Shays
DANIEL, an American insurgent; born in Hopkinton, Mass., in 1747; served as ensign at the battle of Bunker Hill, and attained the rank of captain in the Continental army. He took a leading part in the popular movement in western Massachusetts for the redress of alleged grievances, appearing before Springfield, Mass., at the head of 1,000 men to prevent the session of the Supreme Court at that place, and commanding the rebel party at Pellham and at the engagement with the militia at Petersham. After the rebellion was put down, however, he was pardoned by the government and later, in his old age, was allowed a pension for his services during the Revolutionary War. He died in Sparta, N. Y., Sept. 29, 1825.
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She-Goat
One of the branches of augury in ancient Rome dealt especially with the signs which might be derived from animals; and it was believed that if a she-goat crossed the path of a man who was stepping out of his house it was a good omen, and he might proceed on his way rejoicing and "think upon Caranus."
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Shea
the Bassia butyracea of botanists, is a native of tropical Asia and Africa. The trunk of this tree, when pierced, yields a copious milky juice, and shea or vegetable butter is found in the nuts when crushed.
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Shears
A machine used in forges and rolling-mills for cutting up puddle-bars into suitable lengths for piling, trimming the edges of sheets, plates, etc. Crocodile or alligator shears are generally some form of lever-shears consisting of a fixed bottom jaw or knife, to which at the root of the knife is attached the vibrating-arm or lever-jaw. A crank or excentric at the opposite end of the lever causes the upper jaw to open and shut after the manner of an alligator's mouth; hence the name. The plate-shearing machine is made with diagonal-edged knives of considerable length; the bottom one is fixed, and the upper has a vertical motion within parallel guides. These are employed for sheet and plate work. Guillotine-shears are similar in design to plate-shears; but, as their use is for cutting up the hot steel ingots into lengths suitable for subsequent operations in the mill, the knives are much shorter and the guides closer together, giving the machine an appearance of the instrument from which it derives its name. There are also numerous designs of combined shear and punch, both of which motions are derived from gear connection with the fly-wheel. Hydraulic shears may be of two forms: the stroke is either upward or downward, according to the position of the press.
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Sheartails
a genus of humming birds, of which the slender tail (T. enicura) and Cora's shearsheartail tail (T. Cora) are two familiar species. These birds occur, the former in Central America generally; the latter in Peru and in the Andes valleys. They derive their name from the elongation of the two central tail feathers of the males.
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Shearwater
the name of several marine birds of the genus Puffinus. The greater shearwater (P. cinereus), which is 18 inches long, is found on the S. W. GREATER SHEARWATER coasts of England and Wales. They fly rapidly, skimming over the sea, from which they pick up small fishes, mollusks, etc. The name is sometimes applied to the scissor-bill or skimmer (Rhynchops nigra).
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Sheatfish
a name applied to any fish of the family Siluridæ, but specifically to Silurus glanis, called also the sly silurus, with the exception of the sturgeon, the largest European freshwater fish. It is allied to the catfish. It is common in Germany, Poland, Styria, the Danube, and the rivers of southern Russia. It attains a weight of from 300 to 400 pounds, and the flesh of the young fish is well-flavored. The fat is used in dressing leather, and the air bladder is made into gelatine.
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Sheath Bill
in ornithology, the genus Chionis, made known by the naturalists of Cook's second voyage, a specimen of C. alba having been met with on New Year Island, on Dec. 31, 1774. It resembles a pigeon in size and general appearance; plumage pure white; bill yellow at base, passing into pink at tip; round the eyes the skin is bare, and dotted with cream-colored papillæ; legs bluishgray. In the Falkland Islands it is called the kelp pigeon. Another species was discriminated in 1842 by Dr. Hartlaub; it is smaller than C. alba, with similar plumage, but having the bill and bare skin of the face black and the legs much darker. The sealers of Kerguelen Land call it the sore-eyed pigeon, from its prominent fleshy orbit.
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Sheathing
that which sheathes or covers; specifically, in shipbuilding, a covering, usually thin plates of copper or an alloy containing copper, to protect the bottom of a wooden ship from worms.
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Sheave
the grooved wheel in the shell of a block or pulley over which the In wooden blocks, it is genrope runs. erally of lignum vitæ, and has a brass bushing, called a coak, which runs on bushing, the pin. In locksmithing, a sliding scutcheon for covering a keyhole.
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Sheba
in ancient geography, a kingdom of South Arabia, embracing the greater part of Arabia Felix; named after Sheba, one of the sons of Jokshan, second son of Abraham and Keturah (Gen. xxv. 3-4). The Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, 990 b. c. (І Kings x. 1-13). The Greeks and Romans called the people Sabæi, or Sabæans.
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Sheboygan
a city and county-seat of Sheboygan co., Wis.; on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Sheboygan river, and on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad; 52 miles N. of Milwaukee. Here are a United States Government building, an Asylum for the Chronic Insane, Home for the Friendless, St. Nicholas Hospital, State Fish Hatchery, public library, waterworks, street railroad and electric light plants, and several daily and weekly newspapers. It is the shipping point for an extensive dairying and agricultural region. Sheboygan is chiefly noted for its manufacture of chairs. Besides this industry it has stamped steel and castiron works, and manufactories of furniture, soap, boilers, bicycles, leather, pianos, beehives, boots and shoes, carriages and wagons, and bricks and tiles. Pop. (1910) 26,398; (1920) 30,955.
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