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stilt

(Encyclopedia)stilt, common name for some members of the family Recurvirostridae, shore birds including the avocet. Stilts, as their name implies, have the longest legs of any bird except the flamingo. They frequen...

Elphinstone, William

(Encyclopedia)Elphinstone, William ĕlˈfĭnstən, –stōnˌ [key], 1431–1514, Scottish prelate, founder of the Univ. of Aberdeen. He was trained in the law and was employed on many political missions before bec...

Braga

(Encyclopedia)Braga, city (1991 est. pop. 86,316), capital of Braga dist., NW Portugal, in Minho. It is an agricultural trade center that produces electronics, textiles, and firearms. The ancient Bracara Augusta, i...

Brooks, Phillips

(Encyclopedia)Brooks, Phillips, 1835–93, American Episcopal bishop, b. Boston. In 1869 he began his ministry at Trinity Church, Boston, where he became one of the most influential ministers of his time. In 1891 h...

Hugh of Lincoln, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Hugh of Lincoln, Saint, 1140–1200, bishop of Lincoln, b. Avalon, Burgundy, of a noble family. He was educated and made his profession at the priory of Augustinian canons at Villarbenoît. Hugh joine...

Kafue National Park

(Encyclopedia)Kafue National Park, c.8,650 sq mi (22,400 sq km), S central Zambia, S Africa; est. 1950. It is a haven for the animal and bird life of a diverse region that includes grasslands, forests, and marshes....

robin

(Encyclopedia)robin or robin redbreast, common name for a migratory bird of the family Turdidae (thrush family). ...

Kincaid, Jamaica

(Encyclopedia)Kincaid, Jamaica, 1949–, West Indian–American writer, b. Antigua as Elaine Potter Richardson. She immigrated to the United States at 16 and later became a U.S. citizen. Changing her name (1973), s...

Pi y Margall, Francisco

(Encyclopedia)Pi y Margall, Francisco fränthēsˈkō pē ē märgälˈ [key], 1824–1901, Spanish statesman and writer. A liberal journalist, he fled to France after the unsuccessful uprising of 1866 against Gen....

oriole

(Encyclopedia)oriole, common name applied to various perching birds of the Old (family Oriolidae) and New (family Icteridae) Worlds. The European orioles are allied to the crows, while the American orioles, of the ...