CEREALS 406 CERVANTES CEREALS, a term derived from Ceres, the goddess of corn ; though some- times extended to leguminous plants, as beans, lentils, etc., is more usually and properly confined to the Gramineas, as wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other grasses, cultivated for the sake of their seed as food. CEREBRATION, exertion or action of the brain, conscious or unconscious. CEREBRO-SPINAL, pertaining to the brain and spinal cord together, looked on as forming one nerve mass. CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS. See Meningitis. CERES (se'rez), the daughter of Saturn and Vesta, and goddess of corn, harvests, and tillage. To Jupiter she bore a daughter, Proserpine. Ceres cor- responds w^ith the Isis of the Egyptians, and the Demeter of the Greeks. She is represented with a garland of ears of corn on her head, holding in one hand a lighted torch, and in the other a poppy, vi^hich was sacred to her. The Romans instituted in her honor the festivals called Cerealia. CERIQNOLA, a town 24 miles south- east of the city of Foggia, south Italy, in the province of the same name. Large quantities of oil, cotton, and almonds are produced in the surrounding district. The principal manufacture is linen. The town has several convents, a hospital and a college. A battle took place there in 1503 between the Spaniards under the Duke of Cordova and the French un- der the Due de Nemours, the latter's forces being defeated and he himself slain. Pop. about 40,000. CERITHIUM, the typical genus of the family Cerithiadte. One hundred and thirty-six recent species are known, and 460 fossils, the latter from the Trias onward till now. CERIUM, a metal (Sym. Ce.; at. wt., 140.25) ; found with two other met- als, lanthanum, and didymium, in cerite. Powdered cerite is made into a thick paste with concentrated sulphuric acid, and heated nearly to redness. The mass is then treated with water, saturated with H.S, filtered, acidified with HCl, and precipitated by oxalic acid. This precipitate heated in the air to redness gives a brown powder of the mixed ox- ides. Nitric acid dissolves the oxides of lanthanum and didymium, and leaves the oxides of cerium. The oxides of lan- thanum and didymium are separated by the repeated crystallization of their sul- phates. Cerium is obtained by reducing its chloride with sodium as a gray pow- der whicn decomposes water slowly. It dissolves in dilute acids with evolution of hydrogen. Cerous oxide, CeO, ob- tained by igniting the carbonate or ox- alate, is a grayish-blue powder, which, in the air, oxidizes into ceroso-ceric ox- ide, Ce304, a yellowish-white powder. The salts of the former are colorless, those of the latter brown-red or yellow. CERRO BLANCO, a mountain in New Mexico; summit 14,269 feet. CERRO DE PASCO, the capital of the Peruvian department of Junin, stands at an elevation of 14,276 feet, 138 miles N. E. of Lima. Near it are some of the richest silver mines on the continent. There are also very valuable copper and coal mines. The climate is cheerless and inclement. Pop. about 14,000, mostly Indians and half-breeds. CERRO GORDO (ther'o-gor'dS) [Sp. "Big Mountain"], a mountain-pass in Mexico, through which passes the Na- tional road from Vera Cruz to Jalapa and Mexico. It is celebrated as the scene of a victory by General Scott with 9,000 United States troops over an army of 13,000 Mexicans under Santa Ana, April 17-18, 1847. To intercept Scott on his march from Vera Cruz, the Mexicans took up a strong position in the pass and on the heights commanding it, but after two days skirmishing, Scott suc- ceeded in dislodging and utterly routing them, with a total loss to himself of only 431 killed and wounded. This victory enabled Scott to take the town of Jalapa the following day. CERRO OOBDO DE POTOSI, a moun- tain in the Andes of Bolivia; S. W. of Potosi; 16,150 feet in height; remark- able for its deposits of silver. CERRO LARGO, a department in the N. E. of Uruguay, well watered, with large savannahs and forests. Area, 5,753 square miles; pop. about 60,000, chiefly engaged in cattle-raising. Capi- tal, Cerro Largo or Melo. CERROS, or CEDROS ISLAND, an island belonging to Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean, off the W. coast of Lower Cali- fornia. It is for the most part moun- tainous and barren, but is thought to possess mineral wealth. Area 120 square miles. CERTALDO, a town of central Italy, 19 miles S. W. of Florence. It is note- worthy as the residence of Boccaccio, who was born and died here. His house is still standing, much as it was in the poet's time. Pop. about 11,000. CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, MIGUEL DE (ser-van'tez or ther-van'tes sa-a-va'
