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buffalo, in zoology

(Encyclopedia) buffalo, name commonly applied to the American bison but correctly restricted to certain related African and Asian mammals of the cattle family. The water buffalo, or Indian buffalo,…

smog

(Encyclopedia) smogsmogsmŏg [key] [smoke+fog], dense, visible air pollution. Smog is commonly of two types. The gray smog of older industrial cities like London and New York derives from the massive…

swift

(Encyclopedia) swift, common name for small, swallowlike birds related to the hummingbird and found all over the world, chiefly in the tropics. They range in size from 6 to 12 in. (15–30 cm) in…

tantalum

(Encyclopedia) tantalumtantalumtănˈtələm [key] [from Tantalus], metallic chemical element; symbol Ta; at. no. 73; at. wt. 180.94788; m.p. 2,996℃; b.p. 5,400±100℃; sp. gr. 16.65 at 20℃; valence +2, +3…

Schwarzenegger, Arnold Alois

(Encyclopedia) Schwarzenegger, Arnold Alois, 1947–, Austrian-American actor, bodybuilder, and politician, b. Thal, Austria. He began competing in bodybuilding contests in his teens, and won his first…

sandgrouse

(Encyclopedia) sandgrouse, common name for pigeon-sized, seed-eating, terrestrial birds of the genera Pteroclida (approximately 14 species) and Syrrhaptes (2 species). They are birds of the Old World…

pitta

(Encyclopedia) pittapittapĭtˈə [key], name used to refer to a genus (Pitta) of small, plump, brightly colored birds. The genus, including some twenty-three species, constitutes the whole of the…

Oxford, city, England

(Encyclopedia) Oxford, city (1991 pop. 113,847) and district, county seat of Oxfordshire, S central England. In addition to its importance as the site of the Univ. of Oxford, the city has significant…

Tongue Twisters

  Tongue Twisters Twenty Tongue-Tying Tongue Twisters to Twist Your Tongue a Ton   brought to you by Holly Hartman   Oh no! An onion's annoyed…

War Poems

  Meditations on War   If these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the king that led them to it . . .   Read these renowned poets' thoughts on war, with lines…