662 



SPRINGBOK 



SI'IM ( K-P.KKK 



Springbok (daiella eitchore), an antelope, 

 which like many others is getting scarcer; it instill, 

 however, abundant a little south of the Zamltexi. 

 It is an extremely lieautiful creature, of graceful 

 form, niul line colour*. It i- larger than the roe- 

 buck, nnil its neck ami limbs iniicli longer and more 

 delicate. The general colour in fulvous brown on 

 the ii|i|M'i parts, pure white beneath, the colours 

 separated on the Hanks by a braid hand of deep 

 vinous red. The whole head is white, except a broad 

 brown Itand on each side from the eye to the mouth, 

 and a brown spot in the centre of the face. Two 

 curious folds of skin ascend from the root of the 

 tail, and terminate near the middle of the back ; 

 they are usually closed, but open out when the 

 animal U bounding, and disclose a large triangular 

 white space which is otherwise concealed. The 

 springliok derives its name from the prodigious 

 leaps which it takes either when alarmed or in 

 play, often to the height of 7 feet, and sometimes 



Springbok ( (la;e!la euchore ). 



of 12 or 13 feet It* ordinary residence is in the 

 karroo or arid sandy plains ; out when all pasture 

 there is burned up immense herds congregate to- 

 gether, and migrate to more fertile regions, often 

 devastating the fields of the colonist. Pringle 

 speaks ( 1834) of seeing the country near the Little 

 Fish River specked with them as far as the eye 

 could reach, and estimates the number in sight at 

 once as not less than 25,000 or 30,000. Gumming 

 describes ( 1850) a still more extraordinary scene, a 

 vast herd pouring through an opening among hills, 

 in one living mass, half a mile in breadth, and so 

 continuing for hours together. The strongest 

 animals are generally foremost, but when satiated 

 with food they fall behind, and others, hungry and 

 active, take their place. When taken young the 

 springbok i easily tamed, and becomes very 

 familiar, troublesome, and tricky. 



Springer. See SPANIEL. 



Springfield. ( 1 ) the capital of Illinois, stands 

 in a fertile prairie country rich in bituminous coal, 

 185 miles by rail s\V. of Chicago, at the meeting- 

 point of seven railway lines, it is regularly laid 

 out with broad streets and gardens, possesses a 

 handsome federal building, a state arsenal, two 

 colleges, and one of the largest state capitols in the 

 Union (of marble, 385 feet long by 296 wide ; cost 

 $5,000,000). Its coal-mines have made it an active 

 industrial centre : here are large iron-rolling mills 

 and foundries, a watch -factory, and flour, woollen, 

 itaper, and planing mills. Springfield, which 

 tiecame the capital in 1S37, wan the home of 

 Abraham Lincoln, whn is buried in the beautiful 

 Oak Ridge cemetery, in the crypt of the great 

 national monument a granite obelisk (1874), 

 which cost 264,000. Pop. (1890) 24,963; (1900) 

 .14,159. (2) A thriving city of Massachusetts, 

 capital of Hampden county, on the left bank of 



the Connecticut River, by rail 99 miles W. by 8. 

 of Boston and 25 N. of Hartford. The river U 

 crossed by five bridges to \\Vst Springfield (pop. 

 5075), and four railways meet here. The city is 

 stretching out over an elevated plain to the eii-t ; 

 the older streets are broad, shaded avenues, and 

 there U a large and beautiful park. Tin- public 

 buildings include a cathedral and numerous other 

 churches, a brown-stone post-office, city ball, 

 granite court house, and a railway station which 



cost >7<NI.<NNI. S|'lili;:ti<-|il i- IHiteil fol till' Mii'at 



variety of its manufactures. Among its larger 

 factories is the United States Armoury (since 

 1794), employing about 400 men, chiefly in the 

 manufacture of rifles and carbines ; the others 

 embrace foundries, car-works, and manufactories 

 of cottons and woollens, paper, machinery, furni- 

 ture, trunks, buttons, needles, spectacles, locks, 

 pistols, skates, picture-frames, organs, and jewellery. 

 The town was settled in 1635. Pop. ( 1890) 44,179 ; 

 (1900)62,059. (3) Capital of Creene county, Mi- 

 Ronri, 232 miles by rail WSW. of St Louis, with 

 machine shops, car-works, and large cotton and 

 woollen factories. Here is Drury College (Con- 

 gregational ; 1873). Near Springfield was fought 

 the battle of Wilson's Creek, 10th August 1861. 

 Pop. (1880) 6522; (1890) 21,850. (4) Capital of 

 Clark county, Ohio, on Lagonda Creek and Mad 

 River, 80 miles by rail NE. of Cincinnati. Six 

 railways meet here. The city contains the Witten- 

 berg College (Lutheran; 1K45), and handsome 

 county and municipal buildings. It lias numerous 

 manufactures, especially farm machinery, bicycles, 

 sewing-machines, iron fences, paper, &c. Pop. 

 ( 1880) 20,730 ; ( 1890) 31,895 ; ( 1900) 38,253. 



Spring-linn, a gun having wires connected 

 with its trigger, and so fixed and planted that 

 when wild animals, trespassers, \-c. stumble 

 against the wire the gun shall be discharged at 

 them so as to wound them. Since 1827 it is illegal 

 in Britain to set Man-traps (q.v.) or spring-guns 

 save indoors as a defence against burglars. 



Sprillg-tnils (Collembola), an order of primi- 

 tive wingless insects which, along with the some- 

 what similar Thysanura, are included in the small 

 group Apterygota. The popular name refers to 

 a peculiar springing fork which is usually present 

 on the abdomen. It seems to result from a pair 

 of abdominal appendages which are united at the 

 base and lient forward when the animal is at rest. 

 ' By a process analogous to that by which the 

 common toy frogs are made to jump,' the spring- 

 tails leap to a considerable height. The Collein- 

 bola are all small, usually under a quarter of an 

 inch in length ; there are six or fewer abdominal 

 segments ; there are no compound eyes, nor him - 

 of wings, nor metamorphosis. They usually live 

 in damp and sheltered places e.g. under bark or 

 stones. Among the representative forms may ! 

 noted Foil ura aquatica, common on stagnant 

 water in England; Orekesdla cincta, among dead 

 leaves ami moss ; Denoria glacialis, on the glaciers ; 

 SmynthuriiH ; Isotoma ; Macrotoma. See Sir John 

 l.iihhoek, Monorjruph of the Cotlembola and Thysa- 

 nura (Ray Society, 1873). 



Spruce. See FIR. 



Spruce-beer. The essence of spruce is 

 obtained by boiling the green tops of the Black 

 Spruce (Abie* nigra) in water, and then concen- 

 trating the decoction by another boiling without 

 the spruce tops. The young shoots of this fir, like 

 most others of its family, are coated with a resinous 

 exudation, which is dissolved in the water. Spruce- 

 beer is made by adding the essence of spruce to 

 water in which sugar or treacle has l>een dissolved, 

 in the proportion of almut four ounces of essence 

 of spruce to ten pounds of sugar, or three quart- -i 



