Boat Bill
the English name of cancroma, a genus of birds belonging to the sub-family ardeina, or true herons, and especially of the cancroma cochlearia. The bill looks as if formed by two spoons applied to each other on their concave sides. The C. cochlearia is whitish, with the back gray or brown and the belly red; the front is white, behind which is a black cap, changed into a long crest in the adult male. It inhabits the hot and humid parts of South America.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Boat Fly
the English name of the water bugs of the genus notonecta, so backs, called because they swim on their ba thus presenting the appearance of boats.
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Boatswain
an officer on board a ship, whose function it is to take charge of the rigging, cables, cordage, anchors, sails, boats, flags, and ust inspect the rigging stores. He must every morning and keep it in good repair; and must either by himself or by deputy steer the life boat. If on a ship of war he must call the men to their duty by means of a silver whistle given him for the purpose; besides taking into custody those condemned by a court martial, and, either by himself or by deputy, inflict on them the punishment awarded.
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Boaz
a Bethlehemite of means, who took upon himself the duty of providing for Ruth, as the near relation of her dead husband Elimelech. From him Jesus Christ was directly descended.
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Bob White
popular name of a small game bird of the United States, given because of its peculiar call. In the Northern States it is known as QUAIL (q. v.), and in the Southern as PAR- TRIDGE (q. v.).
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Bobadilla
FRANCISCO DE, a Spanish statesman, appointed plenipotentiary concerning the State of Hispaniola, in 1500. Having sent its governor, Columbus, to Spain in chains, he was censured and recalled, but was drowned on the return voyage, in 1502.
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Bobbin
a reel or other similar con trivance for holding thread. It is often a cylindrical piece of wood with a head, on which thread is wound for making lace; or a spool with a head at one or both ends, intended to have thread or yarn wound on it, and used in spinning machinery and in sewing machines.
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Bobbin Net
a machine-made cotton net, originally imitated from the lace made by means of a pillow and bobbins. BOBOLI (bob'ō-lē) GARDENS, the famous grounds of the Pitti Palace at Florence. They contain many fine statues and the Isoletto fountain, designed by Jean de Bologne.
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Bobbinet
a kind of machine-made netting, woven with six-cornered meshes. In making bobbinet the warp threads, 700 to 1,200 to a yard, are stretched from a roller. The weft threads are wound upon bobbins, as many as 1,200 being used sometimes. One set of these bobbins moves diagonally from right to left. Another set moves diagonally from left to right. Each diagonal thread makes a turn, about each warp thread, forming thus the six-cornered meshes. The best machines can produce 30,000 meshes a minute. The manufacture of bobbinet was the first step in the making of machine laces. Up to the early part of the nineteenth century all lace was produced by hand work. One variety called Brussels lace showed open spaces in which the threads were twisted and knotted into a regular mesh. In attempting to imitate this lace an effort was made first to produce this open mesh as a ground for the pattern. The first successful machine was invented in 1809 by an Englishman, John Heathcoat. It was suggested to him by machinery employed in making fish nets. Bobbinet takes its name from the bobbins on which the oblique threads are wound in the manufacture. See Lace ; Netting
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Bocage
MANOEL DO (bōk'äzh or bōs'äzh), a Portuguese poet, born in 1766. He is esteemed the most original and most truly national of his country's modern poets. His sonnets are the finest in the language. He died in 1806.
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Bocardo
the old North gate of Oxford, England, occasionally used as a prison. Here Cranmer was incarcerated, and through it went Ridley and Latimer to meet death by fire in 1555. The term was used generally to denote any prison.
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Boche
a slang term born of the World War and used by the French, and later by others of the Allies, in referring contemptuously to their German enemies. Various explanations have been given of its origin, but the most plausible is that it comes from the French word caboche, used familiarly for head, especially a big thick head (slow-pate). It had at times been used by Parisian printers before the war in speaking of their German assistants, because of their reputed slowness of comprehension. The next step was to apply it to Germans in general.
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Bock Beer
a kind of strong beer, the first drawn from the vats in the spring when the winter's brew of lager beer is broached.
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Bodhisattva
is the official in the theosophical hierarchy who has charge of the religion and education of the world. He is the founder of religions, instituting these either directly or through one of his messengers, and after a faith has been founded, he puts it in charge of a Master, though he still continues the direction of it.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Bodle
a copper coin formerly current in Scotland, of the value of two pennies Scotch, or the sixth part of an English penny.
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Bodleian Library
the reference library of Oxford University. It derives its name from a donation of rare books purchased on the continent by Sir Thomas Bodley at a cost of $50,000, and presented to the University in 1597. Sir Thomas also left an estate, the income of which is still devoted to the care and enlargement of the library. Others have left fortunes to the library. Several large collections of early prints, first editions, and priceless Arabic, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, German, Anglo-Saxon, and oriental manuscripts have been acquired. A copy of every book published in the kingdom is, by act of Parliament, deposited with the librarian. The income from bequests is used to purchase old books. The library is especially rich in early editions of the Bible in all tongues. The entire collection is at the service of scholars on the most liberal terms. The library now includes over half a million volumes and ranks next to that of the British Museum in point of value to scholarship. See Library; British Museum
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