Part 70

Ba`yeux" tap"es*try (?). A piece of linen about 1 ft. 8 in. wide by 213 ft. long, covered with embroidery representing the incidents of William the Conqueror's expedition to England, preserved in the town museum of Bayeux in Normandy. It is probably of the 11th century, and is attributed by tradition to Matilda, the Conqueror's wife.

Bay"man (?), n. (Nav.) In the United States navy, a sick-bay nurse; -- now officially designated as hospital apprentice.

Bay"ou State` (?). Mississippi; -- a nickname, from its numerous bayous.

Bay State. Massachusetts, which had been called the Colony of Massachusetts Bay; -- a nickname.

Beach comber. [Written also beach-comber.] (Naut.) A vagrant seaman, usually of low character, who loiters about seaports, particularly on the shores and islands of the Pacific Ocean.

I was fortunate enough, however, to forgather with a Scotchman who was a beach-comber.

F. T. Bullen.

Bear"ing ring`. In a balloon, the braced wooden ring attached to the suspension ropes at the bottom, functionally analogous to the keel of a ship.

Bear State. Arkansas; -- a nickname, from the many bears once inhabiting its forests.

Bear"-trap` dam. (Engin.) A kind of movable dam, in one form consisting of two leaves resting against each other at the top when raised and folding down one over the other when lowered, for deepening shallow parts in a river.

Beat, n. 1. One that beats, or surpasses, another or others; as, the beat of him. [Colloq.]

2. The act of one that beats a person or thing; as: (a) (Newspaper Cant) The act of obtaining and publishing a piece of news by a newspaper before its competitors; also, the news itself; a scoop.

It's a beat on the whole country.

Scribner's Mag.

(b) (Hunting) The act of scouring, or ranging over, a tract of land to rouse or drive out game; also, those so engaged, collectively. "Driven out in the course of a beat." Encyc. of Sport.

Bears coming out of holes in the rocks at the last moment, when the beat is close to them.

Encyc. of Sport.

(c) (Fencing) A smart tap on the adversary's blade.

Beau"fort's scale` (?). (Meteor.) A scale of wind force devised by Sir F. Beaufort, R. N., in 1805, in which the force is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12.

The full scale is as follows: -- 0, calm; 1, light air; 2, light breeze; 3, gentle breeze; 4, moderate breeze; 5, fresh breeze; 6, strong breeze; 7, moderate gale; 8, fresh gale; 9, strong gale; 10, whole gale; 11, storm; 12, hurricane.

Beau`mon"ta*gue (?), n. A cement used in making joints, filling cracks, etc. For iron, the principal constituents are iron borings and sal ammoniac; for wood, white lead or litharge, whiting, and linseed oil.

Bea"ver State. Oregon; -- a nickname.

Be*bee"ru (?), n. [Written also bibiru.] [Native name.] (Bot.) A tropical South American tree (Nectandra Rodiœi), the bark of which yields the alkaloid bebeerine, and the wood of which is known as green heart.

||Be"bung (?), n. [G., lit., a trembling.] (Music) A tremolo effect, such as that produced on the piano by vibratory repetition of a note with sustained use of the pedal.

Bec"chi's test (?). [After E. Becchi, Italian chemist.] (Chem.) A qualitative test for cottonseed oil, based on the fact this oil imparts a maroon color to an alcoholic solution of silver nitrate.

Bech`u*a"nas (?), n. pl. A division of the Bantus, dwelling between the Orange and Zambezi rivers, supposed to be the most ancient Bantu population of South Africa. They are divided into totemic clans; they are intelligent and progressive.

Beck's scale (?). A hydrometer scale on which the zero point corresponds to sp. gr. 1.00, and the 30°-point to sp. gr. 0.85. From these points the scale is extended both ways, all the degrees being of equal length.

Becque`rel" rays" (?). (Physics) Radiations first observed by the French physicist Henri Becquerel, in working with uranium and its compounds. They consist of a mixture of alpha, beta, and gamma rays.