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Polk, Leonidas

(Encyclopedia)Polk, Leonidas, 1806–64, American Episcopal bishop and Confederate general in the Civil War, b. Raleigh, N.C. He left the army to study for the ministry and was ordained in 1831. He served as missio...

finfoot

(Encyclopedia)finfoot, bird: see sun grebe.

Quadruple Alliance

(Encyclopedia)Quadruple Alliance, any of several European alliances. The Quadruple Alliance of 1718 was formed by Great Britain, France, the Holy Roman emperor, and the Netherlands when Philip V of Spain, guided by...

analogy

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Analogy in bird and insect wings analogy, in biology, the similarities in function, but differences in evolutionary origin, of body structures in different organisms. For example, the wing of ...

Gregory of Tours, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Gregory of Tours, Saint, 538–94, French historian, bishop of Tours (from 573), b. Clermont-Ferrand, of a prominent family. He had a distinguished and successful career as bishop. Gregory wrote accou...

Bourne, Francis

(Encyclopedia)Bourne, Francis bôrn [key], 1861–1935, English prelate, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He entered the priesthood in 1884 and later was made bishop coadjutor of Southwark (1896), bishop of S...

Potter, Alonzo

(Encyclopedia)Potter, Alonzo, 1800–1865, American Episcopal bishop, b. near Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Ordained a priest in 1824, he served (1826–31) as rector of St. Paul's Church in Boston. In 1831 he became professo...

Lugo Méndez, Fernando Armindo

(Encyclopedia)Lugo Méndez, Fernando Armindo 1949–, Paraguayan priest and political leader. Inspired by the principles of social justice inherent in liberation theology, which swept Latin America in the 1960s, he...

crane, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)crane, large wading bird found in marshes in the Northern Hemisphere and in Africa. Although sometimes confused with herons, cranes are more closely related to rails and limpkins. Cranes are known for...

English sparrow

(Encyclopedia)English sparrow or house sparrow, small bird, Passer domesticus, common throughout most of the world. English sparrows are 4 to 7 in. (10–18 cm) long, with short, stout bills. The male is brown with...