At call, or On call, liable to be demanded at any moment without previous notice; as money on deposit. -- Call bird, a bird taught to allure others into a snare. -- Call boy (a) A boy who calls the actors in a theater; a boy who transmits the orders of the captain of a vessel to the engineer, helmsman, etc. (b) A waiting boy who answers a cal, or cames at the ringing of a bell; a bell boy. -- Call note, the note naturally used by the male bird to call the female. It is artificially applied by birdcatchers as a decoy. Latham. -- Call of the house (Legislative Bodies), a calling over the names of members, to discover who is absent, or for other purposes; a calling of names with a view to obtaining the ayes and noes from the persons named. -- Call to the bar, admission to practice in the courts.
Cal"la (kăl"l&adot;), n. [LinnŠus derived Calla fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; a cock's wattles but cf. L. calla, calsa, name of an unknown plant, and Gr. kalo`s beautiful.] (Bot.) A genus of plants, of the order AraceŠ.
&fist; The common Calla of cultivation is Richardia Africana, belonging to another genus of the same order. Its large spathe is pure white, surrounding a fleshy spike, which is covered with minute apetalous flowers.