Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/713

CROUP. 617 CROWD. cause of iliphtheria, it has been found that there are two forjns of disease formerly known as croup: (1) false croup, and (2) inemliranous croup, whii-li is diphtheria of the larynx. False croup is caused in feeble or ill-fed children, or in those who have a catarrhal tendency, by exposure to cold and wet, iligestive disturbances, or, in some cases, the grippe Ml-v.). The child has a running from the nose and a cough; he awakens coughing hoarsely, with noisy and lal)ored breath- ing or gasping, with every appearance of sufl'oea- tion, the face becoming red or luuplisli. and tears starting from the eyes. The attack lasts from a half hour to live or si.x hours, and then relief comes in a loose cough, abatement of the fever, and free pers[)iration. The attack may be repeated on succeeding nights. No membrane is coughed up. The treatment consists of in- halation of warm, moist air from a teakettle placed under a sheet thrown over the child's bed; frequent draughts of warm milk; and a dose of a half-teaspoonful of .syrup of ipecac, re- peated every fifteen minutes till vomiting occurs once. Other drugs should be prescribed by a pbjsician. Mend)ranous crou|) is caused by the bacillus of diphtheria (q.v.), or by streptococcus, and is very dangerously contagious as well as largely fatal. The symptoms are much the same as in false croup, except that the child is generally drowsy for a few hours before the difficulty in breathing and the cough begin, and after a time becomes exceedingly restless, the lips and face beeonu' blue, pieces of membrane are couglied up, coma and possibly convulsions follow, and death occurs unless relief is obtained. Relief from suf- focation may be obtained by the use of the tracheotomy tube. Tliis is a metal or hard rub- ber tube inserted into the windpipe lielow the larynx by a surgeon, through an incision in the neck; or by the use of the intubation tul)e in- vented by Dr. Joseph O'Dwyer, of Xew York, which is passed down the throat and between the vocal cords, and fastened in place. These pro- cedures do not, however, check the disease. See Diphtheria. CROW (AS. craice, OHG. chruwa. r/ira/a, Cer. l-yiihe, crow, from AS. crairan, OHG. ehrajan, Ger. krahen, to crow ; probably onomatopoetic in origin). A bird of the genus Corvus, the type of the family Corvidoe. The crows are a widely distributed group of birds, found in nearly all parts of the world, but especially in the Xorth- em Hemisphere. The largest species of the genus is the raven; the rook and the jackdaw of Eng- land also belong to it. Crows are always miu'e or less black, frequently wholly so, but dilTer from each other not only in color, but especially in size and in the amount of space at the base of the bill, which is bare of feathers. All are smaller than the raven, but are mostly more than fifteen inches in length. They are omnivorous, eating almost anything edible, and some species liA'e largely on fish. All are intelligent to a high degree, and many stories are current re- garding their avoiding danger and communicating with each other. They are easily domesticated. Most of the species are more or less gregariotis, at least at certain seasons of the year, and frequently resort in incredible numbers to certain favorite places of woodland to roost at night. Three species of crow occur in the United States, besides the two ravens. The common I row H'oivuti Aiiiiriroiiux) is generally dis- tributed over North .meriea, but is most abun- dant in the Kast, and is aj)parently wanting from certain parts of the Uocky -Moiuitain region, where ravens are common. Although it formerly had a bad rcputatimi as a corn thief, and is known to be guilty not only of stealing corn. but even of stealing gs and killing birds (in- cluding poultry), yet it is now recognized as a ri'ally l)enelieial bird and a true friend of the farmer, because of the vast number of injurious insects which it destroys. It was primitively e(mfined mainly to the Eastern coast-belt, but has steadily prcjgressed westward *itb the advance of civilization, as the raven has correspondingly disappeared. The fish-crow (Corcun ossifragus) frequents the coast and the Southern rivers of the United States. (.See Eisir-CKow.) The 'jabbering" crow {(-'uriiis Juiiiaicciisis) of the Blue iloyiitains of Jamaica is remarkable for the rcseml)lanee of its voice to Inunan speech, which some of the other species of this genus may be taught to imitate. The small, glossy crow of India and Ceylon iCorrns splcndeiis) frequents the towns, feed- ing on ofl'al, and boldly entering rooms through open windows to snatch some morsel from the dinner-table; these birds, called hooded crows in English India, are a nuisance by their bold- ness and thievish ways about camps and vil- lages. CROW (translation of the Hidatsa name of the tribe absaroka, hawk). A warlike and pred- atory tribe of Siouan stock, formerly roaming over the upper Yellowstone region of Wyoming and Montana and now gathered upon a reserva- tion in the latter State to the number of about 1S)50. They were formerly almost constantly at war with all their neighbors, particularly the Sioux, but have uniformly remained at peace with the whites. frei|uently furnishing a con- tingent of scouts against the hostile tribes. CROWBERRY, or CRAKEBERRY (so called from its black color) (Eiiipctnun «i- f/ruin) . A small procumbent shrub, of the natural order Emi)etrace;p, a native of the north- ein parts of the world. abun<lant in the moors and highlands of all high latitudes. The order consists of a few heath-like shrubs. The berries of the crow- lierry are nearlj- black, surround the branches in crowded clusters, and each contains six to nine bony seeds and a watery, acidulous juice, which is sometimes thought to be refreshing: but they are generally little esteemed. A fermented or vinous liquor is prepared from them in some northern countries. They are a favorite food of game. A variety, riibrum, said to be a na- tive of the vicinity of Cape Horn, difl'ers little from the northern plant, except in having red bei'ries. CROW-BLACKBIRD. See Gkakle. CROWD (AS. croda, gcrrod, throng; of tin- known origin), or Mob. In the popular sense, an aggregation of individuals, regardless of their character or the purjioses which brought them together. The psychological signification of a crowd is different. The aggregation becomes a crowd only "when the sentiments and ideas of all the persons in the galherinu take one and the .same direction, and their conscious personality