Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/807

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BUSHIDO. 719 BTJSHNELL. Tenient concessions, yet infusing it with spirit- ual data; so of Japanese chivalrj-, there were several sources. Buddhism, Shinto (q.v.), and Confucianism. (See Chu Hi.) The cliaracteris- tics of bushido were rectitude or justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, truthfulness, honor, and, above all, loyalty. It further inculcated in the Japanese knight, gentleman, and ladj-, self-con- trol — the acme of which was realized in the in- stitutions of suicide (see H.ra-kiri ) and re- venge, the girded sword l>eing the soul of the Samurai. It gave lofty ideals and training, and a position to woman remarkable in Asia. Despite the abolition of feudalism, its mother and nurse, and the introduction of modern ideas and codes of law, bushido is still powerful as a regulator of Japanese life and institutions. Consult: Griffis, The Religions of Japan (London, 1895) ; Knapp^ Feudal and Modri-n Japan (Boston, 18!)") : and Inazo Nitobe, Bushido, the Soul of Japan (Philadelphia, 1900). BUSHING (Dutch bus. Ger. Bi/r/isc, box, from Lat. buxus). A perforated piece of metal screwed or pressed into place in certain machin- ery or objects for- the purpose of receiving the wear of moving parts, to decrease the size of holes, or to secure a better joint, or one which will not stick; in the latter case the bushing is made of metal not very easily oxidizable, such as brass or bronze. BXJSHIRE, bnn-sher'. See Abushehr. BUSHMAN RIVER. A short stream in the southeastern part of Cape Colony, South Africa, about 100 miles long (Map: Cape Colony, L 9), It flows southeast and empties into the Indian Ocean a few miles east of Cape Padrone. BUSHMASTER ( 'master of the bush' ) . The hirgest known venomous snake {Lachesis inutus) , a pit-viper of the rattlesnake family, closely re- lated to the fer-de-Iance, and inhabiting the Amazonian region. "In length it equals the hamadryad, and in thickness the large African viper." Specimens 9 feet in length were meas- ured by Catherine Hopley. who thinks the snake may sometimes exceed this length ; but Water- ton's often-quoted description of size and 'rain- bow colors' is certainly greatly exaggerated. In color it is pale yellow, darker on the back and lighter below, with a chain of rich chocolate- brown jagged rhomboid spots, edged with a darker color, along the back. The tail tapers suddenly, and terminates in several '"rows of spi- ral scales, which are slightly recurved or hooked at their summit," forming the rudiments of a rattle, and ending in a horny tip or spine. Its T.411, OF BCSHMASTEH. teeth and poison apparatus resemble those of a rattlesnake and the fangs are immense, making it a most deadly serpent, and one very greatly dreaded. It is said to prey largely upon other snakes, and its venom has been utilized in medi- cine. It is terrestrial in habits, not climbing trees, but living in dens and holes in the ground, and frequenting river-banks. Darwin made the following interesting remarks upon it in his A Xaturalist's Voyage (London, 18C0) : "Cuvier . . . makes this a sub-genus of the rattlesnake, and intermediate between it and the viper. In conliimation of this opinion, I ob- served a fact, which appears to me very curious and instructive, as showing how every character, even though it may be in some degree indepen- dent of structure, has a tendency to vary by slow degrees. The extremity of the tail of this snake is terminated by a point, which is very slightly enlarged; and as the animal glides along, it con- stantly vibrates the last inch; and this part striking against the dry grass and brushwood produces a rattling noise, which can be distinctly heard at the distance of 6 feet. As often as the animal was irritated or surprised its tail was shaken, and its vibrations were extremely rapid. . . . This Trigonocephalus has, therefore, in some respects the structure of a viper with the habits of a rattlesnake : the noise, however, being produced by a simpler device." This habit of vibrating the tail when excited is, however, common to many serpents, as, for example, the North American copperhead (q.v,). The French name for this snake is le muet ; and 'bushmaster' is sometimes applied in Guiana to any large and dreaded serpent. The native name most widely accepted is surucucii. Consult: Hopley, Snakes (London, 1882) ; Bates, A Xat- nralist on the Ritrr Ama::on (New York, 1884) ; Moles and L'rich, Serpents of Trinidad." in Pro- ceedings, Zoological Society of London (London, 1894). See colored Plate of Foreign Venomous Serpents, with the article Snake. BUSHMEN (bush + man, from Dutch 6o.sc7i- jcsmaii. as living in the bush), or Hottentots. Peoples of the deserts of Southern Africa, com- prising wandering bands of hunters, almost the lowest of human beings. They are short of stat- ure (1.5'29 meters) and yellow-brown in color. Their language is harsh, abounding in clicks and having few words. They subsist on wild roots, berries, and plants, insects, snakes, and game, usually half cooked, though they are acquainted with boiling and make fire with the two-stick fire drill. Game is taken by means of traps, and fish are caught in nets, by poisoning the waters, or with harpoons ; the dog is the only domestic animal. The Bushmen live in clefts of the rock and caves in the mountains ; in the plains a hole dug in the ground and roofed with reeds forms the house. They keep a fire burning dur- ing the night. Their social organization is not well understood ; yet they appear to be the rem- nant of an old stock, for their legends are nu- merous, and zootheistic in character. They have a rude artistic sense, evidenced by rock paintings and petroglyphs. See colored Plate of Afric., D.RK Racks. BUSH'NELE, Horace (1802-76). An Ameri- can theologian. He was born in Litchfield, Conn., April 14, 1802 ; graduated at Yale in 1827. where he studied law and theology; in 183.'! became pastor of the North Congregational Church in Hartford, resigned 1859, and died there February 17, 1870, He was a voluminous writer on theological subjects, some of his works being Principles of National Greatness ; Christian Nurture (1847); Ood in Christ (1840); Christian Theology (1851); Sermo7is for the Neui Life ( 18.58) ; Nature and the Super- natural (18.58) ; Work and Play (I8G4) : Christ and tlis Salvation (1804); U'omo/i'.s Suffrage, the Reform Against Nature (1869); The Vica-