BBAEiE 153 BBANCHIA that family were born here. Pop. (1910) 8,066; (1910) 10,580. BB.AEE, a contrivance for retarding or arresting motion by means of fric- tion. In machinery it generally consists of a simple or compound lever, that may be pressed forcibly upon the periphery of a Ai^heel, fixed upon a shaft or axis. See Am Brake. BRAMA, a genus of spiny finned fishes belonging to Cuvier's family squamipen- nes, meaning scaly-finned fishes, now called chsetodontidae. It contains but one species, the brama rail, which is com- mon in the Mediterranean. BRAMANTE D'URBINO (bra-man'- te), (real name Donato d'Angelo), an Italian architect, bom in 1444. Showing an early taste for drawing, he was brought up to the profession of a painter, but he quitted it to dedicate his talents to architecture, which he cultivated with uncommon success. He first designed and commenced in 1513, the erection of St. Peter's at Rome, carried on and fin- ished by other architects after his death. Pope Julius II. made him superintendent of his buildings, and, under that pontiff, he formed the magnificent project of connecting the Belvidere Palace with the Vatican by means of two grand galleries carried across a valley. He built many churches, monasteries, and palaces at Rome, and in other Italian cities. He preferred the classic architecture of the Greeks, and was the instructor of Ra- phael in that art. Bramante painted portraits with ability, and he was skilled in music and poetry. He died in 1514. BRAMATHERIUM, a genus of an- tilopidas, consisting of a gigantic species with four horns. It is allied to sivathe- rium, which also is four-horned. Both occur in the Upper Miocene, or Lower Pliocene beds of the Sewalik Hills in India. BRAMBANAN", a district of the prov- ince of Surakarta, Java, rich in re- mains of Hindu temples, of which there are six groups, with two apparently mo- nastic buildings. The edifices are com- posed entirely of hewn stone. The larg- est is a cruciform temple, surrounded by five concentric squares, formed by rows of detached cells or shrines, embracing an area of 500 feet square. Several of these dagobas contain cross-legged fig- ures of Buddha. r; BRAMBLE, or BLACKBERRY (mbiis fruticosiis) , a plant common in Great Britain and most parts of Europe, hav- ing prickly stems, which somewhat resemble those of the raspberry. The flowers do not appear till the summer is considerably advanced, continuing to be produced till the frosts of winter set in. The bramble is little cultivated in Great Britain. This being one of the most variable of British plants, its sys- tematic arrangement has been a mat- ter of great controversy. Baker enu- merates 21 sub-species, of which most again pass into varieties. In the United States, where they are called blackber- ries, they are extensively cultivated for their fruit; and, of late, American kinds have been with advantage introduced into Great Britain. Species of rubus very similar to the common bramble, or varieties of it, abound in the northern parts of Asia, the Himalaya Mountains, and North America. BRAMBLING, BRAMBLE FINCH, or MOUNTAIN FINCH, a bird of the family fringillidx. It breeds in the more northern parts of Scandinavia; vis- iting Italy, Malta, Smyrna, etc., in its winter migrations. It has no song, its call note being a single monotonous chirp. It is rather larger than the chaf- finch. The tail is forked, and its prevail- ing colors are black, white, and yellow. BRAN, the skins or husks of ground maize, wheat, rye, or other grain, sep- arated from the flour. The outer skin, or coarse bran, is very indigestible, ow- ing to the presence of a layer of silica. The inner skins, called pollards, are more nutritious, containing from 12 to 15 per cent, of nitrogenous matter, and from 20 to 30 per cent, of starch. Unless, however, they are ground very finely, they are apt to set up irritation of the bowels and diarrhoea. Though rich in nitrogen, bran appears to possess but little nutritive power. It may be of use to those who are well fed, and need a laxative. It is largely employed in the feeding of horses and cattle, and in brightening goods during the processes of dyeing and calico printing. BRANCH, that part of a plant which is produced from a lateral leaf bud on the primary axis or stem. It is looked upon as part of the stem, and not as a distinct organ. A branch generally pro- duces secondary branches, and these give rise to minor ramifications, called branch- lets or twigs. The different modes in which branches spring from the stem give rise to the various forms of trees; such _ as pyramidal, spreading, and weeping. BRANCHIA, the gills of fishes and various other inhabitants of water. They are the apparatus for enabling the animal to extract oxygen from the water,
