Columbia Encyclopedia

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shrike

(Encyclopedia)shrike or butcher bird, predatory songbird found in most parts of the world except Australia and South America. The plumage of the European and North American species is mostly gray, black, and white;...

Azariah

(Encyclopedia)Azariah ăzərīˈə [key], common name in ancient Israel, especially among the priests. The following occurrences of the name in the Bible do not necessarily all refer to different persons. 1 Chief o...

flint, mineral

(Encyclopedia)flint, variety of quartz that commonly occurs in rounded nodules and whose crystal structure is not visible to the naked eye. Flint is dark gray, smoky brown, or black in color; pale gray flint is cal...

Weimaraner

(Encyclopedia)Weimaraner vīˈməräˌnər, wīˈmərāˌ– [key], breed of large, muscular sporting dog developed in Germany in the early 19th cent. It stands between 23 and 27 in. (58.4–68.6 cm) high at the sh...

brant

(Encyclopedia)brant or brant goose, common name for a species of wild sea goose. The American brant, Branta bernicla, breeds in the Arctic and winters along the Atlantic coast. The head, neck, and tail are black, t...

granite

(Encyclopedia)granite, coarse-grained igneous rock of even texture and light color, composed chiefly of quartz and feldspars. It usually contains small quantities of mica or hornblende, and minor accessory minerals...

Garden of the Gods

(Encyclopedia)Garden of the Gods, park, 770 acres (312 hectares), central Colo., near Colorado Springs; noted for its unusual, multicolored rock formations. Narrow-crested sandstone hills and ridges have been erode...

Soderbergh, Steven

(Encyclopedia)Soderbergh, Steven (Steven Andrew Soderbergh), 1963–, American film director, b. Atlanta, Ga. After making short films and documentaries, he scored a commercial success with sex, lies, and videotape...

fox, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)fox, carnivorous mammal of the dog family, found throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere. It has a pointed face, short legs, long, thick fur, and a tail about one half to two thirds as long as the ...

Brown Swiss cattle

(Encyclopedia)Brown Swiss cattle, one of the oldest breeds of cattle, originating in Switzerland where the cows were used as triple-purpose animals (dairy, beef, and draft). They are large, fleshy, and slow-maturin...