Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/532

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BANDETTINI.
458
BANDOLIER.

praised her. She married Signor Pietro Landucci, a gentleman of Lucca. Among the works that she left are: A tragedy, Il Polidoro; a poem, La morte di Adonide; a drama, La Rosmunda; and shorter poems, entitled Rime diverse.


BAND'FISH'. One of the several greatly compressed and much elongated marine fishes, principally of the family Cepolidæ. The red bandfish (Cepola rubescens), about 15 inches long, dwells in the Mediterranean, where, on account of its brilliancy, it is sometimes known as the 'fire-flame' and 'red-ribbon.' Species also occur in Asiatic waters, inhabiting quiet depths, where they are free from the action of the waves, which they could not withstand, and feed on seaweed and small shellfish. The name is also sometimes applied to the oarfish (q.v.).


BAN'DICOOT (perhaps a corruption of the native pandi-kokku, pig-rat). (1) The largest known species of rat (Nesokia bandicota), a native of India and Ceylon, where it is also known as Malabar rat and pig-rat, the latter being the significance of the Telugu word of which bandicoot is a corrujition. Its body often exceeds a foot in length, is black above and grayish beneath, and has a long tail, very thick at the base. It frequents arid, hilly districts, where its flesh is a favorite article of food with the coolies, and is said to be delicate, and much to resemble young pork. It feeds chiefly on grain and roots, and is very destructive to gardens and to poultry, burrowing under walls to reach what it wants. "Its nests, when rifled, are frequently found to contain considerable quantities of rice, stored up against the dry season." It is not known north of the Ganges and Indus. (2) A small marsupial of the family Peramelidæ, and especially of the genus Perameles, whose species are scattered throughout Australasia. They have a shrewlike head and muzzle, with 10 cutting teeth in the upper jaw and only two in the lower. "They ... live entirely in the ground, making nests composed of dried leaves, grass, and sticks, in hollow places. They are rather mixed feeders; but insects, worms, roots, and bulbs constitute their ordinary diet." (3) The Rabbit-Bandicoots belong to the cognate genus Perogale; and are larger, with harelike form and gait. Hence the commonest species (Perogale legatis) is known in its home (Western Australia) as the 'native rabbit.' It burrows, but its food and general habits are those of the bandicoots proper: and, like them, it frequently injures vegetable gardens. (4) A smaller relative is the pig-tailed bandicoot (Chæropus castanotis).


BANDIERA, ban-dya'ra, Attilio and Emilio (1817 and 1819-44). Italian patriots. The two brothers came of a noble Venetian family: their father was an admiral in the Austrian service, and they themselves were officers of rank in the navy. Out of zeal for the cause of Italian inde- pendence, they entered into conspiracies against the Austrian Government, and carried on a cor- respondence with Mazzini, their idol, who was then in exile in England. In 1844 they were forced to flee to Corfu, whence they returned in the hope of stirring up an insurrection in Cala- bria. They were betrayed to the police authori- ties, and, with seven of their companions, cap- tured as soon as they had landed. On July 25, 1844, they were shot in the market-place of Cosenza, while singing patriotic hymns and exclaiming 'Viva I'ltalia!' The death of the two noble youths aroused the hatred of Liberal Europe against the Austrian tyranny in Italy, and prepared the way for the first movement of liberation in 1848. Consult Ricciardi, Gloria del fratelli Bandiera e consorti (Florence, 1863).


BANDINELLI, ban'de-nel'le, Bartolommeo or Baccio (1488-1560). An Italian sculptor. He was born at Florence, and was a pupil of his father, Michelangelo di Viviano, an able goldsmith, and of Rustici. He imitated the works of Michelangelo, whose "David," symbolic of Florentine freedom, he, the protégé of the Medici, attempted to surpass with a "Hercules and Cacus" (1534), placed like it in front of the Palazzo Pubblico. Ugly and exaggerated in form and sentiment, this group only succeeded in making its author the object of satire and ridicule. But Vasari's generally accepted charge that Bandinelli destroyed Michelangelo's famous cartoon of the "Bathing Soldiers" is probably due to that author's dislike of him. Through his industry many Italian cities were adorned with his statues and river-gods, but their treatment was so commonplace that they failed to elevate or inspire public taste. His best work is to be found in the marble choir-screen of the cathedral at Florence, wherein he has personified, in relief, figures of the virtues, and figures of prophets and apostles. There is grace in their conception, and they are intelligently arranged as to the space at command. In the choir of the Annunziata at Florence is a group representing "Nicodemus supporting Christ": the Nicodemus is a portrait of Bandinelli himself. His other works include "Adam and Eve" and "Bacchus" (National Museum).


BAND OF HOPE UN'ION. The most important of the children's temperance societies of England, started with local unions in 1847. In 1855 the United Kingdom Band of Hope Union was formed, and later the Edinburgh, Scottish, and Hibernian unions. With the income derived from small weekly dues, they maintain lectures, agents, a publishing department, fetes, and concerts. Illustrated lectures are given in elementary and common schools, institutions, reformatories, and workhouses. Children over seven years old may belong. The latest statistics indicate that there are over 15,000 bands of hope and juvenile temperance societies in Great Britain, with a membership of about 2,000,000. See Temperance.


BAN'DOLIER', or BANDOLEER (Fr. bandoulière. It. bandoliera, shoulder-belt; cf. band). A cartridge-belt, worn over the shoulder; strongly made of stout canvas cloth, with a separate pocket for each cartridge or round of ammunition. It was extensively used by the Colonial troops of Great Britain and portions of the mounted infantry, and officers armed with the revolver, during the Boer War of 1899-1902. The first use of the bandolier as an article of military equipment dates back two centuries, when muskets were provided with matchlocks. The musketeers were furnished with gunpowder in small cylindrical boxes made of wood, tin, or leather, each containing sufficient for one charge.