Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/160

LEFT BOVID-ffi 138 BOWERBANKIA BOVID-ffi, a family of ruminating an- imals, containing not merely the oxen, but many other animals now placed in other families. It was subdivided into bovina, cervina, giraffina, rnoschina, and camelina; also, a family of ruminating animals, consisting of species with simply rounded horns, which are not twisted in a spiral manner. There are no lachrymal sinuses. It contains the genera bos, bison, bubalus, etc. Ovibos (musk ox), gen- erally ranked under bovidx, is by some placed with the ovidse. The oldest known are various species of bos, hemibos, and amphibos in the Upper Miocene of India. The genera bos and bison are found in the Pliocene. BOW, the name of one of the most ancient and universal weapons of offense. It is made of steel, wood, horn, or other elastic substance. The figure of the bow is nearly the same in all countries. The ancient Grecian bow was somewhat in the form of the letter E : in drawing it, the hand was brought back to the right breast, and not to the ear. The Scythian bow was nearly semicircular. The long bow was the favorite national weapon in England. The battles of Crecy (1346), Poictiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415) were won by this weapon. It was made of yew, ash, etc., of the height of the archer, or about six feet long, the arrow being usually half the length of the bow. The arbalist, or cross bow, was a popu- lar weapon with the Italians, and was introduced into England in the 13th century. BOW, in music, an appliance with which the strings of certain musical in- struments of the viol class are set in vibration. It consists of a number of long horse hairs stretched upon an elastic rod, which are tightened by a nut and screw. It was originally curved, whence its name. The old form is still seen in the rebeck or rebal of Algeria. BOW BELLS, the peal of bells belong- ing to the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, London, and celebrated for centuries. One who is born within the sound of Bow Bells is considered a genuine cockney. BOWDITCH. HENRY PICKERING, an American educator, born in Boston, Mass., April 4, 1840; was graduated at Harvard in 1861, and subsequently studied chemistry and medicine, and, after the Civil War, in which he reached the rank of major in the Union service, he took a special course in physiology in France and Germany. In 1871-1876 he was Assistant Professor of Physiology in the Harvard Medical School, and in 1876 was elected to the full chair. Resigned in 1906. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as of numerous medical societies. BOWDITCH, NATHANIEL, an Am- erican mathematician, born in Salem, Mass., March 26, 1773; published, in 1802, the "American Practical Naviga- tor," a work of the highest value and utility. In 1814-1817, appeared his trans- lation of the "Mdcanique Celeste" of La- place, with an able commentary — a work which obtained for him admission as a Fellow to the Royal Society of London. He died in Boston, March 16, 1838. BOWDOIN, JAMES, an American patriot, born in Boston, Aug. 8, 1727. He was prominent in Massachusetts during the Revolution. He became governor of his State in 1785, and, in the following year, suppressed Shay's rebellion. Bow- doin College was named after him. He died in Boston, Nov. 6, 1790. BOWDOIN COLLEGE, an institution for higher education in Brunswick, Me.; organized in 1794 under the auspices of the Congregational Church; reported at the end of 1919: Professors and instruc- tors, 29; students, 448; volumes in the library, 120,000; productive funds, $2,- 631,012; income, $137,137; president, Kenneth C. M. Sills. BOWELS. See ABDOMEN: DiARRHCEA: Intestines. BOWEN, HENRY CHANDLER, an American editor and publisher, born in Woodstock, Conn., Sept. 11, 1813. He received a common school education and entered business. In 1848 he helped found "The Independent" in New York, becoming, in 1861, its editor and pro- prietor, and making the paper famous for its advanced views on public topics. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., Feb. 24, 1896. BOWEN, HERBERT WOLCOTT, an American diplomat, born in Brooklyn, N. Y., Feb. 29, 1856. He was educated at Yale and the Columbia Law School. He took an active part in Republican pol- itics and was consul-general at Barcelona when the Spanish-American war broke out. In 1901 he was made Minister to Persia. He later served as Minister to Venezuela, but retired in 1905. He has published "Losing Ground," "In Divers Tones," "De Genere Humane," and "In- ternational Law." BOWERBANKIA (from J. S. Bower- bank, an eminent naturalist, who flour- ished in the middle of the 19th century), a genus of asddioid polyzoa, belonging