others (Chætetidæ, Monticuliporida) are even placed by some authors, as Ulrich, among the Polyzoa. All these very primitive groups of tabulate corals played important rôles as Paleozoic reef-builders.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. Milne-Edwards and Haime, "Monographie des Polypiers fossiles des terrains Paléozoiques," Archives du Muséum, vol. v. (Paris, 1851); Roemer and Frech, Lethaa Paleozoica, vol. i. (Stuttgart, 1883); Ogilvie, "Structure and Classification of Corals," Philosophical Transactions, vol. clxxxvii. (London, 1896); G. C. Bourne, "The Anthozoa," in Lankester's Treatise on Zoology, part ii. (London, 1900).

CORALBERRY. See SNOWBERRY. CORAL-FISH. A name given in a general way to various tropical fishes of the families Chaetodontidæ and Pomacentrida, because they frequent submarine coral growths. All are much compressed, high-backed fishes of brilliant hues; and most of them are marked with vertical black bars, and possess filamentous appendages upon the fins and tail. They remain among the branching corals for safety, and are further protected, apparently, by the curious pattern of their coloration. Many species abound in the waters from Bermuda to Brazil, where several species are known as 'angel-fishes.' All are small, but excellent eating.

CORAL ISLAND AND CORAL REEF. An island or marine ridge formed from the petrified skeletons of coral polyps. They are numerous in the warmer portions of the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean, where the growth of coral goes on with great rapidity, occurring to a lesser extent in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic shores of the West Indies. The coral islands and reefs may be classed, according to their general form, into fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs are closely attached to the shore line of an island or land mass and extend outward as a submarine platform. Barrier reefs lie at some distance from the land, the intermediate space being occupied by a shallow lagoon of salt water. Usually some parts of the barrier rise above the level of the ocean as islets which support a scanty vegetation, while the position of the submerged reef is indicated by a line of breakers. An excellent illustration of this type is the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, over 1000 miles long, lying off the east coast of Queensland. Atolls (q.v.) are of rude circular form, inclosing a lagoon, but without any visible land to which the reefs are attached. Their presence is made known by a girdle of breakers and by wave-formed islets on which the cocoanutpalm and a few other tropical plants grow. The central lagoon of placid, transparent water is usually less than 300 feet deep, and when there are passages through the reef it constitutes a safe harbor for ships. Soundings have shown that the slope of the bottom is gentle in the interior, but very steep on the seaward side of the reef, indeed being sometimes almost perpendicular. The Pelew Islands of the Caroline Archipelago, the Low Archipelago in the Pacific, and the Laccadive and Maldive island groups in the Indian Ocean, exhibit many examples of atolls.

FORMATION OF REEFS. The great masses of coral rock have been built up by the continuous growth of various genera and species of corals, which secrete carbonate of lime dissolved in the sea-water. The coral polyps flourish only under

certain conditions; their growth requires clear, warm, salt water, an abundance of food, and a water-depth of not more than twenty fathoms. They cannot live in muddy or brackish water, or in regions where the mean temperature for any month falls below 68° F. The polyp also does not grow above the level of the lowest tides. As to the rate of growth of coral many observations and estimates have been made. Some species build up a reef as rapidly as three inches per year, others increase less than one inch in the same time. Alexander Agassiz estimates that the corals on the Florida coasts would construct a reef from the depth of seven fathoms to the surface in a period of from 1000 to 1200 years.

Under the special conditions necessary for the growth of coral it is a matter of interest to discover by what means the reefs and atolls have been formed, that often rise from depths of several hundred and even of thousands of feet. Darwin, who recognized the fact that shallow water was necessary for the living polyp, inferred that the sites of the reefs must have undergone a gradual subsidence, corresponding to the growth of the reef upward. According to his theory, the colonies of polyps first settled along the shores of an

FIG. 1.

island, where after a time a fringing reef would be formed (Fig. 1). Then if the ocean floor subsided at a sufficiently slow rate to permit the growth of the coral to be continued on the outward side of the reef, the water-channel would gradually widen and deepen and a barrier reef (Fig. 2) would be formed, which, after a long

FIG. 2.

interval, upon the submergence of the entire island, would give way to an atoll (Fig. 3). This

FIG. 3.

simple explanation, first advanced by Darwin in 1835 and afterwards elaborated by J. D. Dana, found wide acceptance among geologists. It was soon discovered, however, that in certain cases the theory of submergence did not conform with the actual conditions. Semper, in 1868, directed attention to the Pelew Islands, where the sea floor and the reefs built thereon have actually

undergone elevation. Later, Murray pursued the study of the question still further and was able to show that reefs do not necessarily require a sinking shore for their formation, but they may grow on a stable foundation such as a submarine bank, raised to near sea-level by accumulation of fossil organisms, or the slopes of a volcanic island. After becoming established in such localities the corals continue their growth outward, and at the same time wave-action washes down débris from the reef to the bottom, forming a platform for their further activity. In case the original foundation was above sea-level the projecting portion may have been cut down by breakers. The solvent action of water would remove the dead coral from

the interior of the reef and thus excavate a basin to be occupied by the lagoon. Both theories of reef-building are probably to be accepted as valid, and each must be tested by actual conditions before its application in any particular instance can be determined.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. Darwin, The Structure and Distribution of Coral Islands (New York, 1891); Dana, Corals and Coral Islands (New York, 1890); Agassiz, A Visit to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia in the Steamer Croydon, in 1896 (Cambridge, Mass., 1898); Murray, "On Coral

Reefs and Other Carbonate of Lime Formations in Modern Seas," in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. xvii. (Edinburgh, 1891); Murray, "On the Structure and Origin of Coral Reefs and Islands," in Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. x. (Edinburgh, 1880); Agassiz and Pourtalès, Monograph of the Corals of Florida (Cambridge, Mass., 1871); Heilprin, The Bermuda Islands (Philadelphia, 1889). See ATOLL; CORAL.

COR'ALLI'NÆ, or COR'ALLINE ALGÆ (Lat. nom. pl. fem. of corallinus, made of coral, from corallum, corallius, coral). A group of red alga (Rhodophyceæ, q.v.), distinguished by the calcareous incrustations secreted by the thallus. The thallus is branching, usually articulated, and forms stony masses like those of the branching corals with which they are often associated. Corallina are important rock-making organisms in some formations, especially of Tertiary age, such as the lower Eocene of Ariège, and the nummulitic limestone of the Alps. The genus Corallina itself, now abundant, was rare during Tertiary time. Lithothamnium, however, appeared in Jurassic time, extending through the Cretaceous, was very abundant during the Tertiary, and has persisted to the present era. Consult: Gümbel, "Die sogenannten Nulliporen, etc.," Abhandlungen der königlich bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, vol. ii. (München, 1874); Unger, "Beitrag zur näheren Kenntniss des Leithakalkes," Denkschriften der Kaiserlich-königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien, vol. xiv. (Vienna, 1858); Zittel and Schimper, Traité de paléontologie, part ii., Paléophytologie (Paris, 1891). See ALGE.

CORAL SEA. That part of the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Australia, extending between the parallel of 250 S., and Torres Strait. It is bounded on the northeastward by part of New Caledonia, a line from thence to the Louisiade Archipelago, and part of the Southern coast

of New Guinea.

CORAL-SNAKE. A poisonous serpent of the genus Elaps, common in tropical America, and

also represented in Africa, so called because coral-red is its prevailing color. There are many species, each marked by some different arrangement of black and yellow rings; the epidermis is also iridescent, probably due to laminations on the scales, and no more beautiful snakes exist. (See Plate with article SNAKE.) All are

CORAL-SNAKE OF FLORIDA.

A

small, of terrestrial habits, and provided with a poison apparatus sufficient for the killing of small animals and birds, but rarely fatal to man. representative species (Elaps fulvius) is well known from Mexico to South Carolina, and common in Florida, as the 'coral-snake,' 'American cobra,' 'garter-snake,' and 'harlequin;' it is the only poisonous snake, not crotaline, in the United States, and, though small and gentle, is not safe tional Museum (Washington, 1893), and Males to handle. Consult: Report United States Naand Urich, "Serpents of Trinidad," in Proceedings Zoological Society of London (London, 1894). See CYLINDER-SNAKE.

CO'RAM, THOMAS (c.1668-1751). An English philanthropist, born at Lyme Regis, Dorsetshire. His father was a merchant captain and he was probably a shipwright by profession. He lived some time in Taunton, Mass. (c.1694c.1716), and then settled in London about 1720. He was constantly interested in philanthropic schemes, particularly in the establishment of the Foundling Hospital, which was accomplished after many years of struggle. The institution was opened in Hatton Garden in 1741. Coram was also a promoter of the English settlements in Georgia and Nova Scotia. In later life he lost most of his fortune, and at his death was in possession of an annuity from the Government. He was buried in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital. One of Hogarth's best portraits is that of Coram, which has hung in the hospital since its presentation by the painter (1740).

CORAM/BIS. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the name given in the quarto edition of 1603 to the character afterwards called Polonius.

CORANACH, kōr'à-năk, CORONACH, CORANICH, or CRONACH (Gael., Ir. coranach, from Gael., Ir. comh, with + Gael. ranaich, a crying, from ran, to cry out). A funeral dirge, formerly in use among the Irish and Scottish Celts. "The cries (coranich) are called by the Irish the ulagohne and hululu, two words extremely expressive of the sound uttered on these occasions (funerals); and being of Celtic stock, etymologists would swear to be the origin of the ololungon of the Greek, and ululatus of the

Latins."-Pennant's Tour.

The coranach seems to be identical with the Irish caóine, generally written and pronounced keen, a dirge for the dead, "according to certain loud and mournful notes and verses," wherein the pedigree, property, the good and great deeds of the deceased, and the manner of his death are recounted, in order to excite sorrow or revenge in the hearers, and to show them the loss they have sustained.

COR ANGLAIS, kôr äN'glâ' (Fr., English horn). A wooden wind instrument of the double reed species, the body of which was formerly bent in the form of part of a circle, which accounts for its being called a horn. It is merely a large oboe (called in German Altoboc, i.e. alto of the oboe), and is usually played on by oboe-players. Its compass is two octaves and a fifth from e to b2. Modern composers employ for this instrument only the G clef. It is a transposing instrument, and music for it is written a fifth above its real tones. Also the name of an eightfoot organ stop occasionally used in French and English pipe organs. For illustration, see MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

CORATO, kō-rä'to. A city of Italy, in the Province of Bari delle Puglie, situated about 26 miles west of the city of Bari (Map: Italy, L 6).

Not far from Corato are the ruins of the Castel

del Monte, built by the Emperor Frederick II., in which the sons of Manfred (q.v.) were imprisoned. The town carries on a trade in cattle and leather, the surrounding country being well adapted for grazing. A good deal of tartar is manufactured here. Population (commune), in 1881, 30,552; in 1901, 41,573.

CORAY, kō-rā', CORAIS, or KORAIS, ADAMANTIOS (1748 - 1833). A Greek classical scholar and patriot. He was the son of a merchant in Smyrna. He engaged in trade in Amsterdam, but in 1782 went to Montpellier to study medicine and natural history. In 1788 he settled in Paris. Coray was one of the first to attempt to revive modern Greek literature, and his political tracts did much to arouse the Greeks to a successful revolt against Turkish rule. Of his classical works the most important is his edition of Heliodorus's romance, Ethiopian Histories, his commentaries on the writings of Hippocrates, and his editions of Xenophon's Memorabilia, Plato's Gorgias, and Strabo. His work, Atacta, ou mélanges sur la littérature grecque moderne (1828-35), did much to elevate the Greek vernacular to a literary language. Consult his Autobiography in Greek (Paris, 1833) and a Latin translation by Schultze (Liegnitz, 1834); also Sinner, Life and Works of Korais (Zurich, 1837); and Bywater, in Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. i. (London, 1881).

COR'BAN (Heb. qorban, offering, from qarab, to draw near, to offer). A term used by the Jews to denote anything devoted to the Deity.

In the Priestly Code it is the regular word for an offering to God of any kind. Such an object was necessarily sacred and could not be applied to profane use. So the word came to be a general expression of prohibition and was used when there was no intention of devoting a thing to God. Certain of the schools held that the mere pronunciation of it, however rashly, constituted a vow. Hence it became a convenient makeshift to avoid a distasteful duty. Thus a son might say his money or other property was corban and so escape the obligation to use it for the support or need of a parent. This interpretation was rebuked by Jesus (Matt. xv. 5; Mark vii. 11.).

CORBEIL, kôr'bâ'y' (Lat. Corbulinum). A town in the Department of Seine-et-Oise, France, at the junction of the Essonne with the Seine, 18 miles south-southeast of Paris (Map: France, N., H 4). From the tenth to the twelfth century it was the chief town of a powerful countship. It was besieged by the Duke of Burgundy in 1418, by the Huguenots in 1562, and by Alexander Farnese in 1590. The Gothic Church of Saint Spire was rebuilt in the fifteenth century. The town has flour-mills, print-works, cotton-factories, and manufactures of watches, clocks, etc. Population, in 1901, 9362.

COR/BEL (OF. corbel, Fr. corbeau, basket, from Lat. corbis, basket). A bracket projecting from a wall and forming an integral part of it, so as to receive and support any superincumbent weight. In France it is not a corbel unless it has parallel sides and projects more than its height, but the English usage is more general and includes those slight projections, called in French culs-de-lampe, from which vaulting-ribs or moldings spring when they do not rise from the floor. See BRACKET; CANTILEVER; CONSOLE.

COR/BENIC. The name of a stronghold erected by Galafres after his conversion as a shrine for the Holy Grail. It is called also the Palace of Adventure, and in it Galafres, christened Alphasan, is stabbed to death.

An

COR/BETT, JULIAN STAFFORD (1854-). English lawyer born in Surrey, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He became counsel of the Navy in 1901. In addition to monographs on Sir Francis Drake and other English celebrities, in the work entitled, English Men of Action, he wrote England in the Mediterranean (1904), and the romances, The Fall of Asgard (1886); For God and Gold (1887); Kophetua XIII. (1809); and A Business in Great Waters (1895).

CORBIE, kôr'be. A town in the Department of La Somme, France, formerly a fortress, ten miles northeast of Amiens. It has cotton and woolen factories. Population, in 1901, 4133. Corbie owes its fame to the Benedictine abbey founded here in 662 by Queen Balthilde. The Abbot enjoyed the title of Earl and a munificent income. Of the abbey, the Church of Saint Pierre alone remains. The banished King Desiderius was sent here by Charlemagne in 774. Corvei (q.v.) owes its origin to Corbie.

CORBIE STEPS, CORBEL STEPS, or CROW STEPS (a Scotch corruption of corbel steps, from OF. corbel, corbel, but confused by popular etymology with Scotch corbie, crow, from ME., OF. corbin, Lat. corvinus, crow, and supposed to mean steps for crows). In architecture, the succession of steps with which the