B R E 
B R O 
feather is white; and the others are black, ex- 
cept the two middle ones, which are edged and 
tipped with afh-colour. 
Brambling, or Mountain Finch of Lin- 
KJEVS. This fpecies feems to be quite different 
from the former. The male is black above, and 
the edges of the feathers are irregularly tinged with 
a dark iron colour; the belly is white; the breaft 
and exterior bafes of the wings are of a gold 
colour, but the interior bafes are of a deep yel- 
low. The prime feathers of the wings are black, 
their outer edges being white; and four of thefe 
feathers, as well as thofe which follow towards 
the bafes, are externally half v/hite and half black. 
The principal feathers on the tail towards the out- 
fide are black; but, between them, there are feve- 
rai which are white on their external fides to- 
wards their bafes. 
The female Brambling is brown in thofe places 
where the male is white, and cinereous where he 
is of a deep yellow. Under the bafes of the wings, 
flie is of a beautiful yellov/; under the vent, of an 
irregular yellow; and the prime-feathers of the 
wings and tail are of the fame colour with thofe of 
tht male. 
BRANCHIOSTEGI. A term expreffive of 
one of the general claffes of fifhes ; the characters 
of which are, that the rays of the fins are of a bony 
fubftance, but they have no bones, or officula, at the 
branchiae, as all the malacopterygious and acan- 
thoptcrygious fiflies have. The above term is 
derived from Branchia, Gills; and Ofteon, a Bone. 
BRAND ARIS. A fpecies of the ftrombus, in 
the order of teftacea. 
BRAND-HERRING. A kind of herring, 
fo called by the Dutch. 
BRANLIN. A fpecies of fifh of the falmon 
kind, called in fome parts of England the fingery; 
which nam.e it obtained from five or fix tranf- 
verie black ftreaks on each fide, having the 
appearance of the impreflion of fo many fingers, 
and each marked With a fingle red fpot. The tail 
of this fifii is forked like that of the falmon ; and it 
has been fu]:!pov. I by fome that they are all of the 
male kind. They feem to impregnate the fpawn 
of the common falmon ; and are found in waters 
of fo rapid a current, that fcarcely any other fpe- 
cies of fifh could live in them. Willughby, how- 
ever, obferves, that they never attain to any con- 
fiderable fize. 
BRASEM. A name by which fome naturalifls 
have called an American fifh of the finaris kind, 
more commionly known by it's Brazilian name, 
acaropeba. 
BR.EAM. A river fifh of the leather-mouthed 
kind, reckoned a fpecies of carp, and called by the 
generality of naturalifls cyprinus latus. It is 
found in lakes, and in the deepeft parts of ftlll ri- 
vers. The body is extremely deep and thin in 
proportion to it's length; the back is much ele- 
vated, and very fliarp at the top; the head and 
mouth are fmall; and, during thefpring, the animal 
is fometimes covered with abundance of minute 
v/hitifli tubercles. The fcales are very large, and the 
fides are flat and thin The dorfal fin has eleven 
rays, the fecond of which is the longeft; and that 
fin, as well as all the reft, are of a dufky colour. The 
back is of the fame hue ; the fides are yellowifh ; 
and the tail, which is remarkably large, reprefents 
a crefcent. The flefli of the Bream is very little 
efteemed, being extremely infipid to the tafte. 
BreaMj Sea. A fifh of the fparus kind, found 
in the feas near Surinam, and growing to the length 
of three or four feet. The eyes are large; and the 
fnout, belly, fins, and tail, are of a pale red colour.' 
It is caught among the rocks in deep water; and 
it's flefh is vei-y agreeable food. 
BREEZE-FLY. See GEstrum, and Gad- 
Fly. 
BRENT GOOSE. A fowl of the goofe kind, 
in many refpefls refembling the barnacle, but of 
inferior fize. The bill is an inch and a half long; the 
colour of which, as well as the head, neck, and fu- 
perior part of the breaft, is black ; and on each fide 
of the flendereft part of the neck there is a white 
fpot : the lov/er part of the breaft, the fcapulars, 
and coverts of the wings, are afli-coloured, clouded 
with a deeper fliade; the feathers, both above and 
below the tail, are white; and the tail, the quill- 
feathers, and the legs, are black. 
The Brent Geefe frequent the coafts of the Bri- 
tifli Ifles in winter. They feed on a fort of long 
water-grafs; but prefer the roots, and thofe parts 
of the italics immediately above them, which they 
dive for, bite off, and leave the upper parts to 
drive with the tide. In Ireland they are extreme- 
ly numerous ; particularly near Londonderry, Bel- 
faft, and Wexford, where they are taken in nets 
placed acrofs the rivers. Their flelh is much ad- 
mired for it's delicacy. 
The rat, or road-goofc, of Willughby, agrees 
in fo many reiiDeds with the Brent Goofe, that it 
is probably no other than the young bird not full- 
feathered ; the only difterence confifting in the fea- 
thers next the bill, and thofe on the throat and 
breaft, being brown. However, Willughby, 
Ray, and Buffon, very properly defcribe the bar- 
nacle and die Brent Goofe as two different fpecies; 
while Linnjeus, in his Fauna Suecica, makes them 
fynonymous, and defcribes the true barnacle as the 
female of the white-fronted wild-goofe. 
BRESILI A. A fpecies of tanagra, in the order 
of pafTeres. 
BRESMA. A name given by feveral audiors 
to the bream, a fpecies of cyprinus. 
BRET. A provincial appellation of the com- 
mon turbot. 
BRICK. A fpecies of lamprey, called 1am- 
petrje medium genus, and diftinguifhed from the 
other lampreys by a number of very long and 
narrow black tranfverfe fpots. 
BRISSOIDES. A genus of the echini ma~ 
rini; the diftinguifliing characters of which are, 
that their figure is oval; their backs are ftriated; 
and their rays are Imooth, Th.ere are two known 
fpecies of this genus : the one is flat, and called by 
fome the cranium ; and the other, called the amyg- 
dala, is high, and ufually found fofhie immerfed in 
flint. 
BRISSUS. Anotlier genus of the echini ma- 
rini ; the charaCteriftics of which are, that they are 
of an oval figure, and have the aperture of the anus 
ficuatedononefideofthefuperficies. Their backs are 
fmooth and even; but, on the vertex, tlievhave feve- 
ral very elegant crenated and dotted lines. The 
bafe appeai-s as if cut off" on the extremity neareft 
the moutli; and is not fiat, as in the fpatangi, but 
railed after the manner of a cufhion. 
BROAD- WORM, or LUMBRICUS LA- 
TUS OF LINN^US. A name given to the 
taenia, or tape-worm. 
BROCADE-SHELL. An appellation given to 
a fpecies of the cylindrus. It is of a filvery colou^, 
variegated v/ith brown. 
2 F £ROCK. 
