relate to the Rocky Mountain and Oregon regions, "where," says Col. Frémont, "it is naturalized, and if desirable to render into English, there is no word which would be its precise equivalent. It is applied to the detached hills and ridges which rise abruptly, and reach too high to be called hills or ridges, and not high enough to be called mountains. Knob, as applied in the Western States, is their most descriptive term in English; but no translation or paraphrasis would preserve the identity of these picturesque landmarks."-Exped. to the Rocky Mountains, p.

145.

Sir Geo. Simpson, in his "Overland Journey round the World," when traversing the Red River country, west of Hudson's Bay, speaks of a conspicuous landmark in the sea of plains, known as the Butte aux Chiens, . . . . towering with a height of about four hundred feet over a boundless prairie as level and smooth as a pond. Vol. I. p. 54.

On entering the broken ground, the creek turns more to the westward, and passes by two remarkable buttes of a red conglomerate, which appear at a distance like tables cut in the mountain side. — Ruxton's Mexico and Rocky Mountains, p. 241. BUTTER-BIRD. See Bobolink.

BUTTERNUT. (Juglans cinerea.) The tree resembles the black walnut, yet the wood is sometimes called white walnut.

BUTTONING up. A Wall street phrase. When a broker has bought

stock on speculation and it falls suddenly on his hands, whereby he is a loser, he keeps the matter to himself, and is reluctant to confess the ownership of a share. This is called buttoning up. A Walk in Wall Street, p. 47.

BUTTON BUSH.

(Cephalanthus occidentalis.) A shrub which grows

along the water side, its insulated thickets furnishing a safe retreat for the nests of the blackbird. Its flowers appear at a distance like the balls of the sycamore tree; hence its name. Bigelow, Flora Bostoniensis.

BUTTONWOOD or BUTTON TREE. (Platanus occidentalis.) The popular name, in New England, of the sycamore tree; so called from the balls it bears, the receptacle of the seeds, which remain on the trees during the winter. Michaux's Sylva. Sometimes called Button-ball tree. BUYER'S OPTION. A purchaser of stocks at the broker's board, buyer's option, thirty, sixty, or ninety days, can call for the stock any day within that time, or wait until its expiration. He pays interest at the rate of six per cent. up to the time he calls. A purchase on buyer's option is generally a fraction above the cash price. Hunt's Merchants Mag., Vol. 37.

BUZZARD. A name given to several kinds of hawks indigenous to America, as the Black-Buzzard (Falco harlani), the Red-tailed Hawk or Buzzard (Falco borealis), and the Short-winged Buzzard, or Great Hen-Hawk (Falco buteoides). See also Turkey-Buzzard.

BY AND AGAIN. Occasionally, now and then. A Southern expression. BY-BIDDER. A person employed at public auctions to bid on articles put up for sale, to enhance the price.

BY THE NAME OF. Some persons will say, "I met to-day a man by the name of Smith." An Englishman would say "of the name," etc.; except in such phrases as "He went by the name of Smith."

C.

CABBAGE-TREE. (Palma altissima.) A palm tree found in East Florida. From its pith very good sago is made, and its long trunks serve for pipes to convey water underground. - Bartram's Florida Journal.

CABERES. (Span. cabestro, a halter.) A rope made of hair, used for catching wild horses and cattle. It is used in the same manner as the "lariat," which is made of raw hide. These two words are in common use in Louisiana and Texas, and imply what is, at the North, termed a lasso.

Bill Stone had his rifle for himself and a strong caberos for his horse, and so did n't bother anybody about feeding.-N. Y. Spirit of the Times, Western Tale.

CABOODLE. The whole caboodle is a common expression, meaning the whole lot. I know not the origin of the word. It is used in all the Northern States and New England. The word boodle is used in the

same manner.

They may recommend to the electors of Hamilton county to disregard so much of the law as constitutes two election districts of Hamilton county. Having done this, Medary will be looking out for a job; Olds will be often in Fairfield cozening for a nomination to Congress; and the whole caboodle will act upon the recommendation of the Ohio Sun, and endeavor to secure a triumph in the old fashion way. Ohio State Journal.

CACAO. The fruit of the cacao-tree (Theobroma cacao), of which chocolate is made; hence also called Chocolate-nuts, commonly spelled and pronounced Cocoa.

CACHE. (French.) A hole in the ground for hiding and preserving provisions which it is inconvenient to carry. Travellers across the prairies, hunters, and the settlers in the far West, often resort to this means for preserving their provisions. In the author's journey to California, owing

to the loss of animals, the contents of a wagon were cached on the banks of the Gila, and camp-fires built over the opening, that the Indians might not discover it. It was opened the following year, and every thing found in good order.

I took advantage of a detached heap of stones, to make a cache of a bag of pemmican.-Back, Journal of an Arctic Voyage.

The cache, which I had relied so much upon, was entirely destroyed by the bears. -Dr. Kane, Arctic Explorations, Vol. I.

TO CACHE. To hide or conceal in the ground.

We returned to camp and cached our meat and packs in the forks of a cotton-wood tree out of reach of wolves. - Ruxton's Adventures in New Mexico.

When Dr. Hovey's party reached Mann's Fort, they were wellnigh exhausted. The fort was vacant, but after much search they found plenty of salt pork, which had been cached by its former occupants. - New York Tribune.

CACHUNK! A word like thump! describing the sound produced by the fall of a heavy body. Also written kerchunk! A number of fanciful onomatopoetic words of this sort are used in the South and West; in all of which the first syllable, which is unaccented, is subject to the same variety of spelling. These words are of recent origin.

CACIQUE, or CAZIQUE. (W. Ind. cazic, cachic.) A chief, or king, among the aborigines of the West India Islands. This, like other terms of the sort, has been extended by the whites beyond its original limits. CACOMITE. A name for the bulbous root of a species of Tigridia from which a good flour is prepared, in Mexico.

CAHOOT. (Perhaps Fr. cohorte, a company, band.) It is used in the South and West to denote a company, or partnership.

Pete Hopkins aint no better than he should be, and I would n't swar he was n't in cahoot with the devil. - Chronicles of Pineville.

I'd have no objection to go in cahoot with a decent fellow for a character, but have no funds to purchase on my own account. - New Orleans Picayune.

The hoosier took him aside, told him there was a smart chance of a pile on one of the [card] tables, and that if he liked he would go in with him- in cahoot! Field, Western Tales.

TO CAHOOт. To act in partnership.

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Commodore Morgan sells out his interest to Com. Garrison in the Nicaragua line, and Garrison settles his difficulties with Com. Vanderbilt, and they all agree to cahoot with their claims against Nicaragua and Costa Rica.· New York Herald, May 20, 1857. CALABASH. 1. A large gourd, the fruit of the Cucurbita lagenaria, or calabash vine.

2. (Crescentia cujete.) A gourd that grows upon trees in Spanish America and the West Indies. The fruit is large and round, and serves

for bowls. That of another species or variety is oval, and furnishes drinking-cups and chocolate-cups. In South America, the name is Totuma; in Central America, Jicara; and in Cuba, Guïra.

3. A humorous name for the head, generally implying emptiness; as, "he broke his calabash."

CALABOOSE. (Fr. calabouse, Span. calabozo.) In the South-western States, the common jail or prison.

There's no peace in a steamer, it is nothing but a large calaboose chock full of prisoners. Sam Slick, Human Nature.

TO CALABOOSE. To imprison. South-western.

We have a special telegraphic despatch from St. Louis, giving the information that Col. Titus, late of Nicaragua, now claiming to be of Kansas, was calaboosed on Tuesday for shooting at the porter of the Planters' House.. - Cincinnati Commercial, 1857.

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CALASH. (Fr. calèche.) 1. A two-wheeled carriage, resembling a chaise, used in Canada.

2. A covering for the head, usually worn by ladies to protect their headdresses when going to evening parties, the theatre, etc. It is formed of hoops after the manner of a chaise-top, and is in England, very appropriately, called an ugly.

TO CALCULATE. This word, which properly means to compute, to estimate, has been erroneously transferred from the language of the counting-house to that of common life, where it is used for the words to esteem; to suppose; to believe; to think; to expect; intend, etc. It is employed in a similar way to the word guess, though not to so great an Its use is confined to the illiterate of New England.

extent.

Mr. Cram requested those persons who calculated to join the singin' school to come forward. - Knickerbocker Mag. Vol. XVII.

CALF-KILL. (Kalmia angustifolia.) A plant, so called from its poisonous properties, which are, however, not so great as the name imports. Also called Lamb-kill and Sheep Laurel.

CALIBOGUS. Rum and spruce-beer. An American beverage. Grose. CALICO. The word was originally applied to white cottons from India. In England, white cotton goods are still called calicoes. In the United States, the term is applied exclusively to printed cotton cloth.

CALL. An invitation from the vestry of a church to a clergyman to occupy their pulpit is technically termed a call, the loudness of which call is considered to be in a direct ratio to the salary offered.

The renowned Mr. Dow, Jr., at the close of one of his sermons,

I have observed that a great many country people have lately joined my congregation. Let the good work go on! I hope to coax a few more such sheep into my fold before I preach my farewell sermon; and that may be pretty soon, as I have had a loud $600 call elsewhere. Sermons, Vol. I. p. 317. CALLITHUMPIANS. It was a common practice in New York, as well as other parts of the country, on New Year's eve, for persons to assemble with tin horns, bells, rattles, and similar euphonious instruments, and parade the streets, making all the noise and discord possible. This party was called the Callithumpians, or the Callithumpian band. Fortunately the custom has now fallen almost, if not entirely, into disuse. CALL-LOANS. Loans on call are loans of money where the borrower obligates himself to pay at any moment when called for. Banks having large deposits which are liable to be called for any day, often loan money at less than the ordinary rates in this way to brokers.

To speculate in fancy stocks on call loans is simply to put your hand in the lion's mouth, or yourself in the hands of a Shylock, with the expectation of getting out without being fleeced. New York Herald.

CALLS. Operations of this kind are made generally by those "curb-stone brokers" who are under the impression that higher prices will soon rule in certain stocks. A speculator is desirous of making a little operation, and he offers to give $50 for the privilege of calling for 100 shares New York Central Railroad stock at 91 per cent. in ten or fifteen days. The price fixed on the part of the buyer is always a fraction above the cash price. If the stock goes down ten, twenty, or thirty per cent., the party buying the call can only lose $50. If it goes up to 91, he gets his money back, and all above that is so much profit. This business is confined almost entirely to the curb-stone brokers—it is a species of betting about on a par with "roulette." - Hunt's Merchant's Mag., 1857.

CALUMET. (Old Fr.) Among the aboriginals of America, a pipe, used for smoking tobacco, whose bowl is usually of soft red marble, and the tube a long reed, ornamented with feathers. The calumet is used as a symbol or instrument of peace and war. To accept the calumet is to agree to the terms of peace; and to refuse it is to reject them. The calumet of peace is used to seal or ratify contracts and alliances, to receive strangers kindly, and to travel with safety. The calumet of war, differently made, is used to proclaim war. Webster, Dic.

—

As soon as we sat down, the Illinois [Indians] presented us, according to custom, their calumet, which one must needs accept, or else he would be looked upon as an open enemy or a mere brute. — Marquette, 1673.

The savages make use of the calumet in all their negotiations and state affairs; for when they have a calumet in their hand, they go where they will in safety. — La Houtan.