The babbler is a family of birds (Timaliidae), of about 233 species which occur throughout the warmer areas of Asia, some of the species extending to Africa and Australia. Ranging from sparrow-sized to jay-sized, they are a very diverse family. Most species are brown, but some have brightly coloured patches. The Pekinrobin, Leiothrix lutea, is greyish above and red and yellow underneath and on the wings. The white-crested laughing thrush, Garrulax leucolophus, one of about forty-five laughing thrushes, is mainly brown but with a striking white head and chest, a black eye-stripe, and bright red eyes. Other groups within the family include parrotbills and the African rockfowl. Most are insectivorous, catching their food with a long, thin beak. Some of the tree-babblers have strongly curved beaks which they use for probing into soft wood and leaves. Many species live in groups of six to twelve and defend a joint territory. The name also applies to the five species of Australo-Papuan babblers, Poma tostomidae. Research Babbler
The babiroussa or babyroussa (in Indonesian meaning hog-stag) is a ferocious wild pig found in Sulawesi. The babiroussa's behaviour differs from typical pigs in various ways. It does not dig holes in the ground in search of roots or worms, but rather feeds on fruit fallen from the trees or larva nesting in fallen tree-trunks. Unlike typical pigs the female gives birth to only one or two offspring, and these grow slowly. From the outside of the upper jaw spring two teeth 30 cm long, curving upwards and backwards like horns, and almost touching the forehead. The tusks of the lower jaw also appear externally, though they are not so long as those of the upper jaw. Along the back are some weak bristles, and on the rest of the body only a sort of wool. These animals live in herds, are sometimes tamed, and their flesh is well flavoured. Research Babiroussa
The baboon is seven species of Old World monkey in the genus Papio that have evolved from tree-dwelling ancestors to become terrestrial, walking on all four limbs. Typical open-country monkeys, they are found all over the savannah, semi-desert, and lightly forested regions of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. (The species of baboons known as the mandrill and the drill, however, live in more forested habitats.) The face is elongated and rather dog-like, and the jaw carries a long row of grinding molar teeth.
Baboons feed on the ground, eating seeds, tubers, grass, insects, and small animals, and this makes them vulnerable to predators. Troops of baboons will often associate with a herd of ungulates such as impala, which are alert and will give warning of approaching predators. The association is of mutual benefit, as baboons are powerful animals and give protection to the impala from smaller predators. The hamadryas baboon, Papio hamadryas, is 76 centimetres tall with a tail 61 centimetres long; the females have brown hair and the males have grey hair with a long mane. They live in highly organized societies of twenty-five to thirty animals, and occasionally in groups of up to 200. The society is usually hierarchical, and the males defend females with young. A single offspring is born and it is carried by its mother for several months. Other species are the common, or savannah, baboon, Papio cynocephalus, and the gelada baboon, Theropithecus gelada. Research Baboon
Bacillus pestis (Bacterium pestis, Yersinia pestis, Pasteurella pestis, Pestisella pestis) is the coccobacillus that causes bubonic plague. It was discovered in 1894 by Kitasato at Hong Kong. Research Bacillus pestis
Bacteria are a diverse group of ubiquitous micro organisms all of which consist of only a single cell that lacks a distinct nuclear membrane and has a cell wall of a unique composition.
Bacteria are usually classified by means of Gram's stain, whether or not they require oxygen, and on the basis of shape. A bacterial cell may be spherical, rod-like, spiral, comma-shaped, corkscrew-shaped, or filamentous, resembling a fungal cell. The majority of bacteria range in size from 0.5 to 5 mm. Many are motile, bearing flagella, possess an outer slimy capsule, and produce resistant spores. In general bacteria reproduce only asexually, by simple division of cells, but a few groups undergo a form of sexual reproduction. Bacteria are largely responsible for decay and decomposition of organic matter, producing a cycling of such chemicals as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur. A few bacteria obtain their food by means of photosynthesis, some are saprophytes, and others are parasites, causing disease. The symptoms of bacterial infections are produced by toxins. Research Bacteria
The Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) is the Asian species of camel. It is a two-humped camel once commonly found in Asia, but now endangered and only found in parts of Mongolia and China. The Bactarian Camel has been domesticated for use as pack animals, and also a source of milk and wool, and their manure. Research Bactrian Camel
The badger (Meles taxus or Meles vulgaris) or brock is an omnivorous mammal of the family Mustelidae, allied both to the bears and to the weasels, of a clumsy make, with short thick legs, and long claws on the fore-feet. found in England and Europe. It is a nocturnalanimal about 90 centimetres in length with a pointed nose and of a blackish-grey colour with white markings over its head. The badger has a very thick tough hide, and long coarse hair, it is indolent and sleepy, feeds by night on vegetables, small quadrupeds, etc. Its flesh may be eaten, and its hair is used for artists' brushes in painting and for quality shaving brushes. The American badger belongs to a separate genus. Research Badger
Badister is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae, closely related to the genusLicinus, but smaller measuring no more than nine millimetres in length and live in damp places under stones and wood and among grass roots. Research Badister
Bagaceratops was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous Period. Remains of Bagaceratops were discovered in 1975 in the USSR. It was about 1 metre long, with a low neck frill, a small horn on its snout and a tough beak-like mouth with no front teeth. Research Bagaceratops
Balaeniceps is a genus of wading birds belonging to the Soudan, intermediate between the herons and storks, and characterized by an enormous bill, broad and swollen, giving the only known species (Balaeniceps rex), also called the shoe-bird, a peculiar appearance. It feeds on fishes, water-snakes, carrion, etc, and makes its nest in reeds or grass adjoining water. The bill is yellow, blotched with dark brown, the general colour of the plumage dusky grey, the head, neck, and breast slaty, the legs blackish. Research Balaeniceps
The Balaenidae are the right whale family of mammals of the order Cetacea. They have an arched rosrum giving a deeply curved jaw line, very long and slender baleen plates and no throat grooves. They are quite rotund with a relatively large head and a narrow upper jawbone, and have tactile hairs on their heads. Research Balaenidae
Balantidium is a Phylum Protozoa, a member of the order of Heterotricha.
Balantidium coli occurs in the cecum of swine, where it does no harm. However, on being transmitted to primates it can cause acute and even hemorrhagic diarrhoea and ulceration of the gut wall. Research Balantidium
Balauus ('acorn-shells'), is a genus of sessile cirripedes, of the family Balanidae, of which colonies are to be found on rocks at low water, on timbers, crustaceans, shells of molluscs, etc. They differ from the barnacles in having a symmetrical shell, and being destitute of a flexible stalk. The shell consists of six plates, with an operculum of four valves. They pass through a larval state in which they are not fixed, moving by means of swimming feet which disappear in the final state. All the Balanidae are hermaphrodite. A South American species (Balanus psittacus) is eaten on the coast of Chill, the Balanus tintinnabulum by the Chinese. The old Roman epicures esteemed the larger species. Research Balanus
The bald eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalus) is a bird found in North America and North-east Asia. It is the symbol of the United States, though Franklin deplored the selection on account of the bald eagle's mean and dishonest habit of robbing the industrious osprey of the fish it has caught. Like all members of the genus his diet is less restricted than that of the true eagles; and he even takes carrion. Research Bald Eagle
Baleen plates are sheets of stiff fibrous tissue derived from the upper palate in some whales, that shred as they are worn to form a filter plate for plankton. The whales catch the plankton on the straining-hairs and suck them off with their tongues. Research Baleen Plates
The Bali Pony is an ancient breed of Indonesianpony. They have a placid and good-natured temperament, stand between 12 and 13 hands high and are very strong for such a small pony. As might be expected of an old breed they are hardy, self-sufficient, rarely go lame and rarely need shoeing. Research Bali Pony
The Balinese Cat is a Siamesecat with a longhaired coat, the breed originating from the 1940s.
Balinese Cats are effectively mutations of the Siamese, and apart from having a longhaired coat are also quieter than the shorthaired Siamese. Research Balinese Cat
The Balkhi is a fat tailed mutton type of breed of sheep found in the North- West Frontier Province of Pakistan and in adjoining tribal areas of Afghanistan. They are a large size sheep with a body colour varying between black, tan, grey or a mixture of all three colours, often extending to the head and legs as well. The ears are moderately long, the body is muscular and compact, and a tucked up fat tail. Research Balkhi
Balm or lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennialherb of the family Labiate with a short rhizome and an erect, much-branched square stem. The leaves are opposite, stalked, ovate, yellow green and crenate. The flowers are small, two-lipped and grow in whorls in the upper leaf axils. The flowers change colour as they mature from pale yellow through white to pale blue. The fruit consists of four smooth nutlets. All parts of the plant are finely hairy and have a strong lemon scent. Research Balm
The Baltimore bird (Icterus Baltimorii) is an American bird of the family Icteridae, nearly allied to the Sturnidae, or starlings. It is a migratory bird, and is known also by the names of 'golden robin', 'hang-bird', and 'fire-bird'. It is about 17 cm long; the head and upper parts are black; the under parts of a brilliant orange hue. It builds a pouch-like nest, very skilfully constructed of threads deftly interwoven, suspended from a forked branch and shaded by overhanging leaves. It feeds on insects, caterpillars, beetles, etc. Its song is a clear, mellow whistle. Research Baltimore Bird
The Baluchi (Baluchi dumda, Mengali, Taraki, Shinwari, Araghi, Farahani, Kermani, Khorasani, Khurasani, Naeini, Neini, Yazdi) is a breed of sheep that originated in the area which is now south-west Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. They are a fat-tailed meat breed with a carpet grade wool. They are white with black marks on the head and legs. Rams can be either horned or polled and ewes are polled. Research Baluchi
The Balwen Welsh Mountain is a breed of Welsh mountain sheep. The Balwen has a base colour of black/ brown or dark grey, with a white blaze on the face, four white feet and a half white tail. The name Balwen is derived from the Welsh phraseBal meaning white blaze. It is thought farmers over the years used the Balwen as landmarks on the hills as a means of recognizing ones flock. By whatever means, the Balwen has been preserved by the continued belief of committed enthusiasts that the Welsh Mountain is a 'sheep for all seasons'. For many years the Balwen was confined to an area of central Wales on the borders of the old counties of Cardigan, Brecon and Carmarthen. The catchment area of the river Tywi, north of Rhandirmwyn (now the Llyn Brianne Dam) was the breeding grounds for the Balwen sheep, and the ancestry of all Balwens can be traced back to the Tywi valley. The
Balwen Welsh Mountain Sheep is a small very hardy breed. They are easy to manage having very few health problems associated with many of the larger breeds. They have excellent feet requiring little attention and can get by with only the minimum of feeding at peak times of the year. The Balwen is an excellent mother, having very few lambing problems with plenty of milk capable of rearing twin lambs under the right circumstances. Research Balwen Welsh Mountain More information about Balwen Welsh Mountain
Bamboo is a genus of arborescent grasses (family Gramineae) found chiefly in warm climates. There are many species, the culms are round (rarely square), jointed, sometimes thorny, and hollow or solid with evergreen or deciduous leaves and can grow to 30 metres high and a diameter of 30 cm.
The best-known species is Bamboo arundinacea, common in tropical and sub-tropical regions. From the creeping underground rhizome, which is long, thick, and jointed, spring several round jointed stalks, which send out from their joints several shoots, the stalks also being armed at their joints with one or two sharp rigid spines. The oval leaves, about 20 cm long, are placed on short footstalks. The flowers grow in large panicles from the joints of the stalk. Some stems grow to 25 cm in diameter, and are so hard and durable as to be used for building purposes. The smaller stalks are used for walking sticks, flutes, etc; and indeed the plant is used for innumerable purposes in the East Indies, China, and other Eastern countries. Cottages are almost wholly made of it; also, bridges, boxes, water-pipes, ladders, fences, bows and arrows, spears, baskets, mats, paper, masts for boats, etc. The young shoots are pickled and eaten, or otherwise used as food; the seeds of some species are also eaten. The substance called tabasheer is a siliceous deposit that gathers at the internodes of the stems. The bamboo is imported into Europe and America as a paper material as well as for other purposes. Research Bamboo
The banana is a perennialherb cultivated in tropical and sub tropical climates. Bananas are fast-growing, arising from underground rhizomes. The fleshy stalks or pseudostems formed by upright concentric layers of leaf sheaths constitute the functional trunks. The true stem begins as an underground corm which grows upwards, pushing its way out through the centre of the stalk 10 to 15 months after planting, eventually producing the terminal inflorescence which will later bear the fruit. Each stalk produces one huge flowercluster and then dies. New stalks then grow from the rhizome. The large rectangular or elliptic leaf blades are extensions of the sheaths of the pseudostem and are joined to them by fleshy, deeply grooved, short petioles. The leaves unfurl, as the plant grows, at the rate of one per week in warm weather, and extend upward and outward , becoming as much as 2.5 metres long and 0.75 metres wide. They may be entirely green, green with maroon patches, or green on the upper side and red-purple beneath. The leaf veins run from the mid-rib straight to the outer edge of the leaf. Even when the wind shreds the leaf, the veins are still able to function. Approximately 44 leaves will appear before the inflorescence. The banana inflorescence shooting out from the heart in the tip of the stem, is at first a large, long-oval, tapering, purple-clad bud. As it opens, the slim, nectar-rich, tubular, toothed, white flowers appear. They are clustered in whorled double rows along the floral stalk, each cluster covered by a thick, waxy, hood like bract, purple outside and deep red within.
The flowers occupying the first five to fifteen rows are female. As the rachis of the inflorescence continues to elongate, sterile flowers with abortive male and female parts appear, followed by normal staminate ones with abortive ovaries. The two latter flower types eventually drop in most edible bananas. The ovaries contained in the first (female) flowers grow rapidly, developing parthenocarpically into clusters of fruits, called hands. The number of hands varies with the species and variety.
The fruit (technically a berry) turns from deep green to yellow or red, and may range from ten centimetres to thirty centimetres in length and two centimetres to five centimetres in diameter. The flesh, ivory-white to yellow or salmon-yellow, may be firm, astringent, even gummy with latex when unripe, turning tender and slippery, or soft and mellow or rather dry and mealy or starchy when ripe. The flavour may be mild and sweet or slightly acid with a distinct appletone. The common cultivated types are generally seedless with just vestiges of ovules visible as brown specks. Occasionally, cross-pollination with wild types will result in a number of seeds in a normally seedless variety. Research Banana
The bandicoot are various species of small marsupial belonging to the order Peramelemorphia, peculiar to Australasia. They are terrestrial animals with a long pointed head and compact body. Their forearms are short and their hind limbs relatively long. The forefeet of most species are adapted for digging, with long forefeet and strong claws on the second, third, and fourth toes. The first and fifth toes are absent, or if present, are small and lacking claws. On the hind feet, the fourth toe is largest. Research Bandicoot
Baneberry, (Actoea spicata) is a European plant, of the order Ranunculaceae, local in England, with a spike of white flowers and black, poisonous berries. Two American species are considered remedies for rattlesnake bite. Research Baneberry
Banksia (named after Sir Joseph Banks), is a genus of Australian shrubs and trees, of the order Proteaceae, with leathery leaves generally dark green on the upper surface and pale below, often cultivated in conservatories for their peculiar foliage and flowers. They were named honeysuckles by the colonists from the honey the flowers contain. Research Banksia
The Bantam Fowl is a small but spirited breed of domestic fowl, first brought from the East Indies, supposed to derive its name from Bantam in Java. Most of the sub-varieties have feathered legs; but these are not to be preferred. In point of colour the black and nankeen varieties take the palm. A well-bred bantam does not weigh more than half a kilogram. Research Bantam
The Banteng or Banting (Bos sondaicus) is a wild ox found in southeastAsia having a black body, slender white
legs, short sleek hair, sharp muzzle, and the back humped behind the neck. It is often domesticated, especially in Borneo and Java. The Banteng is distinguished from the similar Gaur by a white patch on its rump. Research Banteng
The banxring (genus Tupaia), is a quadruped belonging to the Insectivora, inhabiting the Indian Archipelago, bearing some resemblance externally to a squirrel, but having a long pointed snout. They live among trees, which they ascend with great agility. Research Banx'ring
The banyan banyan or banian (Ficus indica), is a tree of India, of the figgenus. The most peculiar feature of this tree is its method of throwing out from the horizontal branches, supports which take root as soon as they reach the ground, enlarge into trunks, and extending branches in their turn, soon cover a prodigious extent of ground. A celebrated banyan-tree has been known to shelter 7000 men beneath its shade. The wood is soft and porous, and from its white glutinous juice bird-lime is sometimes prepared. Both juice and bark are regarded by the Indians as valuable medicines. Research Banyan
The Ba'obab or monkey-bread tree (Adansoniadigitata),is a tree belonging to the natural order (or sub-order) Bombaceae, and the only known species of its genus, which was named after the naturalist Adanson. It is one of the largest of trees, its trunk sometimes attaining a diameter of ten meters; and as the profusion of leaves and drooping boughs sometimes almost hides the stem, the whole forms a hemispherical mass of verdure 42 to 45 metres in diameter and 18 to 21 metres high. It is a native of Western Africa, and is found also in Abyssinia; it is cultivated in many of the warmer parts of the world. The roots are of extraordinary length, a tree 23 metres in girth having a tap-root 33 metres in length. The leaves are deep green, divided into five unequal parts lanceolate in shape, and radiating from a common centre. The flowers resemble the white poppy, having snowy petals and violet-coloured stamens; and the fruit, which is large and of a rectangular shape, is said to taste like gingerbread, with a pleasant acid flavour. The wood is pale -coloured. light, and soft. The tree is liable to be attacked by a fungus which, vegetating in the woody part, renders it soft and pithlike. By the natives of the west coast these trunks are hollowed into chambers, and dead bodies are suspended in them. There they become perfectly dry and well preserved, without further preparation or embalming. The baobab is emollient and mucilaginous; the pulverized leaves constitute lalo, which the natives mix with their daily food to diminish excessive perspiration, and which was formerly used by Europeans in fevers and diarrhoeas. The expressed juice of the fruit is used as a cooling drink in putrid fevers, and also as a seasoning for various foods. Research Baobab
Barapasaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Remains of Barapasaurus were found in India in 1975. The remains suggest a herbivore that was about 18 metres long, had a large, heavy body, thick legs, a long neck and tail and walked on four legs. Research Barapasaurus
The Barb is an ancient North African Barbary breed of horse. The Barb stands between 14 and 15 hands high and is mostly grey, but also bay, brown or chestnut in colour. They are a desert horse, with great endurance and very strong feet which rarely go lame. They are a temperamental breed, which has been much used in cross breeding other horses, particularly the Spanish horses. Research Barb
The Barbado is a breed of sheep originated in Texas. The breed originated from Barbados Blackbelly sheep which were crossed with Rambouillet and Mouflon. One of the uses of the Barbado is as a trophy animal on game ranches due to its large curled horns. It is typically tan, tan with a pale or black belly or pied. The coat varies from short hair to coarse wool with a large amount of kemp fibres. Males show the horns for which the breed was selected and the females are polled. The Barbado should not be confused with the Barbados Blackbelly although the two are related. Barbados Blackbelly exhibit the distinctive colour pattern of the breed, tan with black belly and face, which is often times absent in the Barbado. In addition, both sexes of the Barbados Blackbelly are polled while the males of the Barbado are horned. Research Barbado
The Barbados Blackbelly is a breed of sheep, African in origin and developed on the island of Barbados. The Barbados Blackbelly has a variety of colour phases varying from basic black and tan colour through black, yellow, and variegated pinto patterns. The black colour covers the under parts completely in the basal pattern and extends up the neck with black extending down the inside of the legs, on the plank and back of the thighs. The inside hair of the ears is black with a small dash at the rear of the eye. The chin and poll are black. The black under parts and black lines medial to the eye contrasting with the normal tan to reddish coat in most other areas, gives an exotic contrasting appearance. Yellow ewes (pale to reddish yellow) have a white abdomen. The yellow colour phase may have been originally derived from a different breed of hair sheep.
There has also been noted a reddish, and also a white, hair sheep in northeastBrazil and light brown colours characteristic of hair sheep from Tobago. Further north there is a light to pale brown sheep in the Bahamas, the long island sheep in Cuba called the Pelibuey. All of these sheep are thought to be at least partially related to the Barbados Blackbelly. The mature rams have a neckpiece of long hair, up to six inches, which extends down the neck to the brisket. The cape reaches full development in the fall of the year. In some rams this is a full cape which extends over the sides and top of the neck and shoulders as a showy blanket. Rams and ewes on the island of Barbados are polled or with short scurs. Research Barbados Blackbelly
Barbados Pride (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a tropical, leguminous evergreen shrub with brilliantly coloured red flowers with yellow petal margins. It is the national flower of Barbados, and appears on the coat of arms. Research Barbados Pride
The Barbary Ape (Inuus ecaudatus or Macaca sylvanus) is a monkey (and not an ape) native to north Africa, and kept artificially on Gibraltar. They have greenish-brown hair, are about the size of a large cat, and are remarkable for their docility. The Barbary Ape is common in Barbary and other parts of Africa. They are social animals, cantering a large part of their social life around the young, most of whom are born in the summer. It has been the 'showman's ape' from time immemorial. Research Barbary Ape
The Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) is a medium sized bat with a wing- span about 24 cm. The ear is about as broad as long with a conspicuous notch on the outer edge. The inner edges of the two ears join each other above the eyes and the outer edges end between the eye and the mouth so that, in effect, the eye lies within the ear. The tragus is half the length of the ear, wide at its base, narrow and pointed at the tip, with two notches towards the base of the hind edge. The first upper premolar is minute, and the first lower premolar is only half as big as the second. The fur is long and extends well on to both surfaces of the wing and interfemoral membrane. The colour is very dark, almost black, with a grizzled effect caused by the light tips of the hairs; the colour of the under surface is slightly lighter.
The distribution of this species includes all Europe from southern Scandinavia, and a large part of temperate Asia. Although this species is often found solitary it is sometimes gregarious to the extent of forming small colonies of half-a-dozen or so. In summer it creeps into crevices in buildings or trees but it appears to hibernate only in caves. The flight is slow and happing, usually not far from the ground, and starts early in the evening, not later than sunset. Research Barbastelle
The Barbel (Barbus), is a genus of fresh-water fishes of the carp family, distinguished by the four fleshy filaments growing from the lips, two at the nose and one ay each corner of the mouth, forming the kind of beard to which the genus owes its name. Of the several species the European Barbuis vulgaris, common in most rivers, has an average length of from 30 to 45 cm, and in form and habits strongly resembles the pike. Its body is elongated and rounded, olive-coloured above and bluish on the sides, and covered with small scales. The upper jaw, which is much longer than the lower, forms a snout, with which it bores into the mud for worms, insects, aquatic plants etc. It is common in the Thames, where it gives good sport to the angler; but its flesh is very coarse, and at the time of spawning the roe is dangerous to eat. Research Barbel
Barberry is a genus of shrubs, of the order Berberidaceae. The common barberry (Berberis vulgaris) also known as Berbery and Pipperidge Bush is a bush growing to about three metres tall. The stems are woody, upright and branched, smooth, slightly grooves, brittle with a white pith and covered wish an ash-coloured bark. The leaves are alternate, three centimetres long, shortly petioled and present various graduations from leaves into spines into which they transform in the succeeding year. The flowers are small, pale yellow and arranged in pendulous racemes. For a long time farmers in Europe maintained that a barberry bush planted near a field of wheat would blight the wheat. Actually a fungus which attacks barberry throws off spores which do attackwheat. Research Barberry
The Barbets (Bucconidae) are, a family of climbing birds with a thick conical beak, having tufts of bristles at its base. Their wings are short and their flight somewhat heavy. They have been divided into three sub-genera : The barbicans (Pogonias), inhabiting India and Africa, and feeding chiefly on fruit; the barbets proper (Bucco), found in Africa and America, and nearly related to the woodpeckers; and the puff-birds (Tamatia), inhabiting America, and feeding on insects. Research Barbet
The Bardigiano is an Italian breed of placid, good-natured pony standing about 13 hands high. They are usually bay coloured, but black and brown colours also occur. The Bardigiano developed in the mountainous Northern Appenine region of Italy and are hardy - during the Great War and the Second World War Bardigiano mares were used to produce high quality mules. Research Bardigiano
Barley is the name of several cereal plants of the genus Hordeum, family Gramineae, which yield a grain used in food and for making malt. Barley has been known by man since ancient times and was used by the Egyptians to brew beer. Excellent barley is produced in Britain. The species traditionally cultivated are Hordeum distichum, two-rowed barley; Hordeum'vulgare, four-rowed barley; and Hordeum hexastichum, six-rowed, of which the small variety is the sacred barley of the ancients. The varieties of the four and six rowed species are generally coarser than those of the two-rowed, and adapted for a poorer soil and more exposed situation. Some of these are called bere or bigg. Barley is better adapted for cold climates than any other grain, and some of the coarser varieties are cultivated where no other cereal can be grown. Some species of the genus, three of which are natives of Britain, are mere grasses. Research Barley
Barn Owl is the popular name for birds of the sub-family Tytonidae of the owl family Strigidae. Barn owls differ from the typical owls in having a heart-shaped rather than circular face, smaller eyes, which are never yellow as in some Strigidae, and longer legs. They hunt at night, and their food consists principally of small mammals. Most have mottled brown upper parts and pale under parts, usually lightly speckled. Research Barn Owl
The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a common bird of the swallow family, Hirundinidae. It is a long-distance migrant and breeds around the world in the northern hemisphere and winters in the southern hemisphere. The North American subspecies, Hirundo rustica erythogaster, ranges from Alaska and Greenland to Tierra delFuego. Male barn swallows are glossy blue above; the under parts vary from white to deep chestnut, depending on the subspecies. The forehead and throat are bright chestnut, bordered by a complete or partial band of blue across the chest. The tail is deeply forked, and each tail feather, except the central pair, has a white spot on its inner web. Females are similar, but slightly duller in colour, with a shorter tail. Most barn swallows now nest in man-made structures, usually near water; buildings, culverts, bridges, or even ferries though their original nest sites were probably caves and crevices in cliffs. Research Barn Swallow
Barnacle is the popular name of a family (Lepadidae) of marine crustaceous animals, order Cirripedia. They are enveloped by a mantle and shell, composed of five principal valves and several smaller pieces, joined together by a membrane attached to their circumference; and they are furnished with a long, flexible, fleshy stalk or peduncle, provided with muscles, by which they attach themselves to ships' bottoms, submerged timber, etc. They feed on small marine animals, brought within their reach by the water and secured by their tentacula. Some of the larger species are edible. According to an old fable these animals produced barnacle geese. Research Barnacle
The Barnacle Goose (AnserBernicia or leucopsis) is a summer visitant of the northern seas, in size rather smaller than the common wild goose, and having the forehead and cheeks white, the upper body and neck black. A fable asserts that the crustaceans called barnacles changed into geese, and various theories have been framed to account for its origin. Max Muller supposes the geese were originally called Hiberniculoe or Irish geese, and that barnacle is a corruption of this; but the resemblance of a barnacle to a goose hanging by the head may account for it. The Brent Goose is also sometimes called the Barnacle Goose, but the two should be discriminated. Research Barnacle Goose
The Barnevelder is a Dutch breed of heavy chicken bred for egg laying, and producing dark brown eggs. The Barnevelder is easily tamed but susceptible to Marek's disease. Research Barnevelder
Barosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Remains of Barosaurus were first discovered in 1890, and have been found in both the western USA and in Tanzania in rocks of the same age - indicating a continual land-mass between the two places in the Jurassic period. Barosaurus was a herbivore, with a big heavy body, about 25 metres long, thick legs and a long neck and tail. Research Barosaurus
Barracuda is a popular name for many pike-like predatory fishes of the family Sphyraenidae. They typically have long, pointed jaws filled with very sharp teeth and grow to between one and three metres in length. Large
barracudas are mainly solitary, lurking in tropical reefs waiting for prey, rushing out at high speed to attack anything that comes within range, including man. Research Barracuda
The Barred Fruit-Tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) is a moth of the family Tortricidae with a wing span of between 16 and 25 mm found in deciduous forests across all but the most northern parts of the Palaearctic region flying from June to September. Research Barred Fruit-Tree Tortrix
The Barred Hook-tip (Drepana cultaria) is a moth of the family Drepanidae with a wing span of between 20 and 28 mm found in central and south-east Europe and the northern parts of Asia Minor. Two generations are produced flying from April to August. Research Barred Hook-Tip
The Barred Red (Hylaea fasciaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 27 and 40 mm found in coniferous forests in temperate and northern parts of the Palaearctic and Asia, flying from May to August. Research Barred Red
The Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 27 and 30 mm found in the warm deciduous forests of Europe flying from August until October. Research Barred Sallow
The Barred Straw (Eulithis pyraliata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 28 and 33 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from June to August. Research Barred Straw
The Barred Yellow (Cidaria fulvata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia flying from June to August. Research Barred Yellow
Baryonyx was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Remains of Baryonyx were found in 1983 in a clay pit in southern England. Baryonyx was about 9 metres long, had a long and flat skull similar to that of a crocodile, and a large slashing claw, though whether the claw was on the foot or hand is not known. The presence of fish scales in the stomach of the specimen discovered suggest a carnivoredinosaur that ate fish, and possibly other animals. Research Baryonyx
The Basenji is a breed of hound from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) where they were kept by native tribes, being introduced to the UK in 1936 and the USA shortly afterwards.
Basenji are very active, obedient and friendly dogs with a short coat which they groom themselves by licking, and standing about 43 cm tall. Research Basenji
The Bashkir is an ancient breed of Russian pony from the Uralmountains. They are between 13 and 14 hands high, placid, good natured, and occur in bay, chestnut or palomino colour. The Bardigiano is a very hard and strong pony used for farm work, riding and meat production in Russia, and the milk is fermented to produce the local drink koumiss. Research Bashkir
Basil are various herbaceous plants of the family Labiatae.
Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a native of India, and is an aromatic annual herb with a square branched stem, and numerous opposite, stalked, ovate, slightly toothed and glabrous leaves, often reddish in colour. The flowers are small, white, yellow or pink in colour and arranged in whorls in the upper leaf axils. The young leaves are used in cooking. Research Basil
The basilisk is a name now applied to a genus of saurian reptiles (Basiliscus), belonging to the family Iguanidae, distinguished by an elevated crest or row of scales, erectible at pleasure, which, like the dorsal fins of some fishes, runs along the whole length of the back and tail. The mitred or hooded basilisk (Basiliscus mitrdtus} is especially remarkable for a membranous bag at the back of the head, of the size of a small hen's egg, which can be inflated with air at pleasure. The other species have such hoods also, but of a less size. To this organ they owe their name, which recalls the basilisk of fable, though in reality they are exceedingly harmless and lively creatures. The Basiliscus amboinensis is a native of the Indian Archipelago, where it is much used for food, It frequents trees overhanging water, into which it drops when alarmed. Research Basilisk
The basket fish is an invertebrateanimal of the order Euryalida. It is characterised by branched arms, which in some species are so numerously subdivided that when curled up the creature seems enclosed in a basket (whence the name). The five-sided central body varies in size with age and species, but is usually about eight centimetres in diameter, while the arms range up to 38 centimetres in length. When captured or disturbed, the animal folds its arms about the body and assumes the basket shape. It is found in moderately deep water in all seas, but especially in the Tropics. Research Basket Fish
The Basking-shark (Selache maxima or Cetorhinus maximus) is a species of shark, so named from its habit of basking in the sun at the surface of the water. It reaches the length of twelve meters, and its liver yields a large quantity of oil. It frequents the northern
seas, and is known also as the sail-fish or sun-fish. Research Basking-shark
The Basque Pony (Pottock) is an ancient breed of small pony from the Basquemountains along the French-Spanish border. They are small, standing between 11 and 14 hands high, hardy and strong with a placid and good natured temperament and are respected as riding ponies for children. Research Basque Pony
Bass is the name of a number of fishes of several genera, but originally belonging to a genus of sea-fishes (Labrax) of the perch family, distinguished from the true perches by having the tongue covered by small teeth and the preoperculum smooth. Labrax lupus, the only British species, called also sea-dace, and from its voracity sea-wolf, resembles somewhat the salmon in shape, and is much esteemed for the table, weighing about 15 Ibs. Labrax linedtus (Roccus linedtus), or striped bass, an American species, weighing from 25 to 30 Ibs., is much used for food, and is also known as rock-fish. Both species occasionally ascend rivers, and attempts have been made to cultivate British bass in fresh-water ponds with success. Two species of black bass (Micropterus salmoides and Micropterus dolomieu), American freshwater fishes, are excellent as food and give fine sport to the angler. The former is often called the large-mouthed black bass, from the size of its mouth. Both make nests and take great care of their eggs and young. The Centropristis nigricans, an American sea-fish of the perch family, and weighing 2 to 3 Ibs., is known as the sea-bass. Research Bass
The Basset Hound is a long bodied, short, smooth-haired, crooked legged breed of French dog. The breed first achieved prominence in Britain at the end of the 19th century and was used in packs to hunt hares and rabbits, or in beating and covert work generally. Basset Hounds have a tenacious nature, and will set off in pursuit if they pick up a scent, are stubborn and greedy but are also friendly and tolerant. Research Basset Hound
Bassia is a genus of tropical trees found in the East Indies and Africa. The genus is of the natural order Sapotaceae. One species (Bassia Parkii) is supposed to be the shea-tree of Park, the fruit of which yields a kind of butter that is highly valued, and forms an important article of commerce in the interior of Africa. There are several other species, of which Bassia longifolia, or Indian oil-tree, and Bassia butyracea, or Indian butter-tree, are well-known examples, yielding a large quantity of oleaginous or butyraceous matter. The wood is as hard and incorruptible as teak. Research Bassia
In botany, bast is a structural element in the stem of dicotyledons and gymnosperms. In most plants long, tough, elastic fibres form part of the
bast, and it is on account of this that it has economic value, these fibres being extracted and used to make Russian bast or bast mats and for tying plants. Research Bast
The Basuto is a South African breed of pony, developed from horses introduced in the 17th century by the Dutch East India company. The Basuto is a generally good natured pony, standing up to 14 hands high, and with some horse characteristics, such as a long stride. They are tough and sure-footed ponies formerly used as war horses. Research Basuto
A bat is a nocturnal, wing-handed, flying mammals, having the forelimb peculiarly modified so as to serve for flight, and constituting the order Cheiroptera (Chiroptera). Bats are sub-divided into two groups; Megachiroptera (the megabats) and Microchiroptera (the microbats).
Bats are structurally not very different from typical mammals except for the extension of their finger bones to carry flight membranes, and their backward bending knees, though their conquest of the air is a marked difference. Echolocation in bats is associated with large ears and in some cases facial skin growths, and the ability to catch flying insects at night. This food source is seasonal, which, combined with their small size, has favoured the evolution of hibernation. Daily torpor, in which the body temperature drops to the ambient temperature is common among temperate bats, and is another energy-saving adaptation necessitated by small bodies engaged in such a high energy activity as flying. Short migrations to roosts of appropriate temperatures occur throughout the year. Mating begins in the autumn, and continues at intervals throughout hibernation. Sperm is stored and ovulation and fertilisation take place in the spring with a typical litter of just one young occurring. The parent shows a strong degree of attachment for her offspring, and when they are captured, will follow them, and even submit to captivity herself rather than forsake her charge.
Bats are common in temperate and warm regions. but are most numerous and largest in the tropics. All European bats are small, and have a mouse-like skin. The body of the largest British species, Vespertilio noctula, is less than that of a mouse, but its wings stretch about 38 cm. During the day it remains in caverns, in the crevices of ruins, hollow trees, and such-like lurking-places, and flits out at evening in search of food, which consists of insects.
Several species of the same genus are common in North America, Many bats are remarkable for having a singular nasal cutaneous appendage, bearing in some cases, a fancied resemblance to a horse-shoe. Two of these horse-shoebats occur in Britain. Bats may be conveniently divided into two sections - the insectivorous or carnivorous, comprising all European and most African and American species; and the fruit-eating, belonging to tropical Asia and Australia, with several African forms. An Australian fruit-eating bat (Pteropus edulis) commonly known as the kalong or flying-fox, is the largest of all the bats; it does much mischief in orchards. At least two species of South American bats are known to suck the blood of other mammals, and thence are called 'vampire-bats' (though this name has also been given to a species not guilty of this habit). The best known is the Desmodus Rufus of Brazil, Chilli, etc. Research Bat
The Bat-Eared Fox, Delalandes Fox or Bakoorvos (Otocyon megalotisis) is an insectovorous mammal of the dog family. The Bat-eared fox is found mainly in open woodlands and grassy plains in southern Africa where it feeds predominantly on insects - the only member of the dog family to do so. Bat-eared foxes are characterised by their large, wide ears which are used for hunting, have a short, narrow mouth and long legs like those of a jackal. Bat-eared foxes have for centuries been hunted by indigenous people for their pelts, but in sustainable quantities providing no danger of extinction to the fox. Research Bat-Eared Fox More pictures of Bat-Eared Fox
The Batak is an Indonesian breed of pony originating from central Sumatra. The
Batak occurs in many colours and stands 13 hands high. They are usually good-natured, making for a classy and spirited riding pony capable of high speed and often sued for racing in Indonesia. Research Batak
The Bath White (Pontia daplidice) is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, with a wing span of about 40 mm and found throughout the temperate Palaearctic region from North Africa to Japan. Research Bath White
Batrachians was the fourth order in Cuvier's arrangement of the class Reptilia, comprising frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and sirens. The term was often employed as synonymous with amphibia, but was more usually restricted to the order Anura or tailless amphibia. Research Batrachians
The Baudet de Poitou Donkey is a hardy and tough breed of French donkey developed in the late 19th century, standing as much as 16 hands high. They are very energetic and quick for a donkey breed and are cross bred with Poitevin mares to produce excellent mules. Research Baudet de Poitou
Bauninia (named after the Swiss botanist Gaspard Bauhin) is a genus of plants of the order Leguminosae. They are usually twiners, found in the woods of hot countries, and often stretching from tree to tree like cables. Many are showy and interesting. The bark of Bauninia variegata is used in tanning; the bast fibres of some Indian species are made into ropes and twine. Research Bauninia
Bay or the bay tree is the name given properly to the laurel-tree, or noble laurel, or sweet-bay (Laurus nobilis); but the term is loosely given to many trees and shrubs resembling this. A fatty or fixed oil (used in veterinary medicine) and also a volatile oil is obtained from the berries, but what is called bay-berry oil is also obtained from the genusMyrica or candleberry. In North America the fragrant-flowered Magnolia glauca is called sweet-bay, the red-bay being Laurus carolinensis, the loblolly-bay Gordonia lasianthus. Research Bay tree
The beach plum or shore plum, (Prunus maritima) is a tall shrub bearing tart, purple to yellow plums, five centimetres in diameter which are used in jams. It grows to three metres tall and bears showy white flowers, about 2.5 centimetres wide and grows in sandy soil along the north-eastern coast of North America. Research Beach Plum
The bead plant (Nertera depressa) is a small alpine plant of the family Rubiaceae. It bears small, coriaceous leaves and tiny green flowers, and bright orange-red, berry-like fruit. Research Bead Plant
The Bead-snake (Elaps fulvius), is a beautiful venomoussnake of North America, inhabiting cultivated grounds, especially plantations of the sweet-potato, and burrowing in the ground. It is finely marked with yellow, carmine, and black. Research Bead-Snake
The Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in the warmer parts of Europe and in Asia Minor flying from August until the end of Autumn. Research Beaded Chestnut
The Beagle is a small British breed of dog of the foxhound type bred for hunting rabbits and hares. They are a highly adaptable breed but require persistent training. Beagles resemble the foxhound or harrier, but is smaller than the harrier, compactly built, smooth-haired, and with pendulous ears. The smallest of them are little larger than the lap-dog. Research Beagle
The beam is the part of a stag's head from which the antlers sprout. It is so called from the Anglo-Saxon word for a tree, the antlers resembling trees and long being called branches in English. Research Beam
The bean-goose (Anser segetum) is a species of wild goose, a migratory bird which arrives in Britain in autumn and retires to the north in the end of April, though some few remain to breed. Being rather less than the common wild goose, it is sometimes called the small grey goose. Research Bean-Goose
Bear is the popular name for an omnivorous mammal animal of the family Ursidae. They are related to the dog family, but have massive bodies and very short tails. The ears are short and rounded, and the feet have five toes with powerful, non-retractile claws which enable the animals to climb. The fur is coarse and shaggy. The teeth are forty-two in number, as in the dog, but there is no carnassial or sectorial tooth, and the molars have a more tubercular character than in carnivores. The eyes have a nictitating membrane, the nose is prominent and mobile, and the tail very short. Bears generally lie dormant in their den during the winter months.There are six genera of bears: Ursus (the black bears, brown bears and grizzly bears), Tremarctos, Selenarctos (Asiatic black bear), Thalarctos (Polar Bear or White Bear), Helarctos (Malay Bear) and Melursus (Sloth Bear).
The brown or black bear of Europe is the Ursus arctos. It is a native of almost all the northern parts of Europe and Asia, and was at one time common in the British islands. It feeds on fruits, roots, honey, ants, and, in case of need, on mammals. It sometimes reaches the length of 213 cm, the largest specimens being found furthest to the north. It lives solitarily.
The American black bear is the Ursus americanus, with black shining hair, and rarely above 152 cm in length. It is a great climber, is less dangerous than the brown bear, and is hunted for its fur and flesh.
The grizzly bear (Ursus ferox or Ursus horribilis) is an inhabitant of the Rocky Mountains; it is a ferocious animal, sometimes 275 cm in length, and has a bulky and unwieldy form, but is nevertheless capable of great rapidity of motion. The extinct cave-bear (Ursus spelceus) seems to have been closely akin to the grizzly. The Siberian bear (Ursus colldris) is perhaps a variety of the brown bear. Research Bear
Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is an evergreen shrub of the heath family growing on the barren moors of Scotland, Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. The leaves, under the name of uva ursi, were formerly used in medicine as an astringent and tonic. Research Bearberry
The bearded collie (highland collie, mountain collie, hairy mou'ed collie) is a hardy breed of herding dog known for its unique 'fading' puppies, which may be born dark and lighten significantly with age. They have a long to medium-length shaggy, yet wispy coat which follows the natural line of the body and may be black, blue, brown, or fawn in colour with or without white markings. The ears are long, shaggy, and hang down the side of the head, seeming to blend in with the rest of the body. The tail is long, furry, and carried low and the eyes are large and dark, with a bright, inquiring expression. The adult dog stands 51 to 56 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weighs about 25kg. Research Bearded Collie
The Beautiful Arches (Blepharita satura) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 40 and 45 mm found in the temperate zone throughout the Palaearctic sub region living in woodlands and forests. A single generation is produced flying from August until October. Research Beautiful Arches
The Beautiful Carpet (Mesoleuca albicillata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 27 and 32 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from May to August in open, damp, warm forests and overgrown hillsides. Research Beautiful Carpet
The Beautiful China-mark (Paraponyx stagnata) is a moth of the family Pyralidae with a wing span of between 18 and 22 mm found in warmer parts of Europe and Asia Minor and Asia living ear aquatic plants and flying at the beginning of summer. Research Beautiful China-Mark
The Beautiful Hook-Tip (Laspeyria flexula) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 23 and 27 mm distributed in temperate Europe and Asia. A single generation is on the wing from June to August. Winter is passed as a caterpillar feeding on the lichens that grow on tree trunks. Research Beautiful Hook-Tip
The Beautiful Snout (Hypena crassalis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm distributed through northern and central Europe in wetlands, peat bogs and coniferous forests, flying from May to July. Research Beautiful Snout
The Beautiful Yellow Underwing (Anarta myrtilli) is a small moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of about 20 mm found mainly in peat-bogs in Europe and flies during the day. Research Beautiful Yellow Underwing
The beaver (Castor) is the only genus of the family Castoridae. The family contains a single genus, Castor, with two species: Castor canadensis, found in the New World, and Castor fibre, found in the Old World. Both species are semi-aquatic rodents noted for the building of dams. The two species differ chiefly in the shape of the nasal bones and are so much alike that some authorities consider them to be varieties of the same species. They are large rodents; the average adult beaver weighs about 16 kg, but specimens as heavy as 40 kg have been found, and some extinct beavers were almost bear- like in size. The beaver is usually about 76 centimetres long and stands less than 30 centimetres high, with a broad, flat, scaly tail about 25 centimetres long.
The body is plump, the back arched, the neck thick, the hind feet webbed, and all the digits clawed. The fur is usually reddish- brown above and lighter or greyish below. The eyes are small and the nostrils closable. The skull is massive, with marked ridges for fixing the muscles that work the jaws. The two front teeth on either jaw are like those of other rodents, wearing away more rapidly behind so as to leave a sharp, enamelled chisel edge. With these the beaver can cut down large trees. It usually selects trees five to 20 centimetres in diameter, but it can fell trees with diameters as large as 76 cm.
Beavers have a pair of anal scent glands, called castors, that secrete a musk-like substance called castoreum, probably for marking territories. The animals tend to be monogamous and have a life span of 20 years or more. The female has one litter a year, usually of two to four young.
Beavers are social animals and in areas where food is abundant and the locality secluded, the number of families in a beaver community can be rather large. The so-called beaver lodge is a unique structure. Three distinct kinds exist, their differences depending on whether they are built on islands, on the banks of ponds, or on the shores of lakes. The island lodge consists of a central chamber, with its floor a little above the level of the water, and with two entrances. One of these, the 'wood entrance', is a straight incline rising from the water, opening into the floor of the hut. The other approach, the 'beaver entrance', is more abrupt in its descent to the water.
The lodge itself is an oven-shaped house of sticks, grass, and moss, woven together and plastered with mud. The room inside is carpeted with bark, grass, and wood chips, sometimes with special store rooms adjoining. The pond lodge is built either a short way back from the edge of the bank, or partly hanging over it, with the front wall built up from the bottom of the pond. The lakelodge is built on the shelving shores of lakes. Dams are used by beavers to widen the area and increase the depth of water around their homes and are constructed either of sticks and poles or more firmly and solidly of mud, brushwood, and stones. As time goes by the beaver repairs and adds to the dam. Floating material lodges there, and vegetation growing on the top adds its roots to the strength of the dam. Frequently the beaver builds a smaller dam downstream in order to back up some water against the original dam and thus decrease the pressure of water on it from the other side. The dams are about 1.5 metres high, usually more than three metres wide at the base, and narrow at the top. A beaver dam more than 300 metres long was found in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Beaver ponds eventually fill with sediment, and the animals move to a new location. The abandoned area becomes good meadowland. Beaver dams also help control runoff. Although the beaver is a powerful swimmer, it has difficulty dragging over the ground the logs and branches it needs for building and for food. Colonies of beavers therefore often dig canals from the pond to a grove of trees. Such canals are up to one metre wide and deep and often a few hundred metres long. The timber is then readily floated down the canal toward the pond.
Beavers have long been exploited for their fur, and for many years during the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of beaver skins were exported to Europe from North America annually. The animals were also sometimes destroyed because of the damage they did to forests and the flooding occasionally caused by dams. Ceaseless slaughter led to near extinction of beavers in both Europe and North America. The beaver is almost extinct in Europe, but is becoming re-established in Canada and in protected areas of the USA. Research Beaver
Bec-fin is the French name for various small birds of the family Muscicapidae, order Passeriformes. It includes such thin-billed birds as the stone-chat and hedge sparrow or dunnock. Research Bec-fin
Bechstein's Bat (Myotis bechsteini) is the largest species of the Myotis genus. The wing span is about 28 cm, the wings rather narrow and pointed towards the tips. The ear is very long, with a rounded end, and the tragus is long, narrow and curved outwards. The first upper premolar larger than the second, and neither extremely minute. The fur is long and woolly, and extends only a short way on to the wing and interfemoral membranes. The colour is dusky brown above, whitish beneath. Bechstein's bat occurs over the greater part of Europe south from Scandinavia but has very rarely been found in Great Britain, and then always in the southern counties, mainly Sussex and Hampshire including the Isle of Wight. It is gregarious, living in small colonies of up to about twenty in holes in trees. The flight is slow and near the ground, the bats emerging rather late in the evening. Research Bechstein's Bat
The Bed-Bug or house-bug (Cimex lectularius) is a parasite of the family Cimicidae. The common bed-bug is about 4.5 mm long, wingless, of a roundish depressed body, dirty rust colour, and emits an offensive smell when touched. The female lays her eggs in summer in the crevices of bedsteads, furniture, and walls of rooms. Its larvae are small, white, and semi transparent. They attain full size in eleven weeks. The mouth of the bed-bug has a three-jointed proboscis, which forms a sheath for a sucker. It is fond of humanblood, but eats various other substances. Research Bed-Bug
Bedeguar or Bedegar is a spongy excrescence or gall, sometimes termed sweet-brier sponge, found on various species of roses, and produced by several insects as receptacles for their eggs, especially by the Cynips rosae. It was once thought to be a diuretic and vermifuge. Research Bedeguar
The Bedlington Terrier is a British breed of dog first developed in the 1820s when Joseph Ainsley developed them crossing with Whippets to produce an active, playful huntingdog which is fast enough to hunt rabbits and hares as well as rabbits, and with a willingness to swim became a favourite with poachers. Their tenacious nature has also been utilized in dog- fighting circles.
The Bedlington Terrier derived its name from Bedlington, in Northumberland, having first become well known as a favourite among the miners of that place. It is a dog of moderate size, head rather long, with a light, silky tuft on top, ears hanging close to the cheeks, legs moderately long and strong, tail tapering to the point, which is almost bare; colour, dark blue, blue and tan, liver, liver and tan, sandy, or sandy and tan; courageous, intelligent and generally useful. Research Bedlington Terrier
Bedstraw is the popular name of the different species of Galium, a genus of plants, of the order Rubiaceae. Of the sixteen species found in Britain one of the best known is the Yellow Bedstraw or Cheese-rennet (Galium verum), a common wayside plant, the flowers and roots of which afford yellow and red dyes. Goose-grass (Galium aparine) is another well-known member of the genus. Research Bedstraw
The Bedstraw Hawkmoth (Hyles gallii) is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae with a wing span of between 60 and 80 mm found in Europe, Asia and North America flying in late evening from May to September. Research Bedstraw Hawkmoth
The bee is a four winged stinging insect of the order Hymenoptera. Bees form the super-family Apoidea of the sub-order Apocrita.
The most important member of the family is the common hive or honey bee (Apis mellifica). It belongs to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but is now naturalized in the Western. A hive commonly consists of one mother or queen, from 600 to 800 males or drones, and from 15,000 to 20,000 working bees, formerly termed neuters, but now known to be imperfectly-developed females. The last-mentioned, the smallest, have twelve joints to their antennae, and six abdominal rings, and are provided with a sting; there is, on the outside of the hind-legs, a smooth hollow, edged with hairs, called the basket, in which the kneaded pollen or bee-bread, the food of the larvae, is stored for transit.
The queen has the same characteristics, but is of larger size, especially in the abdomen; she has also a sting. The males, or drones, differ from both the preceding by having thirteen joints to the antennae; a rounded head, with larger eyes, elongated and united at the summit; and no stings. According to Huber the working-bees are themselves divisible into two classes: one, the cirieres, devoted to the collection of provisions, etc; the other, smaller and more delicate, employed exclusively within the hive in rearing the young.
The mouth of the bee is adapted for both masticatory and suctorial purposes, the honey being conveyed thence to the anterior stomach or crop, communicating with a second stomach in which alone a digestive process can be traced. The queen, whose sole office is to propagate the species, has two large ovaries, consisting of a great number of small cavities, each containing sixteen or seventeen eggs. The inferior half-circles, except the first and last, on the abdomen of working-bees, have each on their inner surface two cavities, where the wax, secreted by the bee from its saccharine food, is formed in layers, and comes out from between the abdominal rings.
Respiration takes place by means of air-tubes which branch out to all parts of the body, the bee being exceedingly sensitive to an impure atmosphere. Of the organs of sense the most important are the antennae, deprivation of these resulting in a species of derangement. The majority of entomologists regard their function as in the first place auditory, but they are exceedingly ssensitive to tactual impressions, and are apparently the principal means of mutual communication.
Bees undergo perfect metamorphosis, the young appearing first as larvae, then changing to pupae, from which the imagosor perfect insects spring. Whether the offspring are to be female or male is said to be dependent upon the contact or absence of contact of the egg with the impregnating fluid received from the male and stored in a special sac communicating with the oviduct, unfertilized eggs producing males. The further question whether the offspring shall be queens or workers is resolved by the influence of environment upon function. The enlargement of a cell to the size of a royal chamber and the nourishment of its inmate with a special kind of food appear to be sufficient to transform an ordinary working-bee larva into a fully-developed female or queen-bee.
The season of fecundation occurs about the beginning of summer, and the laying begins immediately afterwards, and continues until autumn; in the spring as many as 12,000 eggs may be laid in twenty-four days. Those laid at the commencement of fine weather all belong to the working sort, and hatch at the end of four days. The larvae acquire their perfect state in about twelve days, and the cells are then immediately fitted up for the reception of new eggs. The eggs for producing males are laid two months later, and those for the females immediately afterwards. This succession of generations forms so many distinct communities, which, when increased beyond a certain degree, leave the parent hive to found a new colony elsewhere. Thus three or four swarms sometimes leave a hive in a season. A good swarm is said to weigh at least three kilograms. Besides the common bee (Apis mellifica) there are the Apis fasciata, domesticated in Egypt, the Apis Ugustica, or Ligurian bee of Italy and Greece, introduced into England, etc.
The humble-bees, or bumble-bees, of which about forty species are found in Britain and over sixty in North America, belong to the genus Bombus, which is almost worldwide in its distribution. Of these species solitary females which have survived the winter commence constructing small nests when the weather begins to be warm enough; some of them going deep into the earth in dry banks, others preferring heaps of stone or gravel, and others choosing always some bed of dry moss. In the nest the bee collects a mass of pollen and in this lays some eggs. The cells in these nests are not the work of the old bee, but are formed by the young insects similarly to the cocoons of silk-worms; and when the perfect insect is released from them by the old bee, which gnaws off their tops, they are employed as honey-cups.
The humble-bees, however, do not store honey for the winter, those which survive until the cold weather leaving the nest and penetrating the earth, or taking up some other sheltered position, and remaining there until the spring. The first brood consists of workers, and successive broods are produced during the summer. The experiment of domesticating different kinds of wild bees has been tried with no satisfactory results. Some bees, from their manner of nesting, are known as 'mason bees,' 'carpenter bees,' and 'upholsterer bees.' Some of these bees (genus Osmia) cement particles of sand or gravel together with a viscid substance in forming their nests; others make burrows in wood. The leaf-cutter or upholsterer bee (genus Megachile) lines its burrow with bits of leaf cut out in regular shapes. Research Bee
The Bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a Cuban bird and also the smallest known bird in the world, weighing about two grams, and measuring approximately 50 mm in length. Research Bee Hummingbird
The bee moth (Galleria mellonella) is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It has a slender, brownish or ashen-coloured body and long legs. The larvae feed on the wax of honeybee combs, often destroying the honey and injuring the beebrood. Research Bee Moth
The Bee-eaters are a family of Fissirostral Passerine birds, distributed over Africa, India, the Moluccas, and Australia, chiefly known in Europe by the Merops Apiaster, or common bee-eater, a summer visitant to Russia and the Mediterranean borders. It is rare in Britain. For the most part they nest in colonies, depositing their eggs like the sand-martins, at the end of a tunnel sometimes almost three metres long. They were frequently killed for their plumage, which is brownish-red and yellow above, pale-blue on the forehead, yellow at the breast, and green at the wings, tail, and under parts. Research Bee-Eaters
The beech is a deciduous, shallow-rooted forest tree of the genus Fagus, family Fagaceae, natural order Cupuliferae, native to the northern hemisphere and well known in various parts of the world including New Zealand. The Fagus sylratica, a common European forest-tree, sometimes reaches a height of 35 meters, with a diameter of one or more, is known by its waved and somewhat oval leaves, its triangular fruit inclosed by pairs in a prickly husk, and by its smooth and silvery bark. The wood is hard and brittle, and if exposed to the air liable soon to decay. It is, however, peculiarly useful to cabinet-makers and turners, carpenters' planes, furniture, sabots, etc, being made of it; and it is durable under water for piles and mill-sluices.
The fruit or beech-mast, when dried and powdered, may be made into a wholesome bread; it has also occasionally been roasted and used as a substitute for coffee, and yields a sweet and palatable oil used by the poorer of Silesia instead of butter. Beech-mast is, however, chiefly used as food for swine, poultry, and other animals. The leaves of the beech-tree collected in the autumn, before they have been injured by the frosts, have in some places in the past been used to stuff mattresses. Young beech trees keep their dead leaves, and are often used as hedges.
The North American white beech is identical with the European species. Red-leaved varieties are now common, the American Fagus ferruginea being of this colour. Research Beech
The Beech-Green Carpet (Colostygia olivata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 22 and 27 mm found in temperate Europe and western Asia flying from July to August in sparse forests. Research Beech-Green Carpet
Beet (Beta) is a genus of plants of the family Chenopodiaceae distinguished by its fruit being inclosed in a tough woody or spongy five-lobed enlarged calyx. Two species only are known in general cultivation, namely, the sea-beet Beta maritima) and the garden beet (Beta vulgaris). The former is a tough-rooted perennial, common on many parts of the British coast and sometimes formerly cultivated for its leaves, which are an excellent substitute for spinach.
Of the garden beet, which differs from the last in being of only biennial duration and in forming a tender fleshy root, two principal forms are known to cultivators, the chard beet and the common beet. In the chard beet the roots are small, white, and rather tough, and the leaves are furnished with a broad, fleshy midrib (chard), employed as a vegetable by the French, who dress the ribs like sea-kale under the name of poiree. Some writers regard this as a peculiar species, and call it Beta cicia or hortensis.
The common beet includes all the fleshy-rooted varieties, such as red beet (with a fleshy large carrot-shaped root), yellow beet, sugar-beet, mangel-wurzel, etc. For garden purposes the best is the red beet of Castelnaudary, so called from a town in the south-west of France. The beet requires a rich light soil, and being a native of the Mediterranean region is impatient of severe cold, requiring to be taken up in the beginning of winter and packed in dry sand, or in pits like potatoes, the succulent leaves having been first removed.
Red beet is principally used at table, but if eaten in great quantity is said to be injurious. The beet may be taken out of the ground for use about the end of August, but it does not attain its full size and perfection until the month of October. A good beer was formerly brewed from the beet, which yielded a spirit of good quality.
From the white beet the French, during the wars with Napoleon I, succeeded in preparing sugar, that article, as British colonial produce, having been prohibited in France. Since that time, with the increase of chemical and technical knowledge, the making of beet-sugar has become an important industry in France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Belgium, and Holland and in England, though the early failure of attempts to produce beet-sugar on a large scale seem to have been mainly due to artificial conditions of trade competition. Research Beet
The Beet Moth (Scrobipalpa ocellatella) is a moth of the family Gelechiidae with a wing span of between 11 and 13 mm found in coastal areas of western and southern Europe, north Africa and Asia Minor. Two or more generations of moth appear in a year. Research Beet Moth
The beet-fly (Anthomyia Betce) is a fly resembling the common fly but of smaller size. It deposits its eggs in the leaves of mangel-wurzels and other beets. The larvae, feeding on the tissues, raise bullae or blisters, which, when numerous, injure the plant. Research Beet-Fly
Beetle is a general term for insects of the order Coleoptera. There are known to be over 370,000 species of beetle, outnumbering all the known species of vascular plants, and six species of beetle for every one vertebrate, with an estimated five million more species yet to be discovered.
Beetles undergo a complete metamorphosis, with a distinct pupal stage intervening between life as a larva and a sexually mature adult. As with other insects of this type, the larvae stage represents the principal feeding stage. Most adult beetles have a robust, hard external skeleton (carapace) which acts like body-armour and a pair of horny wing-cases (elytra), which usually completely cover the hind part of the body including the abdomen.
Begonia (Elephant's-ear) is an extensive genus of succulent-stemmed herbaceous plants, of the order Begoniaceae, with fleshy oblique leaves of various colours, and showy unisexual flowers, the whole perianth coloured. They readily hybridize, and many fine varieties have been raised from the tuberous-rooted kinds. From the shape of their leaves they have been called elephant's ear. Almost all the plants of the order are tropical, and they have mostly pink or red flowers. Research Begonia
The Belarus Red (also known as the Krasnaya belorusskaya, Krasnobelorusskaya, Byelorussian Red, Red White-Russian, White-Russian Red) is a breed of cow characterized by a medium long head, not wide, with a long face. The poll is pronounced. The horns are of medium size. The neck is thin and of moderate length. The withers are not sharp, occasionally divided. The chest is of medium depth, wide enough. The back is level, slightly narrow. The loin is long and level, of medium width. The mid-part of the body is well developed. The abdomen is capacious, not drooping. The rump is level, slightly raised. The hindquarters are of medium length and width, with protruding hips. The legs are comparatively thin, bony, not long, correctly set. Sometimes legs are splayed or bowed. The udder is medium in volume, glandular, cup-shaped or roundish. The teats are cylindrical, of medium size. The skin is thin, elastic, mobile. The skeleton is light and strong. The musculature is moderately developed. The conformation is harmonious and compact; the constitution delicate. The colour is red or rust-red of various shades. many animals are noted for their longevity. Research Belarus Red
Belemnites are extinct, squid-like molluscs of the Cephalopoda class with a bullet-shaped internal shell. Fossils are found from the Upper Carboniferous period to the Eocene epoch. The fossils are straight, solid, tapering and dart-shaped, and were formerly popularly known as arrow-heads, thunderbolts, finger-stones, etc. Research Belemnite
The Belgian Warmblood is a Belgian breed of competition horse developed during the 1950s especially for competition uses. The Belgian Warmblood stands 16.2 hands high and is mostly bay but can be any solid colour and has an excellent temperament, versatility and athleticism. Research Belgian Warmblood
Bell-bird is the name given to the Arapunga alba, a South American passerinebird, so named from its sonorous bell-like notes; and also to the Myzantha melanophrys of Australia, a bird of the family Meliphagidae (honey-suckers), whose notes also resemble the sound of a bell. Research Bell-Bird
Belladonna (Atropa belladonna) or deadly nightshade (also known as dwale) as it is also known, is a highly poisonous European, native in Britain, perennialherb of the natural order Solanaceae with a large, turnip-like root and spreading, branched stems from which atropine is derived. The large, soft, oval leaves are alternate or opposite where a flower arises. The flowers are stalked, bell-shaped and reddish-brown and grow singularly from the leaf axils. The fruit is a black, glossy, conspicuous berry cupped by the spreading sepals. Belladonna is found in hedges, woods and thickets and on wasteland, especially where the soil is rich in lime.
The inspissated juice is commonly known by the name of extract of belladonna. It is narcotic and poisonous, but is of great value in medicine, especially in nervous ailments. It has the property of causing the pupil of the eye to dilate. Deadly nightshade became known as belladonna (Italian for beautiful lady) after the practice of women using the plant as a cosmetic to enlarge their pupils and beautify their eyes. Research Belladonna
The Belladonna lily so called on account of its beauty, is a species of Amaryllis (Amaryllis Belladonna) with delicate blushing flowers clustered at the top of a leafless flowering stem. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope and of the West Indies. Research Belladonna Lily
Bembecidae is a family of wasp-like hymenopterous insects with stings, mostly natives of warm countries, and known also as Sand-wasps. The female excavates cells in the sand, in which she deposits, together with her eggs, various larvae or perfect insects stung into insensibility, as support for her progeny when hatched. They are very active, fond of the nectar of flowers, and delight in sunshine. Bembex is the typical genus of this family. Research Bembecidae
Bembidion is a genus of over 100 species of small (three to six millimetres in length) beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae. Most of the species live beside water, either stagnant or running, and most species hibernate. Colouration varies between species, Bembidion lampros which is common in Britain is a uniform bronze-black colour; Bembidion tricolour, common in the Alps, has a bicoloured elytra - the anterior half reddish yellow, the posterior metallic black or blue;
Bembidion genei has a metallic green coloured body and four yellow spots on the elytra. Research Bembidion
The Bengal is a breed of short-haired domestic cat which was developed in the USA in 1970 by breeding an Asian leopard with a domesticated tabbycat. The fur is leopard-patterned, thick, soft and consists of random rosettes of light spots within darker outer circles on a rufus-coloured background. The ears are small and slightly pointed, the tail is long and tapering, the eyes are very large and round and golden. The hind legs are shorter than the forelegs, a trait that makes the cat look like it is stalking when it walks and it has the gentle temperament of its tabby ancestor. Research Bengal
The Bengal quine or Bel or Belgae (Aegle marmelos) is an Indian tree, the fruit of which is not unlike an orange and is slightly aperient. A perfume and yellow dye are obtained from the rind, and a cement from the mucus of the seed. Research Bengal Quince
The Bentheimer Landschaf (Landrace of Bentheim) is a sheep of the heath- sheep landrace group and is a cross between German and Dutch heathsheep and a marshsheep. Since 1934 it has been bred in the northern German Emsland area, especially in the county of Bentheim. The highly endangered, frugal
Bentheimer Landschaf is used for landscape preservation. It is the largest of the German heath-and-moor sheep with long legs and hard hoofs. A slender, long head, Roman nose, small ears, no horns, long and woolly tail, describe the sheep. The sheep is white, but dark pigmentation is permitted around the eyes, on the ears and on its legs. Research Bentheimer Landschaf
The Bergamasca (Bergamasker, Gigante diBergamo, Bergamacia) is a breed of sheep found in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is the basic breed of the Lop-eared Alpine group and is polled. It is coarse woolled meat breed. The
Bergamasca is the foundation of the other Lop-eared Alpine breeds and of Fabrianese, Pavullese, Perugian Lowland and Zakynthos. Research Bergamasca
The bergamot is a tree of the genuscitrus. The rind of its pale-yellow pear-shaped fruit provides a fragrant orange scented essence used in perfume. Research Bergamot
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias australis) is a mid-European species of butterfly of the family Pieridae. It was discovered and described by Verity in 1911, previously being confused with the Pale Clouded Yellow. The Berger' s Clouded Yellow never leaves its native locality where it can be found flying from May until autumn. Research Berger's Clouded Yellow
The bergylt (Sebastes norvegicus) is a fish found in northern seas and belonging to the gurnard family but resembling a perch. It is of a red colour and grows to 60 centimetres in length. It is also called the Norway haddock and the Norway carp. Research Bergylt
The Berkshire is a breed of English pig. It is black with white feet and a white streak or star on the forehead. It has a short, thick nose; arched back; short legs and its belly near the ground. It is more suitable for bacon than pork. Research Berkshire Pig
The Bernese Mountain Dog is a Swiss breed of guard dog bred during the time of the Roman Empire and used to protect supply lines. The Bernese has a long, silky, black, white and tan coloured coat and stands about 70 cm tall. They have a sound temperament and are loyal and alert. Research Bernese Mountain Dog
Beroe is a genus of small marine, coelenterate animals, of the natural order Ctenophora. They are transparent and gelatinous, globular in form, floating in the sea, and shining at night with a phosphoric light. Research Beroe
A berry is a fleshy fruit formed from a monocarpellary or syncarpous ovary, containing one or more seeds each of which is surrounded only by its own hardened seed coat at dispersal. The fruit of the orange is a berry, for example. The name is usually given to fruits in which the calyx is adherent to the ovary and the placentas are parietal, the seeds finally separating from the placenta and lying loose in the pulp. The term, however, is frequently used to include fruits in which the ovary is free and the placentas central, as the grape. Popularly it is applied to fruits like the strawberry, bearing external seeds on a pulpy receptacle, but not strictly berries. Research Berry
Bertholletia is the name given in honour of Berthollet to a genus of Myrtacese, of which only one species, Bertholletia excelsa, is known. This tree forms vast forests on the banks of the Amazon, Rio Negro, and Orinoco, averaging 30 metres in height, with a stem only 60 cm in diameter, and destitute of branches until near the top. It produces the well-known Brazil-nuts of commerce, which are contained in a round and strong seed-vessel, to the number of from fifteen to fifty or more, and contain a great deal of oil. Research Bertholletia
Betel (Piper betel) is a climbing shrub of the family Peperaceae indigenous through Madagascar and the Malay peninsular. The leaves contain a volatile oil which contains betel-phenol and chavicol, and is used as a masticatory. Research Betel
The Betel-Nut is the kernel of the fruit of the palm Areca Catechu found in southern India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the MalayArchipelago. It is so named from being chewed along with betel-leaf. When ripe the fruit is the size of a cherry, conical in shape with a brown outside and mottled inside. The fruit grows in bunches of about 300 nuts, each tree bearing two or three bunches. Research Betel-Nut
Bethyloidea is a super-family of insects of the sub-order Apocrita, order Hymenoptera. Some members are wingless, others have wings and all have an elongated body. The larvae are parasitic on various insects. Research Bethyloidea
Betony (Stachys Betonica or Betonica Officinalis), also known as Wood Betony and Hedge Nettle is a Labiate British perennialherb with an erect, square, usually unbranched and furrowed stem and purple flowers which grows in woods. It was once used extensively in medicine and may be used to dye wool a dark-yellow colour. Research Betony
Bewick's Swan (Cygnus colombarius) is a small (roughly 120 cm long) Siberian swan similar in appearance to the Whooper Swan, but with less yellow on its bill. During the winter they migrate in family groups within flocks to Britain before returning to Siberia when the weather becomes warmer. Research Bewick's Swan
The Bhutia is an Indian breed of pony developed in the Himalayan mountains. The
Bhutia stands 13 hands high, is mostly grey in colour but may also be chestnut or brown and is of a good-natured but spirited temperament. The Bhutia has stamina and endurance and is used as a packhorse. Research Bhutia
The bi-coloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) is a central European shrew recognisable by the clear delineation of greyish-brown upper body and yellowish-white underside. The tail is clearly bi-coloured and there are isolated, pale, long hairs on the tail and the rear of the body. The rostrum of the skull is shorter and deeper than that of the greater white-toothed shrew, and the uni-cuspid teeth are more crowded. It has large protuberant ears and two moults; one in autumn and one in spring. The bi-coloured white-toothed shrew lives in low, dry habitats, shrubby undergrowth, fringes of woods and gardens, compost heaps building a nest of fresh or dry grass in sheltered under-growth, avoiding damp. It feeds on invertebrates and breeds from March to October with a gestation period of 31 days followed by a litter averaging four young. Research Bi-Coloured White-Toothed Shrew
The bib (Morrhua lusca or Trisopterus luscus), is a fish of the cod family, found in the British seas, about 30 cm long, the body very deep and having a distensible membrane able to cover its head. It is esteemed as excellent eating and is called also pout, pouting or whiting pout. Research Bib
The Bibrik is a fat tailed, mutton type of breed of sheep that is found in parts of Loralai and Sibi districts in Baluchistan Province of Pakistan. They are a medium sized breed. Their body colour is white with a black or brown head. The fat tail is short and wide. Research Bibrik
The bichir (African mud-fish) is an African fish of the genusPolypterus, found in tropical swamps and rivers in Africa. It is cylindrical in shape, and some species grow to 70 centimetres or more. They show many 'primitive' features, such as breathing air by using the swim bladder, having a spiral valve in the intestine, having heavy bony scales, and having larvae with external gills. These, and the fleshy fins, lead some scientists to think they are related to the lungfish and coelacanths. Research Bichir
The bichon frise is a breed of small dog probably originating in France or Spain - although popular convention suggests it originated on the island of Tenerife - and characterised by its pure white, softly curling coat. The breed was introduced to the USA in 1956. Compactly built, it carries its tail curved over its back and stands 23 to 28 centimetres at the shoulder. Research Bichon Frise
The bicuiba is a Brazilian tree of the nutmeggenus (Myristica, officinalis), whose fruits yield a fat or oil similar to that of nutmegs. Research Bicuiba
The Biellese (Biellese-Bergamasca) is a breed of sheep from the Piedmont region of Italy. It is a carpet wool breed used for meat production. One of the Lop-eared Alpine group of sheep breeds, the
Biellese is polled. Research Biellese
The Bighorn or Rocky Mountain Sheep (Ovis cervina or Haplocerus montanus) is a breed of large, wild sheep with massive horns about one metre long. It is found in the Rocky Mountains from Alaska to Mexico. The bighorns are gregarious, going in herds of twenty or thirty, frequenting the craggiest and most inaccessible rocks, and are wild and untamable. Research Bighorn
Bigonia is a genus of plants of many species, inhabitants of hot climates, natural order Bignoniacese. They are usually climbing shrubs furnished with tendrils; flowers mostly in terminal or axillary panicles; corolla trumpet-shaped, hence the name of trumpet-flower commonly given to these plants. All the species are splendid plants when in blossom, and many of them are cultivated in our gardens. Bignonia Leucoxylon, a native of Jamaica, is a tree about ten metres high; the leaves of ignonia Chica yield a red colouring matter, with which the Indians paint their bodies; Bignonia radicans, or Tecoma radicans, is a much-admired species. Research Bignonia
The bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), also known as the Whortleberry and the Blaeberry, is a small deciduous shrub of the family Vacciniaceae. It is found on copses and on heaths where it grows to about 60 centimetres tall and bears oval leaves with serrated edges and solitary, drooping, globular, flesh-coloured flowers and dark-blue berries. Research Bilberry
Bimana was a term for animals having two hands. The term was applied by Cuvier to the highest order of Mammalia, which in the late 19th and earliest 20th centuries man was considered the type and solegenus. By 1906 some naturalists had started to classify man as a sub-division of the order Primates, which includes also the apes, monkeys, and lemurs, and the term bimana was passing out of use. Research Bimana
The binturong (Arcticis binturong) is a small mammal found in south-east Asia. It has a shaggy black or greyish black coat, short muzzle, and tufted ears. The length of the head and body is about sixty centimetres. It is nocturnal in habits, sleeping in trees during the day and at night feeding upon fruit, eggs and small animals. Research Binturong
Biogenesis is a biological term coined in 1870 by Huxley to express the hypothesis that living matter always arises by the agency of pre-existing living matter. The opposite idea, that of spontaneous generation or abiogenesis, which states that living things may arise from non-living matter was generally held previously. Research Biogenesis
A biped is an animal having two feet. The term is applied to man and to birds, indicating their mode of progression rather than the mere possession of two limbs. Research Biped
The birch (Betula) is a genus of trees of the order Betulaceae, which comprises only the birches and alders, which inhabit Europe, Northern Asia, and North America. The common birch is indigenous throughout the north, and on high situations in the south of Europe. It is extremely hardy, and only one or two other species of trees approach so near to the north pole.
There are two varieties natives of Britain, Betula alba, and Betula alba pendula, or weeping-birch, the latter a very beautiful tree. The wood of the birch, which is light in colour, and firm and tough in texture, is used for chairs, tables, bedsteads, and the woodwork of furniture generally, also for fish-casks and hoops, and for smoking hams and herrings, as well as for many small articles. In France wooden shoes are made of it.
The bark is whitish in colour, smooth and shining, separable in thin sheets or layers. Fishing-nets and sails were formerly steeped with it to preserve them. In some countries it was made into hats, shoes, boxes, etc. In Russia the oil extracted from it was used in the preparation of Russian leather, and imparted the well-known scent to it. In Laplandbread has been made from it. The sap, from the amount of sugar it contains, affords a kind of agreeable wine, which is produced by the tree being tapped during warm weather in the end of spring or beginning of summer, when the sap runs most copiously.
The dwarf birch, Betula nana, a low shrub, two or three feet high at most, is a native of all the most northerly regions. Betula lenta, the cherry-birch of America, and the black birch
(Betula nigra) of the same country, produce valuable timber, as do other American species. The largest of these is the yellow birch (Betula lutea or excelsa) which attains the height of 80 feet. It is named from its bark being of a rich yellow colour. The paper birch of America (Betula. papyracea) has a bark that may be readily divided into thin sheets almost like paper. From it the Indian bark canoes are made. Research Birch
The Birch Leaf Roller (Deporaus betulae) is a species of Snout Beetle (Curculionidae). They are so named from their habit of twisting leaves into a funnel to make a cradle for their eggs. Research Birch Leaf Roller
The Birch sawfly (Cimbex femorata) is an insect of the family Cimbicidae, usually black in colour, found flying awkwardly in European and Siberian birch woods during May and June. The eggs are laid in the leaves of the birch tree. The larvae resembles a caterpillar, has eleven pairs of extremities, is slow-moving and light green in colour with a dark dorsal stripe and dark spots round the spiracles. The larvae rest on the underneath of birch leaves during the day, feeding on birch leaves at night. When threatened they spray haemolymph to a distance of 20 cm. Research Birch Sawfly
Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) is a deciduous shrub or small tree of the family Rosaceae, native to Europe and Asia, with peeling brown bark and alternate, stalked, ovate and finely serrate leaves with flattened petioles. The flowers are white in colour and arranged in long, loose racemes which are erect at first and then later drooping. The fruit is a globose, shiny, black, bitter-sweet drupe. Research Bird Cherry
Bird of Paradise is the name for members of a family of birds of splendid plumage allied to the crows, inhabiting New Guinea and the adjacent islands. The family includes eleven or twelve genera and a number of species, some of them remarkably beautiful. The largest species is over 60 centimetres in length. The king bird of paradise (Paradisea regia) is possibly the most beautiful species, but is rare. It has a magnificent plume of feathers, of a delicate yellow colour, coming up from under the wings, and falling over the back like a jet of water. The feathers of the Paradisea major and Paradisea minor are those chiefly formerly worn in plumes. These splendid ornaments are confined to the male bird. Research Bird of Paradise
The Bird's Wing (Dypterygia scabriuscula) is a rather scarce moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 32 and 37 mm found in Europe, Asia and North America. One or two generations are produced flying from May to September. Research Bird's Wing
Bird's-foot is a common name for several plants, especially papilionaceous plants of the genus Ornithopus, their legumes being articulated, cylindrical, and bent in like a claw. Research Bird's-Foot
Bird's-Foot trefoil is the popular name of Lotus corniculatus, and one or two other creeping leguminous plants common in Britain. The common bird's-foot trefoil is a common British plant, and is found in most parts of Europe as well as in Asia, North Africa and Australia, and is a useful pasture-plant. Research Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Bird's-nest is a name popularly given to several plants, as Neottia nidus-avis, a British orchid found in beech-woods, so called because of the mass of stout interlaced fibres which form its roots; Monotropa Hypopitys, a parasitic ericaceous plant growing on the roots of trees in fir woods, the leafless stalks of which resemble a nest of sticks; and Asplenium Nidus, from the manner in which the fronds grow, leaving a nest-like hollow in the centre. Research Bird's-Nest
The Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) is a moth of the family Yponomeutidae with a wing span of between 22 and 24 mm found in the Palaearctic region flying from July to August. Research Bird-Cherry Ermine
The Birman is a playful and well-disposed breed of cat, originating from Burma where it is the so-called SacredCat of Burma, or perhaps bred in France during the 1920s from a crossing of Siamese with black and white longhairs. The true origin of the breed is a mystery. The
Birman is a long-boned, muscular cat distinctive for its deep blue eyes and the pure white colouration of all four paws. The Birman is famous for being a placid, gentle, dignified cat that doesn't enjoy hunting, but does love to breed with the females becoming restless as young as seven months when on heat. Research Birman
Birthwort (Aristolochia clematitis) is a creeping, evil-smelling plant of the family Aristolochiaceae. It has numerous upright stems, the leaves are alternate, broadly ovate and finely toothed. The flowers are dull yellow, are borne four to eight together in the leaf axils, and are cylindrical with a swollen base. Research Birthwort
The Bison is a large, powerful, genus of ox-like mammals of the family Bovidae. They differ from typical cattle in being larger, with a convex forehead, large legs and a pronounced hump at the shoulders. They also have 14 pairs of ribs, where cattle have 13. The fur is coarse, and long on the head, neck and shoulders. The large head is carried low, the animal being unable to lift its head above shoulder level. Both the male and female are furnished with heavy, curved horns, those of the female being smaller than those of the male. Research Bison
Common bistort (Polygonum Bistorta), adder's-wort or snakeroot, is a perennialherb of the buckwheat family, family Polygonaceae, found in Britain. It has a stout, snake-like twisted rhizome and an erect, unbranched stem. The basalovate to lanceolate leaves with undulate margins and winged petioles are arranged in a rosette. The smaller stem leaves are triangular, sessile and clasp the stem. The flowers are pink in colour, and arranged in a dense terminal spike. The fruit is a three-sided achene surrounded by a persistent perianth.
Common bistort contains a lot of tannin, which gives it astringent properties and led to its use in medicine. The young leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked like spinach and the root is edible after it has been soaked and roasted. In northern England it is commonly called Easter Giant and around Manchester it is called Patience Dock. Research Bistort
Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre) or wall-pepper, is a highly poisonous, evergreen mat-forming perennialherb of the family Crassulaceae, native to Britain and Europe, with a creeping branched rhizome and numerous ascending or erect stems, which are of two kinds: non-flowering stems with numerous overlapping wedge-shaped, fleshy, sessile yellow leaves; and fewer-leaved flowering stems terminated by bright-yellow coloured, star-shaped flowers arranged in a monochasial cyme. The leaves have a sharp, burning (or biting) taste like pepper, whence the name. Research Biting Stonecrop
Bittern is a general name for grallatorial birds of the genus Botaurus of the subfamily Botaurinae. They are wading birds related to the heron, but with shorter necks, stouter bodies and variegated brown colouration. They live in marshes and reedy swamps where they are solitary and nocturnal, feeding on frogs, small fish, mice, crayfish and other animals.
There are two British species, the common bittern (Botaurus stellaris), and the little bittern (Boyaurus minutus), a native of the south, and only a summer visitor to Britain. Both, however, are rare due to the reclamation of the marshy grounds that form their favourite haunt. The common bittern is about 71 cm in length, with a wing span of about 110 cm. The bitterns have long and loose feather on the breast and a short tail and a bill about 10 cm long. Bitterns are remarkable for their curious booming or bellowing cry, from which come the provincial names of miredrum and butter-hump, etc. The eggs which are greenish-brown in colour are laid in a batch of four or five in number. The little bittern is not more than 38 cm in length. Research Bittern
Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara), dulcamara or woody nightshade, is a highly poisonous perennialsub shrub of the family Solanaceae, woody at the base, with long climbing or trailing stems. The leaves are alternate, ovate and entire or deeply lobed at the base, becoming narrow and more pointed towards the top of the stem. The flowers are violet in colour, have five spreading, later recurved petals and conspicuous yellow anthers. The flowers are arranged in long-stalked terminal cymes in the upper leaf axils. The fruits are scarlet- red coloured, ovoid, berries, rather than black in the case of Belladonna with which it is often confused. The root and twigs have a peculiar bitter-sweet taste, and have been used in decoction for the cure of diseases of the skin. Research Bittersweet
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