Black Beetle
a popular name for
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Single-source entries: B (85)
These 14 listings are so strange that each appears in only one of the 7 encyclopedias we compared. They include such classics as Black Beetle, Black Draught, Black Earth.
Black Douglas, The
The, Sir James Douglas, a character in Scott's Castle Dangerous, a story of the series, The Tales of My Landlord. Black Douglas was a generic name given to the elder branch of the noble Scottish family of Douglas. The scene of the story is Scotland, the time the fourteenth century, while Edward I of England and Bruce of Scotland are at war. The plot is concerned largely with the efforts of the Black Douglas to win back his castle from the English. See Douglas
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Black Draught
sulphate of magnesia and infusion of senna, with aromatics to make it palatable. BLACK EARTH (tchernozem of Russian geologists), the name to a deposit which covers vast areas in south Russia, extending over the steppes and low-lying plateaus that border on the the depressed area to the Black Sea, and N. of the Caspian, with a breadth from N. to S. of from 200 or 300 to nearly 700 miles. It closely resembles the loess of central Europe in texture and struc- , for it is fine-grained, and is usually ture devoid of stratification. It varies in color, however, from dark brown to black, and in thickness from a foot or two up to 6 or 7 yards, occasionally reaching, it is said, even to 60 feet. It is composed chiefly of siliceous sand (about 70 per cent.), alumina and other ingredients (23 per cent.), and organic matter (about 7 per cent.). It bears the same relation to the glacial accumulations of Russia that the loess of the Rhine, the Danube, etc., does to those of central Europe, and is probably the fine-grained silt derived from the torrents and flooded rivers of the glacial period.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Black Earth
(See Philosopher's Stone.)
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Black Hawk
a famous chief of the Sac and Fox Indians, born in 1767. He joined the British in 1812, and opposing the removal_W. of his tribe, fought against the United States in 1831-1832. white. Patterson and Snelling.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Black Hen, Fast of The
In Hungary and the adjacent countries it is believed that whoever has been robbed and wishes to discover the thief must take a black hen and along with it fast strictly for nine Fridays. The thief will then either return the plunder or die. This is called "taking up a black fast" against anyone. A great deal of lore concerning black hens may be found in the works of Gubernatis and Friedrich.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Black Hills
a rough region in southwestern South Dakota and Wyoming. In pioneer days it was a stronghold of the Sioux Indians. The region was opened to settlement in 1876. The Black Hills are noted for mining. Gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and other ores are produced. The Homestake Mine is the most productive gold mine in North America . There are caves of unknown extent. Grazing is an important industry. See South Dakota 2026 Editor's Note: The entry's bland "opened to settlement in 1876" describes a seizure. The Black Hills had been guaranteed to the Sioux by treaty until Custer's expedition found gold; the United States took them anyway. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Sioux Nation that the taking was unlawful and awarded compensation — which the Sioux have refused for four decades, wanting the land instead. The fund now exceeds a billion dollars. (Ed: BR 2026-07-18)
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Black Letter
the Gothic or German type. So called because of its black appearance.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Black Letter Day
an unlucky day; one to be recalled with regret. The Romans marked their unlucky days with a piece of black charcoal, and their lucky ones with white chalk.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Black Maria
a popular name in the United States applied to the covered wagon, generally painted black, used for the conveyance of prisoners; properly, a prison van. BLACK MONDAY. (1) A name for Easter Monday, in remembrance of the dreadful experiences of the army of Edward III., before Paris, on Easter Monday, April 14, 1360. Many soldiers and horses perished from the extreme cold. (2) The 27th of Feb., 1865, a memorable day in Melbourne, Australia, when the country round was swept by a destructive sirocco.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Black Mass
It is known from the confessions of witches sorcerers that the devil also has mass said at his Sabbath. Pierre Aupetit, an apostate priest of the village of Fossas, in Limousine, was burned for having celebrated the mysteries of the Devil 's mass. Instead of speaking the holy words of consecration the frequenters of the Sabbath said: "Beelzebub, Beelzebub, Beelzebub." The devil in the shape of a butterfly, flew round those who were celebrating the mass, and who ate a black host, which they were obliged to chew before swallowing.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Black Mountains
the group which contains the highest summits of the Appalachian system, Mt. Mitchell being 6,710 feet, Guyot's Peak, 6,661. much frequented
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Black Prince, Edward
Edward (1330-1376), Prince of Wales , the son and heir of Edward III of England. He was a noted knight. His name was derived from the color of his armor. At the age of sixteen, he was in the thick of the battle of Crecy. Ten years later he defeated the French at the battle of Poitiers. He was one of England's greatest fighting men. He slew the king of Bohemia in battle and took prisoner the king of France and the king of Scotland. He died before his father, but his son became King Richard II . The motto of the Prince of Wales, Ich dien (I serve), was won at Crecy. It has been retained by his successors ever since. 2026 Editor's Note: The chivalric shine has dulled: the Black Prince also ordered the sack of Limoges in 1370, in which the chronicler Froissart says thousands of townspeople were slaughtered — an episode modern historians weigh against the knightly legend. His gilded tomb effigy still lies in Canterbury Cathedral, and because he died before his father, the crown passed to his boy son, Richard II. (Ed: BR 2026-07-18)
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Black Pullet, The
A French magical publication supposedly printed in 1740, purporting to be a narrative of an officer who was employed in Egypt. While in Egypt the narrator fell in with a magician to whom he rendered considerable service, and who when he expired left him the secret of manufacturing a black pullet which had much skill in goldfinding. In it we find much plagiarism from the Comte de Gabalis (See Elementary Spirits ,) and the whole work if interesting, is distinctly derivative. It contains many illustrations of talismans and magical rings. The receipt for bringing the black pullet into existences describes that a black hen should be set to hatch one of its own eggs, and that during the process a hood should be drawn over its eyes so that it cannot see. It is also to be placed in a box lined with black material. The chick thus hatched will have a particular instinct for detecting the places wherein gold is hidden.
Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism