B O C 
B O I 
ipcar, to keep the creature at bay ; and in this fitu- 
ation the Boar would fpontaneoufly run againft the 
fpear, in order to get at it's affailant, and thus be 
pierced and (lain. 
' It is very remarkable, that the Wild Boar, in 
the Weft Indies, is fubjeft to the ftone; and it is 
hot uncommon to find a confiderable number in 
the fame bladder, though they feldom exceed the 
weight of a fcruple. Among phyficians, the blad- 
der of- this animal has been reputed a fpecific for 
the epilepfy. It's tuflcs have likewife been efteemed 
efficacious in qui'nfies and pleurifies; but on what 
principle we are not competent to determine. 
The Wild Boar was formerly a native of Britain, 
as appears from the Leges Wallicfe of Hoel Dda, 
v/ho permitted his grand huntfman to chace that 
animal from the beginning of November to the 
middle of Decemiber. William the Conqueror 
puniflied with the lofs of their eyes fucli perfons as 
were convifted of killing either the Wild Boar, 
the ftag, or the roe -buck. Fitz Stephens informs 
us, that the vaft foreft which, in his time, lay on 
the north fide of London, was the retreat of ftags, 
fallow-deer, Wild Boars, and bulls. And Charles I. 
turned out Wild Boars in the New Foreft; but 
they were entirely deftroyed during the fucceeding 
interval of civil diffention. 
BOAROLA, or BOARINA. A very fmall 
bird defcribed by Aldrovandus ; and which appears 
to be of tlie fame fpecies with the mufcicapa, or 
fly-catcher. 
BOAT-BILL. This bird, which appears to 
-be of the fame genus with the tamatia of Marc- 
grave, inhabits Brazil, Guiana, and other parts of 
South America; and is about the fize of a crow. 
The bill is broad, depreffed, fliarp-pointed, and 
carinated; the forehead is white; the top of the 
head, the hind part of the neck, and the beginning 
of the back, are black ; the reft of the back, wings, 
and tail, of a light cinereous colour ; the neck is 
white on the under fide ; and the belly and vent 
are brightly ferruginous. 
BOAT-FLY. An aquatic infeft, the back of 
which is ftiaped like the bottom of a boat; and the 
hind legs, which are thrice as long as the fore, apt- 
ly enough refemble a pair of oars. Moufet affirms 
that this animal, contrary to m^oft others of the in- 
fe6l tribe, poflefles the faculty of fwimming on it's 
back. 
BOCA. A fpecies of the fparus. See Boca. 
BOCAMOLLE. An appellation given by 
ibme naturalifts to a verv large Brazilian fifti, more 
ufually ciiftinguiflied by the name of pira-jurumen- 
beca. 
' BOCAQUE. This animal, which frequents 
thi banks of the Nieper, has fome refemblance to a 
raobit. It has four teeth, two in the upper, and two 
in the under jaw ; and the fur is of the colour of that 
of a badger. It burrows in the earth like a rab- 
bit, from Oftober to the end of April, when it tra- 
verfes the fields in fearch of winter provifions, it's 
principal fubfiftence being dry grafs and hay. This 
animal, when domefticated, becomes veiy tame, 
and is capable of learning a nun^iber of antic tricks ; 
it is very cunning, and keeps one of it's own fra- 
ternity always on the watch while it feeds ; the cen- 
tinel making a whiftling kind of noife, to apprize 
the other of any danger. 
In Carolina, animals of this kind have obtained 
the name of hares ; and they principally frequent 
Tnarfties and meadow-grounds. The females con- 
ceal their young from the males, after the fame 
manner as European rabbits. V\'hen one of 
them is ftarted and purfucd, it takes flicker in fome 
hollow tree; but the hunters drive it fiom thence, 
by making a fire below. On the ifthmus of Da- 
rien, they are as large as Englifli hares, but defti- 
tute of tails; their ears are fmall and fhort; their 
claws are long; and they commonly lodge about 
the roots of trees. Labat informs us, that there 
are feveral forts in the Brazils; and that the fiefli 
of all of them is very fweet, and more juicy than 
that of animals of the hare kind in Britain. 
BOCCA. An appellation given by fome na- 
turalifts to the fifli more commonly known by the 
name of the uranofcopus, or ftar-gazer. It is a 
fpecies of the trachinus ; and is diftinguiflied from 
tlie other kinds by having a great number of beards 
on the lower jaw. 
BODIAN'O. An American fifli of the fize of 
a perch, having a purple back, and yellow belly 
and fides. It Is more commonly known among 
naturalifts under the name of pudiano. 
BODTY. A fpecies of American fnake of the 
amphijb?Ena kind, called alfo ibijara. 
I30GA. A fifli caught in the Mediterranean 
fea, called boops by moft authors, and evidently 
a fpecies of the fparus. It is about a fpan long, 
and of a flender, roundifli figure; the fcales are 
pretty large, and of a yellowiffi olive colour; the 
lateral lines are dark and broad ; and beneath thern. 
on each fide are four golden parallel lines, of a fiL 
vcr colour, running from the head to the tail : the 
eyes are difproportionably large, whence the name 
of boop, or ox-eye ; the irides are of a filvery hue ; 
and the mouth, which is of a middling fize, is fur- 
nifhed witlr very fmall teeth. There are feveral 
fpecies of this fifli. 
BOICININGA. A Brazilian term for the 
rattle-fnake. 
BOIGUACU. A Brazilian frrpent, called col- 
rade veado by the Fortugueie, and fuppofed to be 
the largeft of ail the reptile tribe. Borritius af- 
ferts, that he preferved the flcin of one of them 
wliich he had himfelf killed, and found it to be 
twelve yards long ; and farther avers, that a ferpent 
of this kind was killed in the ifland of Java, which 
v/as thirteen yards and a half long, and that it's 
belly contained an entire boar: and De Laet afllires 
us that, in the Rio de la Plata, there are fome of them 
fo very large, as to fwallow a whole ftag. This 
formidable animal is thickeft" in the middle of the 
body, and grows fliorter and fmaller towards the 
head and tail. On the middle of the back, there 
is a chain of fmall black fpots which runs the 
whole length of the animal ; on each fide there are 
large round black fpots, at fome diftance from each 
other, with a white fpot in their centre; and be- 
tween theie, near the belly, there are two rows of 
leflt^r black fpots, which run parallel to the back. 
It has a double row of fharp teeth in each jaw, of 
awhitifh colour, and fliining, like mother-of-pearl : 
the head is broad ; over the eyes there are two pro- 
minences ; and near the extremity of the tail there 
are two claws, which refemble thofe of birds. 
Thefe ferpents lie hid in thickets, from whence 
they fally out unperceived ; and, raifing diemfelves 
erecl on their tails, attack man and beaft in- 
difcriminately. When exafperated, they make a 
loud hiffing noife ; and fometimes afcend trees, 
from which they dart down on travellers, and twift 
thenifelves fo clofely round their bodies, that they 
difpatch them in an inftant. Condamine, however, 
alTerts, that their bite is not dangerous; for though 
2 E theii. 
