BUC 
BUCCO, the harhet, in natural history, 
a genus of birds ot tlie order Pica?. Gene- 
ric character ; bill sharp-edged, compressed 
on the sides, notched on each side near the 
apex, bent inwards, with a long slit be- 
neath the eyes; nostrils covered with in- 
cumbent feathers; feet formed for climbing. 
These birds live chiefly in warm climates, 
and are very stupid ; bill strong, straightish, 
almost covered with bristles ; tail-feathers 
usually ten, weak. There are nineteen spe- 
cies, of which we shall notice only B. jama- 
tia, or spotted-bellied barbet. Tliis bird is 
found in Brazil and Cayenne, is clumsy in 
its shape, and pensive and solitary in its 
manners. It is so lethargic in its disposi- 
tion, that it will suffer itself to be shot at 
several times before it attempts to escape. 
Its food consists of insects, and particularly 
large beetles, and the feathers of its tail are 
much worn by friction, so as to indicate 
the probability of the tail being employed, 
aareeably to the known habit of wood- 
peckers, in propping or supporting the 
body. 
BUCEROS, the hnrnUll, in natural his- 
tory, a genus of birds of the order Picm. 
Generic character; their bill is convex, 
curved, sharp-edged, large, outwardly ser- 
rate, tvith a horny protuberance near the 
base of the upper mandible ; the nostrils 
are behind the base of the bill ; the tongue 
is sharp-pointed, and short ; the feet gres- 
sorial. There are sixteen species enume- 
rated by Gmelin, though Latham reckons 
only four ; of these the most curious is, the 
B. abyssinicus, or Abyssinian hornbill. This 
is found in the country from which it takes 
its name, principally among fields of jaff, 
and nourishes itself by the green beetles 
which abound in them. Its young are nu- 
merous, sometimes amounting even to 
eighteen. Though capable of flying far, it 
chiefly runs. It builds its nest in large 
thick trees, near churches or other elevated 
buildings : this nest resembles a magpie’s, 
in being covered, but is several times larger 
than an eagle’s ; it is seldom much elevated 
above the ground, but almost always firm 
on the trunk, and the entrance to it is al- 
ways from the east. This bird is, in some 
places, called the bird of destiny. 
BUCIDA, in botany, a genus of the Do- 
decandria Monogynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Holoracse. Elmagni, Jussieu. 
Essential chavacter; calyx five-tootlied, 
superior; corolla none; berry one-seeded. 
Tuere is but one species ; viz. B. buceras, 
olive bark tree, is a tree growing from 
BUC 
twenty to thirty feet in height ; tlie branches 
and twigs are divaricate or flexuose, round- 
ish, smooth, and even flowers, in racemes 
from the crowded leaves, simple, spreading, 
many-flowered ; calyx hoary without, to- 
mentose within ; filaments twice as long as 
the calyx ; anthers roundish, yellow ; germ 
flatted, with ten streaks at the base. It is 
a native of the West Indies, flowering in 
spring. 
BUCHNERA, in botany, so named in 
honour of A. C. Buchner, a genus of the Di- 
dynaraia Angiospermia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Personatse. Pediculares, Juss. 
Essential character : ealyx obseurely, five- 
toothed ; corolla border five-cleft, equal ; 
lobes cordate ; capsule two-celled. There 
are eleven species, of which B. Americana, 
North American buchnera, has the stem 
scarcely branching ; flowers in a spike re- 
mote from each other ; two of the stamens 
in the jaws of the corolla, and two in the 
middle of the tube. The herb grows black 
in drying. It is a native of Virginia and 
Canada. B. cernua, drooping buchnera, 
is a shrub half a foot in height, branching 
regularly ; a little jointed from the scars 
left by the leaves, purplish; flowers ses- 
sile, erect, with a linear, sharp bracte, 
shorter than the calyx, and two shorter la- 
teral bristles ; calyx tubular, oblong semi- 
quinquefid, equal ; corolla white, with a 
filiform tube, twice as long as the calyx, 
and bent back ; border flat, five-parted ; 
segments subovate ; anthers within the jaws, 
two lower than the other tw'o ; stigma in- 
closed, reflex, thickish. Native of the Cape 
of Good Hope. , 
BUCK, in natural history, a male horned 
beast, whose female is denominated a doe. 
See Cervos. 
BUCKET, a small portable vessel to 
hold water, often made of leather for its 
lightness and easy use in cases of fire. It is 
also the vessel let down into a well, or the 
sides of ships, to fetch up water. 
BUCKING, the first operation in the 
whitening of linen-yarn or cloth ; it consists 
in pouring hot water upon a tubful of yarn, 
intermingled with several strata of fine- 
ashes of the ash tree. See Bleaching. 
BUCKLER, a piece of defensive ar- 
mour used by the ancients. It was worn 
on the left arm, and composed of wickers 
woven together, or w'ood of the lightest 
sort, but most commonly of hides, fortified 
with plates of brass or other metal. The 
figure was sometimes round, sometimes 
oval, and sometimes almost square. Most 
