Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/27

* GOLDEN CALF. 11 GOLDEN FLEECE. traced further back tlian the days of .Jeroboam (I. Kings xii. 28 stjq. ; II. Kings x. 20). In Samaria likewise the bull cult was introduced (Hosea viii. 5). There is no reference to any such images in the sanctuaries of the south, and the cult appears to have been confined to the north, and to have been introduced through foreign influences, probably Canaanitish, since among the Canaanites the bull was the sym- bol of Baal, and the cow the .symbol of Astarte. The story of Aaron's making a golden calf may have been originally told to establish the antiquity of the bull cult and its legitimacy as a part of the Yahweh cult; but in the hands of redactors, who as Yahweh purists were op- posed to all image-worship, the story was re- shaped so as to make it appear that Aaron in reality committed a grievous sin for which atone- ment had to be made. GOLDEN CHAIN. See Laburnum. GOLDEN CIRCLE, Kmight.s of. See Knights of the Goloen Circle. GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. A large and sprightly sparrow {Zonotrirhid coronala) of Northwestern America, distinguished by a broad stripe of yellow on the crown of the head. It is related to the familiar white-throated and white-crowned sparrows of the Eastern States. and like them has a most pleasing song. It breeds along the coast from northern California to Alaska, nesting on the ground, and is widely migrator^^ GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH (so called from the yellow spot on its head), or Wagtail. An American wood-«'arbler ( S'c/»»"»s auricapil- liis] . See Oven-Biro. GOLDEN-CROWNED WREN. See King- let. GOLDEN EAGLE. See Eagle. GOLDENEYE. A duck of the genus Glau- cionetta. having the bill shorter than the head and the nostrils well forward; a garrot. The typi- cal species (Glaiicionetta clangiila) is a common winter visitant, appearing in small flocks, most frequently in severe weather, not only in estua- ries, but on the lakes and rivers of inland parts of North America, as it does on those of all the central and southern parts of Europe, and equally on those of the temperate parts of Asia. The wings are pointed and rather short, with the first quill the longest, and the tail of sixteen feathers is rounded and of medium length. In the male the coloration is pied black and white, while it is brown and white in the female. The goldeneye takes its name from the golden-yellow hue of the iris, and the male may be recognized by the metallic green of the head and upper neck, the white patch at the base of the beak below the eye. and by the sca]iular region being striped with white. The length of the European bird is about 18 inches; the American form (a variety. Awericnnn) is somewhat larger. A second North American species is Barrow's, or the Rocky Mountain goldeneye (fUnucionetta InlfiniJirn). which is larger, and has the white loral spot more extended ; it is more northerly and less numerous than the other. Though classed among the sea-ducks, and like them sub- sisting largely on animal food, these ducks are scattered inland all over the continent, and are well known to gunners by sound as well as by Vol. IX— 2. sight, for their wings make a loud and character- istic whistling in flight; hence a common local name is 'whistler' or 'whistlcwing.' They go in small parties, mi.K with other ducks, especially bluebills, and are extremely watchful, often alarming their companions and leading the whole flock swiftly away before any other kind has sus- jx'cted danger. They breed from (Quebec and Dakota nortliward, and throughout northern re- gions generally as far as trees go, making their nests of .straw, feathers, etc., in cavities of dead trees and tall stumps, and laying eight to ten ashy-green eggs. Consult: Dresser, Birds of Europe (London, 1881) ; .Job, Anioiip the Water- fon-l (New York, 1902). GOLDEN-EYED FLY. A lace-winged fly of the family Chrysopidie, so called because in some lights the eye seems made of liurnished gold. See Lacewing. GOLDEN FLEECE. In Greek tradition, the fleece of the ram Clirysomallus, the recovery of which was the object of the Argonautie expedi- tion. (See Argonauts.) The golden fleece has given its name to a celebrated Order of knight- hood in Austria and Spain, founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and sovereign of the Netherlands, at Bruges, on January 10. 14.30, on the occasion of his marriage with Isabella, daugh- ter of King .John I. of Portugal. This Order was instituted for the protection of the Church, and the fleece was probably assumed for its emblem as much from being the material of the staple manu- facture of the Low Countries as from its connec- tion with heroic times. The founder made himself grand master of the Order, a dignity appointed to descend to his successors, and the number of knights was at first limited to twenty-four, but was subsequently increased. After the death of Charles V. the Burgundo-Spanish line of the House of Hapsburg remained in possession of the Order; but at the close of the War of the Span- ish Succession the Emperor Charles VI. laid claim to it in virtue of his possession of the Belgian Netherlands, and, taking with him the archives of the Order, celebrated its inauguration with great magnificence at Vienna in 1713. Philip V. of Spain contested the claim of Charles, and the dispute, several times renewed, was at last tacit- ly adjusted by the introduction of tlic Order in both countries. In Austria the Emperor may now create any number of knights from the old nobility; if Protestants, the Pope's consent is required. In S])ain, princes, grandees, and per- sonages of i^eculiar merit are alone eligible. The insignia are a golden fleece hanging from a gold and blue enameled fl.intstone emitting flames, and Iiorne in its turn by a steel forming the letter B. On the enameled obverse is the legend Pretium Laborum Xon Vile ('No mean recompense for effort'). The decoration was originally sus- rays, for which Charles V. allowed a red ribbon to be substituted, and the chain is now worn only by the grand master. The Spanish decora- tion differs slightly, except when worn on the highest occasions, from the Austrian. The cos- tume consists of a robe of deep-red velvet, lined with white talTeta, and a long mantle of purple velvet lined with white satin and richly trimmed with embroidery, containing firestones and steels emitting flames and sparks. On the hem. which is of white satin, is embroidered in gold Je I'ay
 * )endcd from a chain of alternate firestones and