B I S 
BISSEX'TILE,/. [bijfextilis, of bis, twice, and fcxtilis 
Lat. tlie fixth,] Leap-year, a year confining of 366 days, 
and happening every fourth year, by the addition of a day 
in the month of February, which that year conlilis of 
twenty-nine days. And this is done to recover the fix 
hours which the fun takes up nearly in his courfe, more 
than the 365 days commonly allowed for it in other years. 
The day thus added was by Julius Csefar appointed to be 
the day before the 24th of February, which among the 
Romans was the 6th of the calends, and which on this oc- 
cafion was reckoned twice ; whence it was called the bif- 
Jextile. By the ftatute De anno bijfextile, 21 Hen. J 11 . to 
prevent mifunderffandings, the intercalary day and that 
next before it are to be accounted as one day. 
To find what year of the period any given year is ; di¬ 
vide the given year by 4; then, if o remains, it is leap- 
year ; but, if any thing remain, the given year is fo many 
after leap-year. But the aftronomers concerned in re¬ 
forming the calendar in 1582, by order of pope Gregory 
XIII. obferving that in four years the biflextile added 
forty-four minutes more than the fun fpent in returning to 
the fame point of the ecliptic ; and computing that in 
133 years thefe fupernumerary minutes would form a day; 
to prevent any changes being thus infenfibly introduced 
into the feafons, directed, that in the courfe of 400 years 
there fiiould be three fextiles retrenched ; fo that every 
centelimal year, which is a leap-year according to the 
Julian account, is a common year in the Gregorian account, 
unlefs the number of centuries can be divided by four 
without a remainder. So 1600 and 2000 are biifextile ; 
but 1700, 1800, and 1900, are common years. The Gre¬ 
gorian computation has been received in mod foreign 
countries ever fince the reformation of the calendar in 
1582; excepting fome northern countries, as Rufiia, &c. 
And by ail of parliament, palled in 175:, it commenced 
in all the dominions under the crown of Great Britain in 
the year following ; it being ordered by that aft that the 
natural day next following the 2d of September Ihould 
be accounted the 14th ; omitting the intermediate eleven 
days of the common calendar. The fupernumerary day, 
in leap-years, being added at the end of the month Febru¬ 
ary, and called the 29th of that month. 
BIS'SON, adj. [derived by Skinner from by and Jin."] 
Blind: 
But who, oh ! who hath feen the mobled queen 
Run barefoot up and down, threat’ning the flames 
With bijfon rheum i Shakefpcare. 
BIS'SOW, a town of Poland, in the palatinate of Kiov: 
three miles vveft-fouth-weft of Kiov. 
BISSOWTE, a town of Hindooflan, in the country of 
Oude, and circar of Rohilcund : twenty-five miles weft of 
Bereilly, and eighty-five eaft-fouth-eaft of Delhi. Lat. 28. 
17. N. Ion. 79. 15. E. Ferro. 
BIS'TER, a town of Swifleriand, in the Valaisi thirty 
miles eaft of Sion. 
BIS'TI, f in commerce, a fmall coin of Perfia. 
BIS'TON was fabled to be the fon of Mars and Callir- 
hoe, who built Biftonia in Thrace, whence the Thracians 
are often called Biftones. 
BISTO'NIS, a lake of Thrace, near Abdera, on which 
dwelt the Biftones : hence Bijlorv-us Tyrannus is by Lucan 
ufed to denote Diomedes king of Thrace, who fed his 
horfes with human flelh ; and Biflonis turbo, a wind blow¬ 
ing from Thrace. 
BIS'TORT, or Knotgrass, f. See Polygonum. 
BISTOU'RY, f. in furgery, an inftrument for making 
incifions; of which there are different kinds, fome being 
of the form of a lancet, others ftraight and fixed in the 
handle like a knife, and others crooked with the Iharp 
edge on the infide. 
BlS'TRA, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Chru- 
dium : fix miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Politzka. 
BISTRAI'A, a town of Ruflian Tartary, on the weft 
fide of the Donetz: 70 miles north-north-eaft of £zoph. 
BISTRAI'A, a river of Ruffian Tartary, which runs 
into the Donetz : fixty-four miles north-caff of Azoph. 
BIS'TRE, f. A brown pigment, confiding of the finer 
parts of wood foot, feparated from the groffer parts by 
walking. It is of a tranfparent colour, having much the 
fame effeft in water-painting, as brown pink in oil. Biftre 
may be prepared in the following manner : Take any 
quantity of foot of dry wood, but of beech wherever that 
can be procured. Put it into water in the proportion of 
two pounds to a gallon ; and let it boil half an hour ; 
then after the fluid has (food fome time to fettle, but while 
hot, pour off the clearer part from the earthy fediment at 
the bottom ; and, if on (landing longer it forms another 
earthy fediment, repeat the fame method while the fluid 
remains hot: evaporate then the fluid to drynefs ; and 
what remains will be good biftre, if the foot was of a pro¬ 
per kind. The goodnefs of biftre may be perceived by its 
deep brown colour, and tranfparency when moiffened\vith 
water. 
BISTRIAN'KA, a town of Ruffian Tartary, on the 
foutli fide of the Don : roo miles eaft-north-eaff of Azoph. 
BIS'TRICZ, or’BisTRiTZ, a town of Tranfilvania, 
and capital of a county, to which it gives name ; on the 
river Biftricz: forty-two miles north-north-eaft of Claufen- 
burg, and 256 eaft of Vienna. 
BIS'TRICZ, a river of Tranfilvania, which runs into 
the Samos, four miles fouth-weft of Kezovar. 
BISTRIT'ZA, a town of European Turkey, in Mol¬ 
davia, on a river of the fame name : twenty miles fouth- 
weft of JafTi. 
BISTRIT'ZA, a river of European Turkey, which 
runs into the Siret, fix miles fouth-eaff of Bakeu. 
BISTRIT'ZA, a tawn of European Turkey, in Wa¬ 
lachia: fixteen miles weft-fouth-vveft of Kimnik. 
BIS'TRIZ, a town of Moravia, in the circle of Brunn: 
fix miles weft-fouth-weft of Els. 
BIS'TROFF, a town of France, in the department of 
the Mofelle, and chief place of a canton, in the diftrift of 
Morhange : four miles north-north-eaft of Morhange. 
BIS'TRY, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Koni- 
gingratz : ten miles from Gitfchin. 
BlSU'GA, a river of Ruflian Tartary, which runs into 
the fea of Azoph, forty-eight miles fouth-weft of Eifkoi. 
BISUL'COUS, adj. [ bifculus , Lat.J Clovenfooted.—For 
the fwine, although multiparous, yet being bifulccus , and 
only clovenfooted, are farrowed w ith open eyes, as other 
bij'ulcous animals. Brown's Vulgar F.rrcurs. 
BIT, f. [bitol, Sax.] Signifies the whole machine of all 
the iron appurtenances of a bridle, as the bit-mouth, the 
branches, the curb, the fevil holes, the tranchefil, and the 
crofs chains; but fometimes it is ufed to fignify only the 
bit-mouth in particular.—Its kinds are various. 1. The 
mufrol, fnaftle, or watering-bit. 2. The cannon-mouth, 
jointed in the middle. 3. The cannon with a faff mouth, 
all of a piece, only kneed in the middle, to form a liberty 
or fpace for the tongue ; fit for horfes too fenfible, or 
ticklifti, and liable to be continually bearing on the hand. 
4. The cannon-mouth, with the liberty in form of a pigeon’s 
neck ; proper where a horfe has too large a tongue. 5. 
The cannon with a port mouth, and an upfet or mounting 
liberty ; where a horfe has a good mouth, but large tongue. 
6. The fcatch-mouth, with an upfet; ruder but more 
fecure than a cannon mouth. 7. The cannon mouth with 
a liberty; proper for a liorfe with a large tongue, and 
round bars. 8. The mafticadonr, or Havering bit, See-, 
9. The Pelham bit or curb ; the feveral parts of which 
are, the mouth-piece, the cheeks and eyes, guard of the 
cheek, head of the cheeks, the port, the welts, the cam- 
panel or curb and hook, the holies, the bolder and rab¬ 
bets, the water-chains, the fide-bolts and rings, kirbles 
of the bit or curb, trench, top-rol, flap and jieve; thefe 
are adapted to hot and unruly horfes. The importation of 
bits for bridles is now prohibited by law. 
BIT, /. As much meat as is put into the mouth at 
once.—The mice found it troublefoma to be flill climbing 
tire 
