains. They are also found to some extent more east- ward, in the West Indies, and also southward in .South America. Aside from a few African spe- cies, the 1000 known forms are restricted to America. However, the common prickly pear, a species of Opuntia. has been long naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region, where its fruit is known as the "Indian fig.' The peculiar habit of the family seems to have been the result of perennial drouth conditions, to which they have become better adapted, per- haps, than any other plant forms. The two- fold problem which is presented to them is to ])revcnt any unnecessary loss of water contained in their tissues, and to retain all of the scanty supply which reaches them. As a result, their bodies are very succulent, containing a large amount of water-storage tissue, which retains water with great tenacity. Their bodies are also very much reduced in surface exposure, leaves being abandoned, and the stem often as- suming cylindrical to globular forms. The globular form is perhaps the most complete an- swer to the problem of reducing surface ex- posure and retaining mass. Instead of leaves and branches which appear upon ordinary plants, the cactus forms display various ephem- eral or abortive structures, the most notable of which are the bristles and spines. The cactus forms are not all of compact habit, for species of Pereskia are climbing and woody, with well- developed leaves. The flowers of the group are usually conspicuous and remarkably brilliant in color. The largest forms are species of Cereus, with thick columnar and fluted bodies, bearing a few clumsy branches, and sometimes attaining a height of 50 or 60 feet. These tree-like col- umnar forms are especially well developed in the drainage basin of the Gulf of California, and sometimes occur in extensive masses known as 'cardon forests.' About twenty genera of cacti are recognized, of which only five occur in the United States. The generic lines are, however, very uncertain and shifting, so that no definite number can be given. The most common genera are as follows: Mamil- laria includes the globular to short cylindrical forms, which are not ribbed, but which have prominent tubercles bearing clusters of spines. it is the largest in point of numbers of all the genera, containing nearly three hundred species. Echinocactus also contains globular to short cylindrical forms, but they aie stronglv ribbed, and are usually larger than any of the ^lammil- laria forms. It is the second genus in i>oint of numbers, containing al)Out two hundred s[x'cies. Cereus contains species with mostly elongated stems, which are stout, columnar, or sometimes