BLINDS

in operations against fortre es, name of all preparations which tend to intercept view of the enemy. There are several species fascine placed acro the embrasures, to prevent enemy from observing what pa ra near the — 2. Blinds before port-holes are shutters made strong planks, which are placed before the port-holes, as soon as the guns are discharged, to obstruct enemy's view.— 3. Single and double blinds. former consists of three strong perpendicular 5 feet in height, between which are planks with iron plates on the outside, and thus made proof. This screen is furnished with rollers, able the labourers in the trenches to push it them. The latter consists of large wooden chests, four block wheels, which are filled with earth, bags of sand, and serve likewise in the trendies, , to cover the soldiers from the fire of the — 4. Another kind of blinds used to protect workmen in the trenches, are the chanddiers. square beams of timber are placed parallel, a distance of 6 feet, on the ground, and fastened by two cro J^eams. Upon the ends perpendicular posts are erected, and ^e interval ia filled up fascines, at least to a height of 5 feet. — 5. is also the name given to coverings placed over most exposed parts in the saps or the fortre . are made of beams over which hurdles or are spread, that finally receive a sufficiently layer of euth as a covering. BLIND- WORM, or Slow-wobm (Angvu fragUit), an interesting little reptile belonging to tiie skink ily (Scinddae), and forming a oonnecting link between the lizards and the snakes. It is perfectly snake-like in form, having no appearance of external limbs, the bones of the shoulders and pelvis exist in mentary form. Its average length is about and it is of nearly equal thickne throughout, rather more slender towards the tail, the tip of is abrupt. The colour of the upper surface is ish gray, with a silvery glo , and there are rows of obscure dark dots running down the and a bhick line down the middle of the back. under parts are bluish black. Its eyes, though liant, are small, and hence it has received its mon English name. It is found in every Great Britain, though not in Ireland, and is over almost the whole of Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa. Though it is usually considered by the country people to be highly venomous speare calls it the 'eyele venom' d worm,' and of 'the blind-worm's sting'), no creature is harmle than the blind-worm. It rarely attempts to bite, and when it does the smallne of its prevents it from making almost any impre ion the skin. It receives its specific name of fragUis from the fact that when frightened it stiffens muscles to such an extent, and becomes so rigid, its tail may be snapped off by a slight blow, and often fright alone causes the animal to leave this ber behind it. It pa es the winter in a state country sensibility, generally burrowing into the soft earth to of simthe depth of 3 or 4 feet, for the puipose of hybenut* Koman ing. Li summer it may frequently bs seen on a sunny that it bulk, or beneath a hedge, basking in the sun. Its from food consists of insects, earth-worms, slugs, . It in is one of those reptiles that are ovo-viviparous, that A is, whose young are hatched from the egg in the cany body of the parent before being brought into the world. the style. BLISTER^ a topical application which, when ap- French plied to the skin, raises the cuticle in the form of a are vesicle, filled with serous fluid. The powder of the complicarUharUf or Spanish fly, operates with most certainty and expedition, and is commonly used for this purpose, the as well as mustard, hartshorn, . Morbid action the may often be removed from the system by inducing:— 1. A an action of a different kind in the same or a neigh the bouring part; hence the utility of blisters in local cannon. inflammation and spasmodic action. Exciting one of pain often relieves another; hence the use of blisters in toothache, and some other painful affections. the Lastly, blisters communicate a stimulus to the whole system, and raise the vigour of the circulation; henoe, The posts, in part, their utility in fevers of the typhoid kind, covered though, in such cases, they are used with still more shot advantage to obviate or remove local inflammation. to en- BLITUM, a genus of plants belonging to the nabefore tural order ChenopodiacesB. Two of the spedes are on known by the name of the strawberry blite, because, or after flowering, the calyx spreads out, and bears, in size, colour, and general appearance, a strong reenemy. semblance to the common wood strawberry. They the are of no economical importance, but yield & colour- Two ing matter which was formerly used m cookery. and at Though not natives of Great Britain, they are common weeds in the B. of Europe.