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Cygnus

(Encyclopedia)Cygnus sĭgˈnəs [key] [Lat.,=the swan], northern constellation located SE of Draco and NW of Pegasus. It was depicted as a bird by most ancient cultures. It is sometimes called the Northern Cross be...

coot

(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 a white bill, b...

field spaniel

(Encyclopedia)field spaniel, breed of medium-sized sporting dog developed in England from crosses between cocker spaniels and Sussex spaniels. It stands about 18 in. (45.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about ...

Aru Islands

(Encyclopedia)Aru Islands or Aroe Islands both: äˈro͞o [key], group of about 95 low-lying islands, 3,306 sq mi (8,563 sq km), E Indonesia, in the Moluccas, in the Arafura Sea, SW of New Guinea. The largest islan...

Kenai Fjords National Park

(Encyclopedia)Kenai Fjords National Park, 669,983 acres (271,248 hectares), S Alaska. The park features the great Harding Icefield and its radiating glaciers, many of which descend to tidewater, and a magnificent s...

starling

(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, starling (Sturnus v...

tern

(Encyclopedia)tern, common name for a sea bird of the Old and New Worlds, smaller than the related gull. Because of their graceful flight and their long pointed wings and forked tails, some terns are called sea swa...

Prévert, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Prévert, Jacques zhäk prāvĕrˈ [key], 1900–1977, French poet. One of the most popular of 20th-century French writers, Prévert produced poetry ranging from the humorous to the satiric to the mel...

Barbari, Jacopo de'

(Encyclopedia)Barbari, Jacopo de' yäˈkōpō dā bärbäˈrē [key], c.1440–1516, Germano-Dutch painter and engraver, b. Venice. Barbari was a major link between North European and Italian art; his and Dürer's ...

Croker, John Wilson

(Encyclopedia)Croker, John Wilson krōˈkər [key], 1780–1857, British Tory politician and author, b. Ireland. He was a member of Parliament from 1807 to 1832 and secretary of the admiralty from 1810 to 1830. The...