CAP
CAP
any refpe&. It is properly of the deer kind, but differs from all' the other fpecies in the fmalJnefs of its fize, and fhort uefs of its homs. The horns in this fpecies are not pal- mated or compreffed as in moft of the deers, but are rounded, and ferve very aptly for the making knife hafts, and other fuch things. Ra/s Syn. Quad, p 89.
Capreoll'S, among botanifts, fometiroes alio called clavicula, is the part of aftalk which curls or lays hold on any adja- cent body. Alert. Left. Bot. 1. p. 7.
Cap:ieol s, in anatomy, denotes the helix, or outer ambit of the ear. Barthol Anat. 1. 3. c. 9. Caji. Lex. Med. p.
Capreoli, in the antient architecture, a fort of rafters or tim- ber? fervingto fuflain the canterii, cither in buildings, or ma- chines
They were thus called, not as Philander imagines, from their refemblance to the capreoli, or tendrils of vines, but, from the affinity cf their form and office to wild goats ; as thefe butt and repel things with their horns, fo do the former oppofe their heads or horns to the weight of the canterii. Vitruv. de Arehit. 1. 10. It. 1. 4. c. 2. Philand. Comm. ad Eund. ib. De Last. Lex. Vitruv. p. zo. Aquin. Lex.Milit. T 1. p. 1(7.
Capreolus, in the antient husbandry, a kind of iron hoe or in- ftrument with two torks or fangs, wherewith to ftir and move the ground. Cotumel. \ 1 1. c. 3. Pitifc. Lex Ant. T, 1. p. 35 r - ¥°JI- Etym. in voc.
CAPRICE, in mufic, is f»metimes ufed for an irregular compo- fition, which fucceeds rather by theforce of genius, than obfer- vat'ion of the rules of art.
The word is French, where itfignifies humouroufnefs, fan'tafti- calnefs. Some deduce it from the Italian capriccio, and that from tbe'Laun capra, goat, to whofc wantonnefs it is fuppofed to bear aliufion 3 . St. Amant has given poems under the title of caprices. The Abbe Pic has alfo publifhed his caprices b . The caprices, or poflures of Calot the engraver, are famous c . The Italians, according toHuarte, give the appellation capricious, to inventive wits. — [ a Morhof. Polyhift, T. 1, 1. z. c. 1. n. 41. 5 Mem de Trev. an. 1 704.. p. 11 19. c Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 142'-]
Brofiard defines caprice to be a fong, or compofition not re- ftrained to any certain meafure, or defign, hut wherein the com- pofer gives a fullloofe to his fancy and humour, other wife call- ed pbautafia, voluntary, boutack, &c. Br of}'. Diet. Muf. p. j 7 Walth. Lex Muf. p. 141.
Caprice is applied in architecture to an edifice of a fingular tafte, and deviating much from the common rules of building. Da- vit. Courf. d' Arehit. P. 2. p 44.5.
CAPRICORN (CyJ.) — This fign is known by divers other ap- pellations, as Neptunia proles, eequorts hircus, caper, imbrifcr, ge- lidus, corniger, capra, Pan, Mgipan, Algedi, and Alcantarus. Schiller, in lieu of Capricorn, reprefents the apoftle Simon; Schickhard, azazel, orthefcapegoat ; Weigelius the horns in theNaffavian arms. Wolf Lex. Math. p. 309. The emperor Auguftus was born under Capricorn, which he took care to publifh as a happy horofcope, by a gold coin, which this fign was reprefented. This account we have from Suetonius *, who elfe where relates, that this prince was born on the 9th of the calends of October, that is, as Dion alfo af- fures on the 23d of December b . According to which account, Capricorn mult have been in the meridian of the antipodes at the time when Auguftus was horn. C'hronologers are here terri- bly at a lofs ; Scaliger and Petavius folve the difficulty by mak- ing Suetonius to have been deceived c . The editor of Sueto- nius in ufum Delphini, has found a more natural and eafy fo- lution ; according to him Auguftus's horofcope was not taken from the time of his birth, but from that of his conception : Now being born on the 23d of September, ifwego backwards 9 months, we {hall fall on the 23d of December, the day when the fun entered eapruorn, a point of time, fays Julius Eirmicus, peculiarly happy for a horofcope, and which promifes nothing lefs than fceptres and empires' 1 . — [ a Suet in Aug. c. 94. n. 24. Carrio, Emend 1 2. c. 2. b Suet, in Aug. c. 5. Dio, Hiit. 1. 56. c Scalig. de Emend. Temp, t 5. p. 441. Item in Manil. p. 147. Petav. de Doctr.Tcmp. 1. 10. c. 63, &1, j 1 . c. 6. d Finnic. Mathef. 1. 8. Trev. Dia. Univ. T. 1. p. 1423. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T.r. p. 356.] Capr icorn beetle, — There are fix different fpecies of this in- fect defer ibed by Litter in his treatifc De fcarab&is, publifhed at the end of Mr. Ray's hiftory of infects. The generical cha- racters of thefe infects are thefe : they have long and flender bodies ; their horns are longand jointed ; and they are fond of places in the neighbourhood of rivers.
The fpecies are thefe : 1 . The great fwect Gnelling Capricorn, called by fome authors ceranib) x, and by others the musk beetle. This is one of the moft beautiful of the Englifh beetles ; the male is much fmaller than the female, and is of a mixed colour of purple and gold, the female is more of a green colour, the horns of the males alfo confiftof longer joints,and in both fexes the horns hang over the back, and are longer than the whole body. It is found among old willows, and often in the very wood ; it is moft frequent in the month of July. It makes a mournful found when taken, and Mouffett obferves that itlofes its perfumed fmcll when dead ; but Lifter obferves farther, that this fmcll is only found in it at the time of copu-
lation. 1. The fmall gilded Capricorn ; this is of a true gold colour, but in fome lights has a caft of purple and of green. It is found very frequently among reeds by the banks of rivers. 3. The yellow capri cor n,v/ith a large black (pot on each of the cafes of the wings ; this is found among dry hay in April. 4. The yellow legged beetle, with a black body, variegated with yellow ftreaks. This is found in gardens among the kitcjien herbs, principally in the month of May. 5, The black Capri- corn, with the cafes of the wings yellow aejthc top, and white at the bottom, with fome other white marks about them ; this is found in the meadows in the month of May. 6. The green Capricorn; this is of the fize, fbape, and colour of the cantha- rides ; it is found in May in woods. Ray's Hift. Infect, p. 386. CAPR1FICATION, a name given in the iflands of the Archi- pelago to a peculiar method of propagating and ripening the fruits of the domeftic fig trees, by means of infects. P/in Hift. Nat. 1. 15 c. 19. Act Erud. Lifp. 1721, p. 84. Savor. Diet. Comm. Supp. p. 117.
The word is formed from capr'ifcus, the wild fig-trec,fromwhofe fruits the infects arc produced, which are the chief initruments of caprification.
Caprification,or the manner of impregnating fig-tree?,of which the antients fpeak with fo much wonder, is not imaginary,as many have fuppofed. M. Tournefort affures us it is ftill practifed every year in moft of the Grecian iflands, by means of a fort of gnats, or flies peculiar to the country. The fig-trees there bear much fruit ; but this fruit, in which part of the riches of the country confitts, would be of no advantage, if it was not managed in the following manner:
There are two forts of fig-trees cultivated in thefe iflands ; the fir ft called orn'os, from the Greek igw®-, which is the wild fig- tree, or the caprtfjeus, of the Latins, the fecond is the domeftic fig-tree. The former bears three kinds of fruits, none of them fit to eat, but absolutely neceffary for ripening the domeilic ones. Thefe fruits of the wild fig-tree are called forn itcs, crati- tires, and orni.
'] he fornites appear in Auguft, and continue unripe till No- vember. In thefe fmall worms are bred, from the puncture of certain gnats, obferved only about the fig-trees. In October and November, the fame gnats wound the fecond fruits of the fame trejs. Thefe which are called cratitires only appear at the end of September, and the f -mites fall gradually off after their flies have quitted them. But the cratitires remain on the tree till May, and inclofethe eggs left by the flies of thefomites. In May the third kind of fruit begins to bud on the fame trees which bor. 1 the other two ; this is by far the largeft fruit, and is called ornus. When it is arrived at a certain magnitude, and its buds begin to open, it is wounded in that part by fuch of the flics of the cratitires as can {hift from one fruitto the other, to depofit their eggs.
Itfometimes happens that the flies of the cratitires lie in fome places, and do not come out, though the orni are fit for their reception. Inthis cafe the cratitires muft be fetched from elfe- where, and put on the extremities of thofe branches whofe or- ni are in a good forwardnefs, in order that they may wound them. If that feafon be loft, the orni fall, and the infects of the cratitires fly away, finding no orni to prick. Thepeafants who apply themfelves to the culture of fig-trees are the only judges of the proper feafon in which this may be prevented ; in order to which they carefully obferve the bud of the fig; for this part not only mews the feafon of the fly's exit, but alfo that in which the fruit may be fuccefsfully wounded. If the bud be too hard and clofe, the fly cannot depofit its egg, and the fig drops when the fame eye is too lax and open. Eut this is not all : thefe three kinds of fruit abovementioned are not good to eat ; they are only appointed by the author of nature to ripen the fruit of the domeftic fig-tree. 'I he method of managing them is thus : in June and July the peafantstake the orni, when their flies are ready to come out, and hang them on the domeftic fig trees ; feveral of thefe they firing on a ftraw, and lay on the tree, more or lefs in quantity, as they fee occafion.If they mifs this feafon, the orni drop off", and the fruit of the domeftic fig-tree not ripening, falls alfo in a little time. The country people know fo well thefe precious moments, that every morning in making their review, they lay only the belt conditioned orni on the fig-trees, otherwife they would lofe their harveft. 'Tis true they have a fort of remedy for this, by ftrew- ing on the domeftic fig-trees the flowers of a plant called afco- limbros, in the tops of which flowers are fometimes found flies fit to wound the figs; or poffibly the flies of the orni feed on this plant. In fine, the pcafants manage the orni fo well, that their flies ripen the domeftic hgs in about forty days. 1 hefe figs are very good crude ; to dry them they are laid in the fun for fome time, after which they give them a heating in the oven, to preferve them for the reft of the year. They are the chief food of the peafants of the Archipelago, whofe ordinary fare is only barley bread and dry figs. Yet are thefe figs far from being fo good as thofe of Provence, Italy, and Spain ; the heat of the oven deprives them of their fine relifh, but on the other hand it deftroys the eggs of the flies of the orni, which would infallibly produce little worms, which would deftroy the fruit. This, one may fay, is taking a great deal of pains for fruit that is naught at iaft. M. Tournefort could not enough admire the
patience
