CLIFFORD. wrangler in tlic mathematical tripos of 1867. In August, lISTl, lie was olcctcrl to the chair of mathematics and mcchanifs at fnivcrsity Col- Itgc, London, which post he retained until his untimely death at Madeira, March .3, 1ST!). Clif- ford first cstahlished his reputation as an origi- nal thinker with the faculty of expressing scien- tifie thought in plain and simple language by a lecture at the Royal Institution, On Some of the Conditions of Mental Dcrelopmrnt. He was a valued member of the London Mathematical So- ciety, contributing to the I'rocredimjs : for a time he acted as secretary, and afterwards vice- president of the mathematical and physical sec- tion of the British Association; he also lectured to the Sunday Lecture Society on such subjects as Ether; Atoms; and The Sun's Place in the Universe, and took an active interest in popular- izing science. The versatility of his mind in philosophical and scientific discussion was fur- ther shown by his varied contributions to period- ical literature. Besides these articles, ajid many papers on mathematics, he issued the first part of a larger text-book. Elements of Dynnmics (1878). See Clifford's Lectures and Essays, ed- ited by Leslie Stephen and F. Pollock (London, 1870). which contains a biographical sketch by the latter editor. CLIFFORD'S INN. An inn of Chancery, at- tached to the Inner Teuiple, in Jxindon, built in 1.345. and named after Robert de Clitt'ord. who lived in Edward II. 's reign. Like the other Inns of Chancery it is now used for office and busi- ness purposes. CLIFF-PLANTS. A grouj) of drought-plants, xerophytes ( q.v. ) , found chiefly on river, lake, or .sea cliffs. See Rock-I'i.v.nts. CLIFF-SWALLOW, or E.wes-Swallow. A swallow {Pitrocliclidon lunifrons) familiar throughout North America as one of those that make their nests about barns and outhouses. (See Bakx-Swali.ow.) It is distinguished from ether semi-domestic swallows by its short, square tail, reddish rump, grayish breast and collar, and white forehead; and by the fact that it places its flask-shaped nests of mtid always on the out- side of the building, unlike the fork-tailed true barn-swallows, which go inside the building to nest. This swallow originally nested in colonies wherever a rocky clifT afl'orded a chance to fasten their nests in close companies upon its face. (See Plate of 1<'amili.r Swallows.) These nests were globular, with a spout-like neck, forming the entrance, and were formed of pellets of mud, and lined with grass and feathers. As soon as human settlements began near their resorts. these swallows abandoned the clifl's for the more secure, better-sheltered place under the eaves of such buildings as they were permitted to occupy: and as the spread of civilization has finally cov- ered most of the range of the sjiecies, only a few- places in the remote West remain where these birds may be seen nesting after their primitive habit In the eastern part of the country inter- esting modifications of habit have followed their long-continued association with man — among others, a disposition to make a much simpler style of nest, leaving off the domed roof and flask-like entrance, and forming little more than a cup in its place, since the overhanging eaves keep off the vain and conceal the sitting bird. This genus is almost cosmopolitan, has similar habits nearly everywhere, and in all countries attaches itself 33 CLIMACTERIC YEAR. to and i^ Melcomed by civilizaztion. Consult Ingersoll. Wild Life of 'Orchard and Field (New York. l:i02). CLIF'TON. A beautiful and favorite water- ing-phu-e in the southwest of Cloucestershirc, England, fiirmiiig the western sviburb and part of the Parliamentary borough of Bristol (ilap: England, Do). It has a tei)id spring of 73' F., which contains carbonic acid and salts of mag- nesia, and was brought into notice about 1(>!>5. The deep valley of the Avon is here s])anned by a graceful suspension bridge. Population, in 1S!)1, 4-1.7n(); in 1001, 44,400. .See BmSTOL. CLIFTON, or Si.si'en.sion liKiiitiE. Former name of the town of Niagara Falls (q.v.), On- tario, Canada. CLIFTON SPRINGS. A village in Ontario C<piinty. X. V.,.'iO miles southeast of Rochester; on the Lehigh alley and tile New York Central and Hudson River railroads (Map: New York, C 3). It is situated amid beautiful scenery, and is famous for its sulphur springs and the well- equipped Clifton Springs Sanitarium. The vil- lage has two public parks and libraries. .Set- tled about 18.50, Clifton Springs was incorporated as a village in 1850. It owns and operates iti w ater-works. Population, in 1800, 1207 ; in 1900, 1617. CLIM, klim, or CLYM OF THE CLOUGH, kliif (Clim of the valley. Icel. klo/i. i-avine. from kliifa. to split, AS. cleofan, to cleave). .
Eng-
lish archer, said to have lived one generation pre- vious to Robin Hood. He is known through the old ballad Adam Bell, Clym of the Cloughe, and Wyllyam of Cloudeslee. The Story runs that these three men were outlawed for stealing veni- son, and passed through many adventures and hard fights with the sheriff's, justices, and mayor of '^lerrie Carlile.' They went to the King for pardon; but he would Iiave hanged them if the Queen had not interceded for them. The ballad is far older than the oldest copy extant, which is the standard version, printed by Copeland about 1550. A fragment of an older one exists, recov- ered by Payne Collier. It is curious to no- tice that in this ballad William of Cloudeslee shoots an apple from his son's head at si.x score paces, in the presence of the King and Queen, after the manner of William Tell, of the Conti- nental legend. CLIMACTERIC YEAR (Lat. climacteri- ens. Ok. KXi^uaKXTjpiKit, klimakterikos, climacteric, from Kifj,a.KT7ip, klinuiktcr, round of a ladder dangerous point in life, from KXi/iai. kliniax, ladder, staircase). The year in the life of a woman dtiring which she undergoes what is com- monly called the 'change of life.' and which gener- ally falls between her forty-fifth and fiftieth years. The term 'climacteric years' was once ajiplied also to certain years in man's life, which were long believed by the disciples of astrology to have a peculiar significance, and to be the critical points of his health and fortune. Crises of this kind were, namely, supposed to be reached in the twenty- first, the thirty-fifth, the forty-ninth, and the sixty-third years of man's life. The most important of all was the sixty-third year, whic'a was called — by way of eminence — the climac- teric year, or the 'grand climacteric' This year was supposed to be fatal to most men. owing to the fact that sixty-three is the product of the two mvstical numbers .seven and nine.
