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Bone
Bonxie
The name by which the Great SKUA, Stercorarius skua, is known in
some of the Shetland Islands, its only British habitat.
Booby
Bower
Bird
Brachial
Artery
See VASCULAR SYSTEM.
Brachial
Plexus
see NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Brain
Bramble
Finch or Brambling
The Bramble Finch or Brambling (from the Germanic Bramling), are names
of one of the most beautiful of the UK's annual visitors, Fringilla
montifringilla,
which has its home in the birch-forests of Northern
Europe and Asia, whence it yearly proceeds, often in flocks of thousands,
to pass the winter in more southern countries. It is congeneric with the
Chaffinch, but is still more brightly coloured, especially in summer, when
the brown edges of the feathers being shed, it presents a rich combination
of black, white, and orange. Even in winter, however, its diversified
plumage is sufficiently striking.
Brant or
Brent
These are words of doubtful etymology: the former spelling is most usually
adopted by American, the latter by English authors, and in Britain the
word GOOSE is generally added.
Breastbone
See STERNUM.
Bristlebird
or Bristle Bird
The
Bristlebird is the name given by the early Australian colonists to three
species of the genus Sphenura of Lichtenstein, but which now form
the Dasyornis genus. These birds inhabit Australia, and have attained
the name Bristlebird from the two or three pairs of strong
recurved bristles which project laterally from the gape. They were formerly
considered to belong to the Sylviidae family, but in the 19th Century,
like many others, were referred (chiefly on account of their short wings)
to the Timeliidae family by Mr. Sharpe (Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p.
104). In current 21st Century times their genus Dasyornis is now the sole
genus within the Dasyornithidae family, this family being solely for the
bristlebirds.
They mostly conceal themselves in thickets, especially
in marshy places, flying very little, but running very quickly, and carrying
the tail erect. The nest is built of dry grass, globular in form, and is
of large size. There are three specis within the Dasyornis genus. The Eastern
Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus), inhabits New South Wales,
and the two others, the Western Bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris)
and the Rufous Bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti),
are found
in Western Australia and the interior of South Australia respectively.
The Western Rufous Bristlebird, (Dasyornis broadbenti littoralis,
this being a subspecies of the Rufous Bristlebird) is believed to have
become extinct in the 20th Century.
Broadbill
Bronchi
The word bronchi (adjective = bronchial) is derived from the greek
"bronkhos", meaning the windpipe. The thoracic end of the TRACHEA is divided
into a right and a left bronchus.. Each bronchus enters the lung of its
side and passes through its whole length as mesobronchium, from which go
off about 10 secondary bronchi towards the surface of the LUNG. In
almost all birds - the exceptions being the Cathartidae, true Storks, and
Steatornis - the bronchi are strengthened by cartilaginous semirings ;
the ends of these rings point towards the median line, and are closed by
the inner tympaniform membrane. The right and left membranes are connected
with each other by an elastic band, called
bronchidesmus.
All the
rings which partake of the formation of the pessulus of the trachea belong
to the latter, the pessulus thus marking the beginning of the bronchi (see
also TRACHEA and SYRINX).
Bronze-Wing
The name given in Australia to several species of PIGEON belonging to the
genera Phaps, Geophaps, and
Ocyphaps,
from the lustrous coppery
or bronze-like spots they display on their wings.
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