which was supplemented by Beitrag zur medizinischen Topographie von Jerusalem (1855); Planographie von Jerusalem (1858); Dritte Wanderung nach Palästina (1859); Bibliographia Geographica Palestinæ (1867). Consult his Life by Heim (Zurich, 1879).
TOBOGGAN (North American Indian otobanask, odabagan, sled). A vehicle used for coasting, which differs from the ordinary coasting sled in that it has no runners beneath its flat surface. It seems to have been improvised by the Indian hunters, who used it to bring in their dead game over the snow. With them it was simply a strip of bark turned up at the front to facilitate its passage over rough ground and braced by strips or pieces of wood running both crosswise and along the edges. Among the Eskimos it was made from strips of whalebone. It is of the same primitive pattern to-day, except that in some cases a light rail runs along its sides. For sporting purposes it is usually made of thin strips of ash, maple, or hickory, slightly oval on the bearing surface, placed side by side and fastened at the ends, the under surface being highly polished. The ordinary toboggan is about 18 inches wide and 6 to 8 feet long. The usual number of occupants is four. One sits in front with his feet under the hood, two in the centre, and the steersman at the back. The latter sits crouching, one leg bent, the other stretched behind him to be used as a rudder, for which purpose his moccasin has a hard leather steering-tip. In some cities, especially Montreal, chutes are constructed for this sport. Great speed is attained on them; a distance of 900 yards has been traveled in 30 seconds. See Coasting.
TOBOLSK′. Russ. pron. tō̇-bō̇′y’sk. A government of Western Siberia, bounded by the Arctic Ocean on the north, the governments of Tomsk and Yeniseisk on the east, the territories of Akmolinsk and Semipalatinsk on the south, and European Russia on the west (Map: Asia, G 2). Area, estimated at 539,659 square miles. The surface is flat with the exception of the northwestern part, which is covered with offshoots of the Ural Mountains, attaining an altitude of over 4000 feet. The larger part of the north belongs to the region of polar tundras and is practically uninhabited. The southern part is somewhat undulating and consists to a large extent of vast steppes, well watered and with a rich black soil which makes that part of the government one of the richest agricultural regions in the Empire. The chief waterway is the Obi (q.v.), which, with its great tributary, the Irtysh (q.v.), drains almost the entire region. Lakes are very numerous and some of them are salty. The climate is continental and severe, the average annual temperature varying from 24° at Berezov (q.v.) in the north to about 32° at Tobolsk in the south. The immigration into Tobolsk has latterly been very strong, and some parts in the south are as densely populated as any rural part of European Russia. The agricultural holdings are comparatively large, and considerable quantities of grain are exported. Wheat and rye are the principal products. Dairying is a growing industry and the export of butter exceeds $1,500,000 per annum. The manufactures are chiefly paper, cloth, spirits, leather, and glassware. Of the population of 1,438,484 in 1897, the non-Russian element numbered only about 90,000, composed chiefly of Tatars, Ostiaks, Samoyeds, and Voguls.
TOBOLSK. The capital of the government of the same name in Western Siberia, situated on the Irtysh at its junction with the Tobol and 172 miles north of Tiumen, the terminal of the North Siberian Railway (Map: Asia, F 3). It is well built and has a picturesque appearance with its Kremlin and numerous churches. Its importance has greatly diminished since the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Its chief industries are fishing and fur-making. Tobolsk was founded in 1587 and is one of the oldest Russian settlements in Siberia. Population, in 1897, 20,427.
TOBY. The name of Punch's dog, in the Punch and Judy shows.
TOBY, Uncle. A leading character in Sterne's Tristram Shandy. He is a retired sea-captain, simple, kindly, and gallant, said to have been modeled on Sterne's father.
TOCANTINS, tō′kȧn-tēns′, Pg. pron. tō′käN-tēNsh′, Rio. A large river of Brazil, often considered as a branch of the Amazon (Map: Brazil, H 4). It rises in the southern part of the State of Goyaz, and flows northward, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through the large estuary known as the Rio Pará (q.v.), which comuumicates with the estuary of the Amazon. The total length of the Tocantins is about 1700 miles. About 600 miles from its mouth it receives the Araguayá (q.v.), which flows nearly parallel with, and exceeds in length, the main river from the point of confluence. The Tocantins is obstructed in several places by rocky reefs formed by spurs of the Cordillera which it skirts. The last of these, the Falls of Itaboca, are situated below the confluence of the Araguayá, only 130 miles above the estuary, and completely obstruct navigation. Small steamers, however, ply on the upper reaches, though the country along the banks is very sparsely populated and almost undeveloped.
TOCCATA, tō̇-kä′tȧ (It., touched). In music, a term originally applied to compositions written for keyed instruments, thus having a somewhat more restricted meaning than sonata, a composition for any instrument. The oldest toccatas preserved are some written for the organ by Claudio Merulo (published 1598). They generally begin with full chords which gradually give way to passage-work among which small fugato sections are interspersed. The modern toccato does not materially differ from that of Merulo. Compare Sonata.
TOCHER, tō̇′Gẽr (Ir. tochar, Gael, tochradh, dowry, portion). In the Scotch law, an ancient name for money or property given or settled by a father on his daughter at her marriage.
TOCHIGI, tō′chē̇-gē̇. A town in the Prefecture of Tochigi in Central Hondo, Japan, 55 miles by rail north of Tokio (Map: Japan, F 5). It is of some industrial importance and had in 1898 a population of 22,379.
TO′CORO′RO. A Cuban trogon (Priotelus temnurus) named from its cry. It breeds in holes abandoned by woodpeckers, and is remarkable for the concave outline of the end of its short tail.
