(Encyclopedia) bayberry, common name for the Myricaceae, a family of trees and shrubs with aromatic foliage, found chiefly in temperate and subtropical regions. The waxy gray “berries” of the North…
(Encyclopedia) thallophyte, common name for members of the Thallophyta (or Thallobionta), a taxonomic group in some archaic classification systems that comprised algae, fungi, and lichens. The…
(Encyclopedia) stargazer, common name for any of several species of marine fishes of the family Uranoscopidae, found in southern waters, and having the mouth, nostrils, and eyes set high in the head…
(Encyclopedia) starling, any of a group of originally Old World birds that have become distributed worldwide. Starlings were released in New York City in 1890; since then the common, or European,…
(Encyclopedia) Couve de Murville, MauriceCouve de Murville, Mauricemōrēsˈ k&oomacr;v də mürvēlˈ [key], 1907–99, French politician and diplomat. After World War II he served as ambassador to Egypt…
(Encyclopedia) cornflower, common herb (Centaurea cyanus) of the family Asteraceae (aster family). It is a garden flower in the United States but a weed in the grainfields of Europe. It is called…
(Encyclopedia) coot, common name for a migratory marsh bird related to rails and gallinules and found in North America and Europe. The American coot (Fulica americana), or mud hen, is slate gray with…
(Encyclopedia) Down, district, 246 sq mi (637 sq km), SE Northern Ireland. The principal town is Downpatrick. The shoreline extends along the Irish Sea…
(Encyclopedia) nuthatchnuthatchnŭtˈhăch [key], common name applied to a number of Old and New World species of small birds of the genus Sitta, related to the titmouse and the creeper. The name refers…
(Encyclopedia) oyster catcher, common name for members of the family Haematopodidae, ploverlike shorebirds, cosmopolitan in distribution. Their distinctive red bills are long, blunt, and flattened,…
