Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/60

LEFT ERLANGEN" 42 ERNST Persia and Asiatic Turkey. The popu- lation of the city, before the war, was about 33,000, and that of the province about 970,000, being about equally di- vided between Mohammedans and Chris- tian Armenians. During the Russian campaigns against Asiatic Turkey, in the World War, Erivan was one of the bases of the Russian forces. In 1920 Erivan became the economic center of the new Armenian Republic, here being established the central wholesale supply depot of the co-operative societies which were exclusively supplying the people with food stuffs. ERLANGEN, a city of Bavaria, about fifteen miles N. N. W. of Nuremberg, on the Regnitz. Important manufacturing plants are located here, principally turn- ing out woolen and cotton goods, glass- ware, gloves, and beer. The city was Prussian from 1791 until 1810, when it became Bavarian. It is noted as the location of the Friedrich-Alexander Uni- versity, which, before the World War, had an average student body of 1,350 The volumes in the local library num- ber a quarter of a million. Pop. about 25,000. ERLANGEN, UNIVERSITY OF, an institution for higher education, situated in the town of the same name in Ba- varia. Founded in 1743 by Frederick, malgrave of Bayreuth, its main building was formerly the palace of the mar- graves in Erlangen. It has four facul- ties : philosophy, law, medicine, and Prot- estant theology. Many institutions of learning are connected with the univer- sity, among these being extensive clini- cal and anatomical laboratories. The library contains over 200,000 volumes. ERMINE, in zoology, the ermine weasel, a small mammal. The body in summer is reddish-brown above and white beneath, and in winter is wholly white, except the extremity of the tail, which all the year round is black. It is found in the arctic and temperate parts of Europe, becoming more abundant as one travels N. It occurs also in the cor- responding parts of North America, ranging as far S. as the middle of the United States. It frequents stony places and thickets, and is active, fierce and blood-thirsty. It is called also the stoat. It is obtained from Russia in Europe, Norway, Siberia, Lapland, and also, though to a less extent than formerly, in North America. The word is used figuratively to designate the office, posi- tion, or dignity of a judge (from his state robe being ornamented or bordered with ermine). In heraldry it designates one of the furs, represented by black spots of a particular shape on a white ground. ERMLAND, or ERMELAND, a dio- cese of East Prussia, in the district of Konigsberg, with the episcopal seat at Braunsberg. It was formerly under th© administrative control of Poland, but after the partition of that kingdom, in 1772, was assigned to Prussia. ERNE, one of the "bare-legged" eagles. The genus includes some seven species, represented apparently in all parts of the world except South America. The common erne or white-tailed sea-eagle is widely distributed in northern Europe and Asia. It occurs in Great Britain, but is rare. Another notable species is the white-headed or bald eagle, the em- blem of the United States. This erne is common in North America, both by the coasts and by inland lakes, and also occurs in northern Europe. The gen- eral color is brown, but the head and neck of the adults are milky-white, and the same is true of the rounded tail. The size is slightly less than that of the British species. The white-bellied sea- eagle, found round the Australian coasts, and from Ceylon to Cochin-China, and the Asiatic erne, are other important species. ERNE, LOUGH, a lake in Ireland, county Fermanagh, consisting of a N. or lower, and a S. or upper lake (with the town of Enniskillen between), con- nected by a narrow, winding channel, and properly forming only expansions of the river Erne. Its entire length is about 40 miles; average breadth 6 miles. It contains numerous islands, and is well stocked with fish. ERNEST AUGUSTUS, King of Han- over and Duke of Cumberland, the fifth son of George III.; born in 1771. _ He became a field-marshal in the British army, and on the death of William IV. in 1837, ascended the throne of Hanover, in consequence of the succession to the sovereignty of that country being lim- ited to male heirs. He was succeeded by his son George V., the last of the Hano- verian kings. He died in 1851. ERNST, OSWALD HERBERT, an American soldier, born near Cincinnati in 1842. He attended Harvard College for two years and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1864. In the same year he was appointed 1st lieutenant of engineers. He rose through the various grades, in 1898 be- coming a brigadier-general. With this rank he served in the volunteers during the Spanish-American War. He was promoted to be major-general in 1916.