Belly, s. That part of the body which reaches from the breast to the thighs, containing the bowels.
Belly-bound, a. Costive.
Belt, s. A girdle; a cincture.
Benzoin, s. Called also Gum Benjamin. It is a yellow resinous substance, and from it Flowers of Benjamin are extracted. It is used as an ingredient in Friar’s Balsam and Paregoric Elixir.
Bernacle, s. A bird like a goose, fabulously supposed to grow on trees.
The Bernacle, (Anas Erythropus, Linn. La Bernacle, Buff.) weighs about five pounds, and measures more than two feet in length, and nearly four and a half in breadth. The bill, from the tip to the corners of the mouth, is scarcely an inch and a half long, black, and crossed with a pale reddish streak on each side; a narrow black line passes from the bill to the eyes, the irides of which are brown; the head is small, and, as far as the crown, together with the cheeks and throat, white; the rest of the head and neck, to the breast and shoulders, is black; the upper part of the plumage is prettily marbled or barred with blue, grey, black, and white; the feathers of the back are black, edged with white, and those of the wing coverts and scapulars, blue grey, bordered with black near the margins, and edged with white; the quills black, edged a little way from the tips with blue grey; the under parts and tail coverts white; the thighs are marked with dusky lines or spots, and are black near the knees; the tail is black, and five inches and a half long; the legs and feet dusky, very thick and short, and have a stumpy appearance.
In severe winters these birds are not uncommon in this kingdom, particularly on the northern and western parts, where, however, they remain only a short time, and depart early in the spring to their northern wilds, to breed and spend the summer.—Bewick.
Better, s. One that lays bets or wagers.
Bevy, s. A flock of quails.