Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/554

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SPURS. 476 SQUARES. SPURS, Battle of the. See Battle of the Spiks. SPUR-WINGED GOOSE, PLOVER, etc. Jlany terrestrial birds have the bend of the wing armed with one or more spurs or bony knobs, which they use for attack and defense. This armament is conspicuous in the geese of the African family Plectropteridae, of which there are four species, and here it is based upon one of the wrist-bones, instead of on the meta- carpus, as is usual elsewhere. The 'spur-winged plover' {Hoploptenis sfiinusus), one of the com- monest birds of the Nile Valley, is only one of many tropical plovers so armed, the largest and finest spurs being those of a Chilean plover (Belonopterus Chilensis) ; its spur is situated just ANATOMY OF WING-SPDRB. a, epur of tlic spur-winged plover; ft, relative poeltlons of tije two wing-Bpure of the screamer (q. v.). at the base of the thumb, and, as in other cases, is sheathed with horn, and sharp at the end. Some of the jaganas have wing-spurs, and others a peculiar blade-like enlargement of the fore- arm. Lastly, the large, turke}' like South Amer- ican screamers (q.v.) have two wing-spurs, the larger of which is an inch and a quarter long. Consult Lucas, "Weapons of Birds," in Bird Lore, vol. iv. (New York, 1902). SPURZHEIM, spoorts'him. Johann Kaspab (1770-1832). A German physician and phrenolo- gist, born near Treves. While studying medicine at Vienna he was introduced to Gall ( q.v. ) , and became his pupil and later his colleague in in- vestigating the structure and functions of the brain. He lived in France and England alter- nately, and was widely known as a lecturer. In 1832 he came to the LTnited States on a lecturing tour, but fell ill and died suddenly in Boston. Among his works are: The Physiognomical Works of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim (1815) ; Ele- mentary Principles of Education (1821); Phre- nology (1825): Anatomy of the Brain (1826); and Sketch of the Natural Laws of Man (1828). Consult Carmichael's Memoir of Spurzheim (Dublin, 1833). See Phrenology. SPUTUM. See Expectoration. SPUYTEN DUYVIL (spi'ten di'vil) CREEK. A channel connecting the Hudson with the Harlem River, at the northern end of Man- hattan Island (q.v.). SPY (OF. espie, from espier, Fr. ^pier, to spy, from OHG. spehOn, Ger. spdhen, to watch ; con- nected with Lat. specere. Gk. aKi-irTta6ai, skep- testhai, Skt. spa.4, pa4. to look). A person em- ployed to obtain information regarding an enemy by entering the latter's camp, and employing any possible means or methods by which to attain his ends. He differs from the scout in that the latter never surrenders his military character, is invariably a soldier, and secures his information without employing false pretenses. While the employment of spies is recognized by the law of nations, the spy himself is regarded as an outla^. and generally meets with an ignominious death whenever discovered. Jlilitary law (q.v.), al- though distinct in ordering the death of a spy, is not clear in defining what constitutes a spy. SPY, spe. One of the most important archieo- logical sites in Europe. In 1886 while exploring a grotto in the commune of Spy. near Namur, Belgium, MM. de Puyot and Lohest recovered two human skeletons from a bed rich in Paleo- lithic implements and remains of ancient ani- mals, among which those of elephants abound. These ancient men were below the Belgians in stature and were dolichocephalic. Consult Mortillet, Le prehistorique (Paris, 1900). SPY, The. A novel by James Fenimore Cooper (1821) giving the story of Harvey Birch, a spy employed by Washington in 1780 in West- chester County, New York, 'the neutral ground.' His services could not be acknowledged and he was suspected by patriots and Tories alike. SQUADRON (OF. esquadron, Fr. escadron, from It. squadrone, squadron, augmentative of squadra, squad, square). Ordinarily two troops of cavalry. It occupies the same position to cavalry that battalion does to infantry. The actual strength of a squadron varies with that of the component troops and ranges from 120 to 200 swords. See Army Obganization. For the use of the term in naval affairs, see Tactics, Naval. SQUALODON (Neo-Lat.. from Lat. squalus, sort of sea-fish + Gk. ddov!, odous, tooth). An extinct genus of whale based on fossil skulls and teeth found in Miocene and Pliocene deposits. See Cetacea; Mammalia, Fossil. SQUALORAJA (Neo-Lat., from Lat. squalus, sort of sea-fish + raja, ray, skate). A fossil shark of the Lower Lias of England, ancestral to the modern chimaera (q.v.). SQUARCIONE, skwar-cho'na, Francesco (1394-14741. An Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, founder of the school of Padua. He was a teacher rather than a painter. From the large number of his pupils he has been styled the 'Father of Painting,' and the influence of his school was dominant throughout Northern Italy. His method of teaching differed from that of other masters in that he had his pupils copy antique statues rather than his own works. The chief characteristics of their art are the statu- esque character of the figures and the wealth of antique ornamentation, combined, however, with a trenchant realism. It is impossible to distin- guish the works ascribed to him at Padua and elsewhere from those of his pupils, only one, a "Madonna," in possession of the Lazzari family, Padua, being signed. SQUARE (in geometry). See Parallelo- gram. SQUARE ROOT. See Involution and Evo- lution. SQUARING THE CIRCLE. See Circle; Qr.DRATtRE. SQUARES, Method of Least. See Least Squares, Method of.