BOM 
their teeth are f© large as to infpire the beholders 
with terror, the v/ounds they inflicft are not at- 
tended with any fatal confequences. Others af- 
firm, that they haunt defart places; and that 
though they are fometimes feen near great towns, 
or on the banks of contiguous rivers, they make 
their appearance only after Ibme great inunda- 
tion ; that they never faw any but fuch as were 
dead ; and that they appeared to them like the 
trunks of large trees lying on the ground. 
BOIOBI. An American ferpent, called by 
the Portuguefe cobra deevrd. It is about an ell 
long; of the thicknefs of a man's thumb; and of a 
very beautitlil fliining green. It's mouth is very 
large; and it's tongue is black. It feems to have 
a predile6lion for houfes ; and never injures any 
creature unlefs provoked or hurt ; but, when either 
of thefe is tlie cafe, it will bite, and it's poifon is 
then very fatal. The natives ufe the root caa-apia 
bruifed, and taken in water, as an antidote againft 
the infe(ftion. 
BOIQUIRA. A name fometimes given by 
the natives of America to the rartie-fnake. 
BOITIAPO. A Brazilian ferpent, called by 
the Portugiiiefe cobra de eipo. It grows to the 
length of feven or eight feet; and it's body is as 
tliick as a man's arm, round, and pointed towards 
the tail like a fhoemaker's awl. It is covered 
with veiy fine fcales of a triangular form, and of 
an olive and yeilowilli colour. It lives on frogs, 
and other fmall reptiles. It's bite is dangerous; 
but it is fuppofed that it's flelh miglit be efFe£lual- 
ly ufed, like that of the viper, as an alexipharm.ic 
and purifier of the blood. 
BOLINTHOS. The Ariftotelian name for 
thebonafus, the monops of ^lian. 
EOM. An American ferpent, remaj-Icable for 
the noife it makes, which founds like the word ufed 
for it's name. It grows to a very confiderable fize; 
and does not feem to poffefs any noxious qualities. 
BOMARIN. A name given by fome nacu- 
ralifls to the hipopotamus, or river-horfe. 
BOMBARDIER. A fpecies of infed, called 
alfo bupreilis ; the wings of which are inclofed 
in a kind of cafe that entirely enfolds them. It 
c5onceals itfelf among ftones ; and feems to make 
little ufe of it's wings, moving by a kind of fpring; 
but, when touched, makes a noife refembling the 
difcharge of amufquet in miniature, during which 
a blue iinoke feems to be emitted from it's anus ; 
and by fiightly fcratching it's back with a pin, it 
may be made to play oft^it's little artillery at any 
time. Rolander, who firft made thefe obfervations 
on the infe6l, informs us, that it is capable of 
giving twenty difchargesfuccefllvely; that aveficle, 
placed near the anus, feems to be the arfenal from 
whence it derives it's ftore ; that this provifion and 
furniture conftitute it's chief defence; and that 
the fmoke emitted by it appears to be entirely in- 
offenfive, and can only operate, either in intimi- 
dating it's enemies, or concealing it's own flight. 
BOMBINA. A fpecies of the rana, belong- 
ing to the order of reptiles. 
BOMBYLIUS. The claxTical name for the 
humible-bce; of which Ray, in his hiftory of 
infedls, mentions no fewer than nineteen fpe- 
cies, wholly different from each other. In the 
Linn^ean fyftem, it is a genus of the order of dip- 
lera. 
BOMBY LOPHAGES. The humble-bee- 
eater. A fly of the tipula genus, larger and 
ftrongcr than tlie common kinds, and extremely 
BON 
foild of honey; but, being ignorant d'f the method' 
of extradling it from flowers, it feizes on the hum- 
ble-bee, and defl:roys it, in order to come at it's 
honey-bag. The body is of a blackiili colour; 
the head is of a bright red ; and the eyes are very 
large and prominent.- It is chiefly found in moun- 
tainous places. 
BOMBYLUS TEREDO. The name of a 
fpecies of humble-bee, which eats it's way mta 
wood, and there forms it's nell. 
BOMBYX. The clafllcal name for the filk- 
worm. 
Bombyx is alfo applied by fome authors to ex^- 
prefs a fpecies of winged infe6ts armed with a fling 
like that of the bee. It is fhaped like a vv^afp, biS 
is entirely black; and it infiidls a very fevere 
wound with it's filing, which it always lofrs in tlie 
aft. It builds it's neft of clay, which it v/orks up 
into a very hard confiflence, and fliilens to a flone. 
It feems to be a fpecies of the mafbn-bee. 
BONANA-BIRD, LITTEE. This bird is a 
native of thofe countries where Bonana-trees eom.- 
monly grow ; and from thence receives it's name. 
The body is about five inches long, and the tail an 
inch and a half; the bill is only one-third of an 
inch long, thick, and roundilh ; the head is large 
in proportion to the body ; and it's breadth, whea 
the wings are extended, is nine inches. The feet 
are black, and armed with fliarp black claws ; the 
feathers on the back, as far as the tail, are downy, 
and of a deep blue colour; the bread is a 
lightifh blue ; the tips of the feathers on the belly 
are yellow ; and the wings and tail are of a dark 
blue with a greenifli caft. 
BoNANA-BiRD, Lesser. The bill of this bird 
is pretty thick towards the head, with a flight in- 
curvation downwards, and fharp at the point, be- 
ing of a dufky or blackifh colour, except at the 
bafe of the lower chap, where it has a flefhy ap- 
pearance ; and is alfo furrounded with black fea- 
thers, which are very narrow on the head, but reach 
down to the eyes, and an inch deep on the throat. 
The head, and part of the neck, are of a greenifh 
yellow or olive colour; and the whole body, both 
above and beneath, as well as the thighs, and the 
upper and under coverts of the tail, are of a fine 
vivid yellow ; the lefTer coverts of the wings, both 
internally and externally, are alfo yellow; but the 
row of covert-feathers immediately above the 
wings are moflly white on their exterior webs, form^ 
inga white fpace in the middle of the wings: the- 
quills are black, except three or four of thofe next 
the back, the exterior webs of which are edged with 
black. Among the lefler coverts of the wings, 
near the bend, there is a little mixture of black, 
and the infides of the quills are of a dark afh-co- 
iour. The tail is compofed of twelve black fea- 
thers of an equal length, the middle ones being the 
longeft, and flaortening gradually tov/ards the fides. 
This bird, which is a native of Jamaica, was 
broughtfrom thatifland by Dr. Brown. It builds a 
long hanging neft, compofed of the interior hair of 
a fort of mofs, or herb, galled old mian's beard, 
Vi'hich it cai-efully interweaves from the farther ex- 
tremities of twigs of high trees, in the fnape of a 
lack; and in thefe it lays it's eggs, to preferve 
them from fnakes and monkies. A nefl of this 
kind, brought from Jamaica, had the appearance, 
at firft fight, of being conftrufted v/ith horle-hair» 
BONASIA. A fpecies of the tetrao. 
BONASUS. This anim.al, which the gene* 
rality of natur^^is confound with the bifon, is evi- 
dently 
