Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Dumfries dəmfrēsˈ [key], town, Dumfries and Galloway, SW Scotland, on the Nith River. The ...

(Encyclopedia) black widow, poisonous spider of the genus Latrodectus, found throughout North and South America and common in the SW United States. The name derives from the fact that the female, like those of many ...

(Encyclopedia) bluebird, common name for a North American migratory bird of the family Turdidae (thrush family). The eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis, is among the first spring arrivals in the North. It is about 7 in...

(Encyclopedia) blue shift or blueshift, in astronomy, the systematic displacement of individual lines in the spectrum of a celestial object toward the blue, or shorter wavelength, end of the visible spectrum. The am...

(Encyclopedia) affenpinscher ăfˈənpĭnˌshər [key], breed of toy dog perfected in Europe at the end of the 19th cent. It stands from 8 to 10 in. (20.3–25.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 8 lb (3.6 k...

(Encyclopedia) airglow, faint diffuse illumination of the sky originating in the upper atmosphere. Although it occurs at all times of day throughout the upper atmosphere, it is most typically visible to an observer ...

(Encyclopedia) Akita äkēˈtə [key], breed of large dog developed in Japan from ancient ancestry and used originally as a hunter of such game as deer, wild boar, and bear. It stands from 20 to 27 in. (50.8–68.6 ...

(Encyclopedia) Indian pipe, common name for the genus Monotropa and for the family Monotropaceae, low flowering plants of north temperate zones. They are chlorophylless saprophytes with a funguslike appearance. Each...

(Encyclopedia) flame test, test used in the identification of certain metals. It is based on the observation that light emitted by any element gives a unique spectrum when passed through a spectroscope. When a salt ...

(Encyclopedia) formic acid or methanoic acid mĕthˌənōˈĭk [key], HCO2H, a colorless, corrosive liquid with a sharp odor; it boils at 100.7℃ and solidifies at 8.4℃. It has the lowest molecular weight and is ...