(65-75 cm) long. Some cockatoos live more than 50 years.
Cockburn, Sir Alexander (James Edmund), 10th Bar¬ onet (b. Dec. 24, 1802—d. Nov. 21,
1880, London, Eng.) British jurist. In his early career he earned a high reputation in trials and as a reporter of cases. He served in the House of Commons (1847-56), as attorney general (1851-56), and as chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas (1856-59) before being appointed to the Queen’s Bench (1859-74). He served on the panel that decided the Ala¬ bama claims and finally served as lord chief justice of England (1874-80). He is best known for his tests of obscenity (to be obscene, the material in question had to be proved to “deprave and corrupt” those exposed to it) and insanity (to be insane, a criminal defendant had to be proved unwit¬ ting of the “nature and quality” of his criminal act or incapable of rec¬ ognizing it as wrong).
cockchafer Large European beetle ( Melolontha melolontha ) that dam¬ ages foliage, flowers, and fruit as an adult and plant roots as a larva. In Britain, the name refers more broadly to any of the beetles in this sub¬ family (Melolonthinae), which are known in North America as June beetles. See also chafer, scarab beetle.
cockfighting Contest in which gamecocks, often fitted with metal spurs, are pitted against each other. Fights are usually to the death. An
Coca (Erythroxylum coca).
W.H. HODGE
Sulfur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita).
WARREN GARST/IOM STACK & ASSOCIATES
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
426 I cockle ► codependency
ancient and widespread sport, cockfighting traditionally involves betting on single matches or a series of pairings. Though many countries have banned or restricted it, the laws are not always strictly enforced and ille¬ gal matches are often held privately.
cockle or heart clam Any of approximately 250 species (family Car- diidae) of marine bivalves distributed worldwide. They range in diameter from about 0.5 in. (1 cm) to about 6 in. (15 cm). The two valves of the shell are equal in size and shape and range in colour from brown to red or yellow. Most species live just below the low-tide line, though some have been obtained from depths of more than 1,500 ft (500 m) or in the inter¬ tidal zone. Many species are mar¬ keted commercially for their meat.
Cockpit Country Region, west¬ ern central Jamaica. Covering some 500 sq mi (1,300 sq km), the area has typical karst topography, with conical hills rising above sinkholes with sharp, precipitous sides (called “cockpits”). This inhospitable terrain pro¬ vided refuge for runaway slaves, who became guerrilla fighters when the English conquered Jamaica in 1665. Their descendants today number about 5,000 and still maintain some independence: all land belongs to the community, they pay no taxes, and the central government may interfere only in case of a capital crime.
cockroach or roach Any of more order Blattaria, order Dictyoptera) that are among the most primitive living, winged insects and among the oldest (more than 320 million years old) fossil insects. Cockroaches have a flattened, oval body; long, thread¬ like antennae; and a shining, leath¬ ery, black or brown covering. They prefer a warm, humid, dark environ¬ ment and are usually found in tropi¬ cal or other mild climates, but have become widespread in heated build¬ ings, especially city apartment build¬ ings, in the temperate zone, and infestations can be severe. Only a few species have become pests. Cockroaches eat both animal and plant mate¬ rial. The American cockroach is up to about 2 in. (30-50 mm) long. The German cockroach (less than 0.5 in., or about 12 mm, long) is a common household pest which has been spread throughout the world by ship.
Coco River formerly Segovia River River, Central America. Rising in southern Honduras, it flows 485 mi (780 km) to enter the Caribbean Sea at Cape Gracias a Dios. In 1961 its middle and lower course was declared the international boundary between Honduras and Nicaragua. Only the lower 140 mi (225 km) are navigable.
coconut palm Tree ( Cocos nucifera) of the palm family, one of the most important crops of the tropics. Its slender, leaning, ringed trunk rises from a swollen base and is topped by a graceful crown of giant, feathery leaves. The large ovoid or ellipsoid mature fruits have a thick, fibrous husk sur¬ rounding the familiar single-seeded nut. The nut contains a white and somewhat sweet meat, which is eaten raw; coconut oil is extracted from the meat. The nutritious liquid “milk” at the centre may be drunk directly from the nut. The husk provides coir, a fibre highly resistant to salt water that is used in the manufacture of ropes, mats, baskets, brushes, and brooms. The nutshells are used as containers and often decoratively carved.
Cocos Islands or Keeling Islands Territory (pop., 1996: 558) of Australia. Lying in the eastern Indian Ocean about 580 mi (930 km) southwest of Java, it consists of two isolated atolls and 27 small coral islets and has a total land area of 5.6 sq mi (14.4 sq km). They were dis¬ covered in 1609 by William Keeling and first settled in 1826. Declared a British possession in 1857, the Cocos at times came under the govern¬ ment of Ceylon but ultimately passed to Australia in 1955. In 1984 the residents voted to merge with Australia.
Cocteau \kok-'t6\, Jean (b. July 5, 1889, Maisons-Laffitte, near Paris, France—d. Oct. 11, 1963, Milly-la-Foret, near Paris) French poet, play¬
wright, and film director. He pub¬ lished his first collection of poems,
La Lampe d’Aladin, at age 19. He converted to Catholicism early but soon renounced religion. During World War I he was an ambulance driver on the Belgian front, the set¬ ting for the novel Thomas Timposteur (1923). In the years when he was addicted to opium, he produced some of his most important works, including the play Orphee (1926) and the novel Les Enfants ter- ribles (1929). His greatest play is thought to be The Infernal Machine (1934). His first film was The Blood of a Poet (1930); he returned to film- making in the 1940s, first as a screenwriter and then as a director, and made such admired films as Beauty and the Beast (1945), Orphee (1949), and Le Testament d’Orphee (1960). Musically, Cocteau was closely associated with the group of com¬ posers known as Les Six; among other collaborations, he provided ballet scenarios for Erik Satie (Parade, 1917) and Darius Milhaud (Le Boeuf sur le toit, 1920) and wrote librettos for Igor Stravinsky (Oedipus, 1927) and Milhaud (La Voix humaine, 1930). Also an artist, he illustrated numerous books with his vivid drawings, and he worked as a designer as well.
cod Large and economically important marine fish (Gadus morhua, fam¬ ily Gadidae) found on both sides of the North Atlantic, usually near the bottom in cold water. It ranges from inshore regions to deep waters. It is valued for its edible flesh, the oil of its liver, and other products. The cod is dark-spotted and ranges from greenish or grayish to brown or black¬ ish; it may also be dull to bright red. It usually weighs up to about 25 lbs (11.5 kg) but can reach a maximum length and weight of more than 6 ft (1.8 m) and 200 lbs (91 kg). It feeds largely on other fishes and various invertebrates.
Cod, Cape See Cape Cod
Coddington, William (b. 1601, Boston, Lincolnshire, Eng.—d. Nov. 1, 1678, Rhode Island) American colonial governor and religious dissi¬ dent. An official in the Massachusetts Bay Company, he immigrated to Massachusetts in 1630 and served in the colonial legislature. As a fol¬ lower of Anne Hutchinson, he was obliged to leave the colony for Aquid- neck Island (Rhode Island), where he established settlements at Portsmouth and Newport. Although he hoped to maintain Aquidneck as a separate colony, it was combined with Roger Williams’s Providence plantation in 1644. Later acknowledging Rhode Island’s unity, he served as its governor in 1674, 1675, and 1678.