small piece of wood turned in the form of a cylinder, with a little border jutting out at each end, bored through to receive a small iron pivot. It serves to spin with the spinning-wheel, or to wind thread, worsted, hair, cotton, silk, gold, and silver.

Bobbing, among fishermen, a particular manner of catching eels, different from sniggling. Bobbing for eels is thus performed: They scour well some large loas, and with a needle run a twisted silk through them from end to end, taking so many as that they may warp them about a board a dozen times at least: then they tie them fast with the two ends of the silk, that they may hang in so many banks; which done, they fasten all to a strong cord, and, about a handful and a half above the worms, fix a plummet three quarters of a pound weight, and make the cord fast to a strong pole. With this apparatus fishing in muddy water they feel the eels tug lustily at the bait; when they think they have swallowed it sufficiently, they gently draw up the rope to the top, and bring them ashore.

Bobbio, an episcopal town of Italy, in the Sardinian part of the Milanese, seated on the river Trebia, in E. Long. 9° 30' N. Lat. 44° 48'.

Boca chica, the strait or entrance into the harbour of Carthagena in South America. It is defended by several forts belonging to the Spaniards, all which were taken by the English in 1741; they were nevertheless obliged to raise the siege of Carthagena in a short time after.