Glenn Close: …of ideal suburban wives in The Stepford Wives (2004) and the mother of a nervous bride in Evening (2007). In Albert Nobbs (2011), which she cowrote, Close starred as a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to find work in 19th-century Ireland; for her performance, she received…

The Stepford Wives: …William Goldman, Levin scripted a film version that was released in 1975, starring Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, and Tina Louise in the lead roles.The Stepford Wives was adapted as a film that starred Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, and Glenn Close and was released in 2004.

Stephan G. Stephansson was an Icelandic-born poet who wrote virtually all his poems in North America. The son of an impoverished farmer, brought up on the Bible and the sagas, Stephansson emigrated to the United States at the age of 20. He worked as a labourer on farms and in railway construction

Protestantism: North America: Saxon immigrants under Martin Stephan and Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther also arrived in 1839 and settled near St. Louis, Missouri, to become by 1847 the Missouri Synod. Stephan had practiced conventicle Pietism in Germany and had influenced Walther and others in this direction. Walther and other Missouri Synod…

lapwing: The crowned lapwing (Stephanibyx coronatus), of Africa, has a black cap with a white ring around it. The red-wattled lapwing, Vanellus (sometimes Lobivanellus) indicus, and the yellow-wattled lapwing (V. malabaricus), of southern Asia, have wattles on the face. Others are the gray-headed lapwing (Microsarcops cinereus), of…

Grace Kelly: …had three children—Caroline, Albert, and Stéphanie—and Princess Grace was active in charitable and cultural work. Although she repeatedly resisted attempts to lure her back into performing, she reportedly agreed to star in Hitchock’s Marnie (1964) before backing out of the project. However, she did lend her narration to one or…

stephanite, a sulfosalt mineral, silver antimony sulfide (Ag5SbS4), that occurs as black, lustrous, orthorhombic crystals, fine particles, or masses in small amounts in many silver veins. At one time an important silver ore in the Comstock Lode, Nevada, it has been found in other parts of the

Panchatantra: …11th-century version in Greek, the Stephanites kai Ichnelates, from which translations were made into Latin and various Slavic languages. It was the 12th-century Hebrew version of Rabbi Joel, however, that became the source of most European versions.

falconiform: The postfledging period: In the crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus), for example, the postfledging period is 9 to 11 months, but in the related martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) it is much shorter.

fish: Annotated classification: Order Stephanoberyciformes (whalefishes, bigscale fishes, and allies) Body roundish, skull bones extremely thin, subocular shelf absent; supramaxilla reduced or absent; uniquely modified extrascapular bone. 9 families, 28 genera, and about 75 species. Marine. Order Beryciformes (squirrelfishes and several

coffee production: Diseases: …the coffee plant is the berry borer (Stephanoderes hamjei), which damages the seeds of both Arabica and Robusta.

annelid: Annotated classification: …on freshwater crayfish; size, minute; Stephanodrilus. Order Acanthobdellida Primitive group; setae present on 5 anterior segments; no anterior sucker; parasitic on fish in Lake Baikal (U.S.S.R.); size, small; genera include Acanthobdella. Order Rhynchobdellida An eversible

George Stephanopoulos is an American political commentator, best known as an anchor of the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) morning news program Good Morning America (2009– ), chief Washington correspondent of ABC news (2005–09), and the host of ABC’s Sunday news program, This Week with George

Meleager: …and the whole was entitled Stephanos (“Garland”). Meleager’s own poems are neatly constructed, and they treat erotic themes with cleverness; they had a considerable influence on the epigrams written during the time of the Roman Empire. He lived in Tyre and, in old age, on the Aegean island of Cos.

Stephanotis, genus of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), containing about 15 species of climbing plants native to Southeast Asia and Madagascar. Some botanists consider this genus a synonym of Marsdenia. Its members are hairless vines or shrubs that have opposite, undivided, leathery leaves. Their

Stephanotis: …member of the genus, the Madagascar jasmine (Marsdenia floribunda), waxflower, or floradora, is a popular greenhouse plant. This woody, twining vine is native to Madagascar. It has leathery, oval leaves that grow up to 10 cm (4 inches) long and clusters of waxy, white flowers that grow to 5 cm…

Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, cathedral in Vienna that was burned out in the course of the Battle of Vienna in April 1945 and was reconstructed by 1952. Saint Stephen’s was established in 1147; only the west facade remains of the late Romanesque edifice that burned in 1258. A Gothic nave was built

Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, cathedral in Vienna that was burned out in the course of the Battle of Vienna in April 1945 and was reconstructed by 1952. Saint Stephen’s was established in 1147; only the west facade remains of the late Romanesque edifice that burned in 1258. A Gothic nave was built

Stephan G. Stephansson was an Icelandic-born poet who wrote virtually all his poems in North America. The son of an impoverished farmer, brought up on the Bible and the sagas, Stephansson emigrated to the United States at the age of 20. He worked as a labourer on farms and in railway construction

history of publishing: France: …Bade, Geoffroy Tory, and the Estienne (Stephanus) family, who published without a break for five generations (1502–1674), carried France into the lead in European book production and consolidated the Aldine type of book—compact, inexpensive, and printed in roman and italic types. The golden age of French typography is usually placed…

Platonism: The later Neoplatonists: …known Alexandrian philosopher, the Christian Stephanus, was called to teach in the University of Constantinople.

Stephen was the voivod (prince) of Moldavia (1457–1504), who won renown in Europe for his long resistance to the Ottoman Turks. With the help of the Walachian prince Vlad III the Impaler, Stephen secured the throne of Moldavia in 1457. Menaced by powerful neighbours, he successfully repulsed an

Crusades: Preparations for the Crusade: …William II of England) and Stephen of Blois (the son-in-law of William the Conqueror). No king took part in the First Crusade, and the predominantly French-speaking participants came to be known by the Muslims as Franks.

Stephen (II) was an unconsecrated pope from March 23 to March 25, 752. He was a priest when he was elected on March 23, 752, to succeed Pope St. Zacharias, but he died of apoplexy two days later without having been consecrated. Because consecration is the act considered necessary to mark the

Children’s Crusade: Origins: …all probability, a shepherd boy, Stephen of Cloyes, and some of his fellow workers took part in them. The enthusiasm generated by these processions gave birth to a popular Crusading movement whose aims were summed up in acclamations shouted out by the pueri: “Lord God, raise up Christendom!” and “Lord…

Stephen was the king of England from 1135 to 1154. He gained the throne by usurpation but failed to consolidate his power during the ensuing civil strife. Stephen was the third son of Stephen, Count of Blois and Chartres, and Adela, daughter of King William I the Conqueror. He was reared by his

Stephen Báthory was a prince of Transylvania (1571–76) and king of Poland (1575–86) who successfully opposed the Habsburg candidate for the Polish throne, defended Poland’s eastern Baltic provinces against Russian incursion, and attempted to form a great state from Poland, Muscovy, and

Stephen F. Austin State University, public, coeducational institution of higher education in Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. It comprises the Graduate School, the Arthur Temple College of Forestry, and colleges of applied arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, liberal arts, and sciences and

Stephen F. Austin State University, public, coeducational institution of higher education in Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. It comprises the Graduate School, the Arthur Temple College of Forestry, and colleges of applied arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, liberal arts, and sciences and

White Springs: The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is a 247-acre (100-hectare) park with a museum displaying dioramas, musical instruments, and Foster memorabilia; atop a 200-foot (60-metre) tower is a 97-bell carillon, on which the composer’s works are performed daily. The National Stephen Foster Day Celebration (January) and…

James Joyce: Early life: …writing a lengthy naturalistic novel, Stephen Hero, based on the events of his own life, when in 1904 George William Russell offered £1 each for some simple short stories with an Irish background to appear in a farmers’ magazine, The Irish Homestead. In response Joyce began writing the stories published…

Stephen I ; canonized 1083; feast day August 16) was the first king of Hungary, who is considered to be the founder of the Hungarian state and one of the most-renowned figures in Hungarian history. Stephen was a member of the Árpád dynasty and son of the supreme Magyar chieftain Géza. He was born a

St. Stephen I ; feast day August 2) was the pope from 254 to 257. He was a priest when consecrated, probably on May 12, 254, as the successor to St. Lucius I. Details of Stephen’s papacy are known principally through three reports contained in the letters of his rival, Bishop St. Cyprian of

Stephen II (or III) was the pope from 752 to 757. He severed ties with the Byzantine Empire and thus became the first temporal sovereign of the newly founded Papal States. He was a deacon when chosen on March 26, 752, as the second successor to Pope St. Zacharias (the first successor, Stephen II,

Hungary: The early kings: …throne for his own son Stephen II (1116–31). Béla II (1131–41), the blinded boy, whom his father’s friends had brought up in secrecy, and Béla’s eldest son, Géza II (1141–62), ruled thereafter unchallenged, but the succession of Géza’s son, Stephen III (1162–72), was disputed by two of his uncles, Ladislas…

Serbia: The Golden Age: …in favour of his son Stefan (known as Prvovenčani, the “First-Crowned”), who in 1217 secured from Pope Honorius III the title of “king of Serbia, Dalmatia, and Bosnia.” Under the Nemanjić dynasty, which was to rule the Serb lands for the next 200 years, a powerful state emerged to dominate…

Stephen III (or IV) was the pope from August 768 to 772. After the death in 767 of Pope St. Paul I, the papal throne was coveted by temporal rulers. Duke Toto of Nepi caused his brother Constantine (II), a layman, to be elected pope. The Lombard king Desiderius dispatched to Rome troops that killed

Hungary: The early kings: …the succession of Géza’s son, Stephen III (1162–72), was disputed by two of his uncles, Ladislas II (1162–63) and Stephen IV (1163–65). Happily, the death of Stephen IV exhausted the supply of uncles, and Stephen III’s brother, Béla III (1173–96), had no domestic rivals to the throne. However, the short…

Hungary: The early kings: …uncles, Ladislas II (1162–63) and Stephen IV (1163–65). Happily, the death of Stephen IV exhausted the supply of uncles, and Stephen III’s brother, Béla III (1173–96), had no domestic rivals to the throne. However, the short reign of Béla’s elder son, Emeric (1196–1204), was spent largely in disputes with his…

Stephen IV (or V) was the pope from June 816 to January 817. Of noble birth, he succeeded Pope St. Leo III in June 816. Immediately after his consecration he ordered the Romans to swear fidelity to the Carolingian emperor Louis I the Pious, whom he informed of his election and asked to meet in

Stephen IX (or X) was the pope from August 1057 to March 1058, one of the key pontiffs to begin the Gregorian Reform. The brother of Duke Godfrey of Lorraine, he studied at Liège, where he became archdeacon. Under his cousin Pope Leo IX he became a prime papal adviser and a member of the inner

Stephen was the king of England from 1135 to 1154. He gained the throne by usurpation but failed to consolidate his power during the ensuing civil strife. Stephen was the third son of Stephen, Count of Blois and Chartres, and Adela, daughter of King William I the Conqueror. He was reared by his

Pope Joan: …by the 13th-century French Dominican Stephen of Bourbon, who dated Joan’s election c. 1100. In this account the nameless pontiff was a clever scribe who became a papal notary and later was elected pope; pregnant at the time of her election, she gave birth during the procession to the Lateran,…

Children’s Crusade: Origins: …all probability, a shepherd boy, Stephen of Cloyes, and some of his fellow workers took part in them. The enthusiasm generated by these processions gave birth to a popular Crusading movement whose aims were summed up in acclamations shouted out by the pueri: “Lord God, raise up Christendom!” and “Lord…

Stefan Dušan: Background and early years: …Dušan was the son of Stefan Uroš III, who was the eldest son of the reigning king, Stefan Uroš II Milutin. While Dušan was still a boy, his father, who governed the maritime provinces of the Serbian state, rebelled against his own father. Milutin took him prisoner, blinded him in…

France: The monarchy of France: In a notorious case, Stephen of Garland tried to claim the seneschalsy as his property and for a time even held three offices at once; but this abuse was soon remedied and taught caution to Louis VI and his successors. The chancellor drafted the king’s decrees and privileges with…

Saint Stephen of Perm ; feast day April 26) was one of the most successful and dynamic missionaries of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Russian Orthodox Church expanded northward and eastward and succeeded in establishing monasteries at Sarai and at Lake Ladoga

Stephen was the voivod (prince) of Moldavia (1457–1504), who won renown in Europe for his long resistance to the Ottoman Turks. With the help of the Walachian prince Vlad III the Impaler, Stephen secured the throne of Moldavia in 1457. Menaced by powerful neighbours, he successfully repulsed an

Stefan Dušan: Background and early years: …reigning king, Stefan Uroš II Milutin. While Dušan was still a boy, his father, who governed the maritime provinces of the Serbian state, rebelled against his own father. Milutin took him prisoner, blinded him in order to make him unfit to claim the throne, and about 1314 exiled him to…

Stefan Dušan: Background and early years: …Dušan was the son of Stefan Uroš III, who was the eldest son of the reigning king, Stefan Uroš II Milutin. While Dušan was still a boy, his father, who governed the maritime provinces of the Serbian state, rebelled against his own father. Milutin took him prisoner, blinded him in…

Stefan Dušan was the king of Serbia (1331–46) and “Emperor of the Serbs, Greeks, and Albanians” (1346–55). He was the greatest ruler of medieval Serbia, who promoted his nation’s influence and gave his people a new code of laws. Stefan Dušan was the son of Stefan Uroš III, who was the eldest son of

Stephen V was the king of Hungary (1270–72), the eldest son of Béla IV. In 1262, as crown prince, he compelled his father, whom he had assisted in the Bohemian war, to surrender 29 counties to him, virtually dividing Hungary into two kingdoms; while afterward he seized the southern banate of Macso,

Stephen V (or VI) was the pope from 885 to 891 whose pontificate witnessed the disintegration of the Carolingian Empire and intermittent struggles for the Italian crown. Of noble birth, he was created cardinal by Pope Marinus I and was elected on May 17, 885, to succeed Pope St. Adrian III.

Stephen VI (or VII) was the pope from May 896 to August 897. The era in which he was elected as the successor to Pope Boniface VI was torn by factions led by Roman aristocrats and by rulers of Naples, Benevento, Tuscany, and Spoleto (of whose ruling family Stephen was a member). Guy, duke of

Stephen VII (or VIII) was the pope from 928 to 931. As cardinal priest of St. Anastasia, Rome, he was active in the administration of the Roman Church before his consecration in December 928 as Pope Leo VI’s successor. His election was probably influenced by Marozia, senatrix of Rome, whose

Stephen VIII (or IX) was the pope from 939 to 942. Educated in Germany, he became cardinal priest of the Roman Church of SS. Silvester and Martin. He was elected pope on July 14, 939, to succeed Leo VII. Because Duke Alberic II of Spoleto, virtual dictator of Rome, dominated his pontificate,

woodrat: …three species exhibit dietary specialization: Stephen’s woodrat (N. stephensi) subsists almost entirely on juniper sprigs, and N. albigula and N. lepida feed mostly on prickly pear, cholla cacti, and yucca plants.

Virginia Woolf was an English writer whose novels, through their nonlinear approaches to narrative, exerted a major influence on the genre. While she is best known for her novels, especially Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), Woolf also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory,

Stephen I ; canonized 1083; feast day August 16) was the first king of Hungary, who is considered to be the founder of the Hungarian state and one of the most-renowned figures in Hungarian history. Stephen was a member of the Árpád dynasty and son of the supreme Magyar chieftain Géza. He was born a

Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet was a British legal historian, Anglo-Indian administrator, judge, and author noted for his criminal-law reform proposals. His Indictable Offences Bill (late 1870s), though never enacted in Great Britain, has continued to influence attempts to recast the

Sir Leslie Stephen was an English critic, man of letters, and the first editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. A member of a distinguished intellectual family, Stephen was educated at Eton, at King’s College, London, and at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he was elected to a fellowship in

St. Stephen ; feast day December 26) was a Christian deacon in Jerusalem and the first Christian martyr, whose apology before the Sanhedrin (Acts of the Apostles 7) points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. His defense of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish

Vanessa Bell was a British painter, designer, and founding member of the Bloomsbury group who was known for her colourful portraits and still-life paintings and for her dust-jacket designs. Bell was born into a Victorian upper-middle-class literary family, daughter of literary critic Sir Leslie

Alexander H. Stephens was a politician who served as vice president of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861–65). Called “Little Ellick” by his colleagues because he weighed only about 100 pounds, Stephens was admitted to the bar in 1834. Though plagued by

Alexander H. Stephens was a politician who served as vice president of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861–65). Called “Little Ellick” by his colleagues because he weighed only about 100 pounds, Stephens was admitted to the bar in 1834. Though plagued by

Alfred George Stephens was an Australian literary critic and journalist whose writings in newspapers and periodicals set standards for Australian literature. He is considered Australia’s pioneer man of letters. As a youth Stephens was apprenticed to a Sydney printer, and he later became a

Alice Barber Stephens was an American illustrator whose work appeared regularly in the most popular books and magazines of her day. Alice Barber grew up in New Jersey and in Philadelphia. She began drawing at an early age, and in 1870, while still attending public school, she began taking classes

Ann Sophia Stephens was an American editor and writer whose melodramatic novels, popular in serialized form, gained an even wider readership as some of the first "dime novels." Ann Winterbotham knew from childhood that she wanted to be a writer. In 1831 she married Edward Stephens and settled in

Helen Stephens was an American runner who won two gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and was undefeated in official competition. Known as the Fulton Flash, Stephens had won nine Amateur Athletic Union track-and-field titles by the age of 18. At the 1936 Olympic Games, Stephens won the

James Stephens was an Irish poet and storyteller whose pantheistic philosophy is revealed in his fairy tales set in the Dublin slums of his childhood and in his compassionate poems about animals. Stephens was working as a solicitor’s clerk and educating himself when he met the Irish poet AE (George

Fenian raids: …O’Mahony and in Ireland by James Stephens (1858).

Big Star: …19, 2010, Weatherford, Texas), and Jody Stephens (b. Oct. 4, 1952, Memphis).

John Lloyd Stephens was an American traveler and archaeologist whose exploration of Maya ruins in Central America and Mexico (1839–40 and 1841–42) generated the archaeology of Middle America. Bored with the practice of law and advised to travel for reasons of health, in 1834 he set out on a journey

John Legend is an American singer-songwriter and pianist who achieved success in the early 21st century with his fusion of R&B and soul music. He also was a sought-after session musician. Legend was the first African American man to win all four major North American entertainment awards (EGOT:

The Innocents: Cast:

Olin James Stephens II was an American naval architect who was designer, skipper, and navigator of the yacht Dorade, the winner of the 1931 Transatlantic and Fastnet races, and who was codesigner and relief helmsman of the J-class Ranger, the winner of the America’s Cup in 1937. The Sparkman &

Uriah Smith Stephens was an American utopian reformer who was instrumental in founding the Knights of Labor, the first national labour union in the United States. Stephens wanted to become a Baptist minister, but family financial reverses (largely brought about by the Panic of 1837) led him into an

industrial design: Postmodern design and its aftermath: carmaker BMW enlisted American designer Frank Stephenson to create the new Mini (2002), a revival of the iconic British car of the 1960s.

George Stephenson was an English engineer and principal inventor of the railroad locomotive. Stephenson was the son of a mechanic who operated a Newcomen atmospheric-steam engine that was used to pump out a coal mine at Newcastle upon Tyne. The boy went to work at an early age and without formal

George Robert Stephenson was a pioneer English railroad engineer who assisted his uncle George Stephenson and his cousin Robert Stephenson in their work. Educated at King William College, Isle of Man, he entered his uncle’s employ on the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1837, later served as

golf: The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA): …during the following decade include Jan Stephenson, Jo-Anne Carner, Amy Alcott, and Judy Rankin. The most notable player to emerge during the ’70s was Nancy Lopez, who, by winning nine tournaments (including a record five straight) during her first full season on the tour (1978), was a major force in…

metaverse: Science-fiction author Neal Stephenson coined the term metaverse in his novel Snow Crash (1992), in which characters enjoy themselves as digital avatars in the “Metaverse” as an escape from the grim reality of the 21st century. The concept of an immersive digital world became popular in late…

Robert Stephenson was an outstanding English Victorian civil engineer and builder of many long-span railroad bridges, most notably the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait, North Wales. He was the only son of George Stephenson, inventor of the railroad locomotive. He was educated at Bruce’s

William Stephenson was a Canadian-born millionaire industrialist whose role as Britain’s intelligence chief in the Western Hemisphere in World War II was chronicled in A Man Called Intrepid (1979). The son of a lumber-mill owner, Stephenson dropped out of college to serve in the Royal Canadian

William Stephenson was a Canadian-born millionaire industrialist whose role as Britain’s intelligence chief in the Western Hemisphere in World War II was chronicled in A Man Called Intrepid (1979). The son of a lumber-mill owner, Stephenson dropped out of college to serve in the Royal Canadian

Julia Roberts: …Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), and Stepmom (1998), for which she also served as executive producer. Her personal life at times overshadowed her professional career, however, as when her highly publicized marriage to singer Lyle Lovett abruptly ended in 1995. In 1999 Roberts starred in two popular romantic comedies, Notting Hill…

Elista, city, capital of Kalmykia republic, southwestern Russia. It was founded in 1865 and became a city in 1930. In 1944, when the Kalmyks were exiled by Joseph Stalin for their alleged collaboration with the Germans, the republic was dissolved and the city became known as Stepnoy (“Steppe”). The

A Lear of the Steppes, short story by Ivan Turgenev, published in 1870 as “Stepnoy Korol Lir”; it has also been translated as “King Lear of the Steppes.” A loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear, set in the Russian countryside, the story concerns the disrespectful treatment the

steppe, vast grassland, devoid of trees and with little diversity in vegetation, receiving around 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches) of rain per year. The word “steppe” is derived from the Russian word for “flat grassy plain.” The world’s most extensive flat steppes are in temperate Eurasia. Often

Anton Chekhov: Literary maturity: …question—a long story entitled “Steppe”—he at last turned his back on comic fiction. “Steppe,” an autobiographical work describing a journey in Ukraine as seen through the eyes of a child, is the first among more than 50 stories published in a variety of journals and selections between 1888 and…

bison: …of what was likely a steppe bison (Bison priscus) from Yukon suggested that the first bison in North America migrated from Asia across the Bering Land Bridge sometime between 95,000 and 135,000 years ago before spreading rapidly throughout the continent. (Both the long-horned bison and the steppe bison are extinct.)…

Pallas’s cat, (Felis manul), small, long-haired cat (family Felidae) native to deserts and rocky, mountainous regions from Tibet to Siberia. It was named for the naturalist Peter Simon Pallas. The Pallas’s cat is a soft-furred animal about the size of a house cat and is pale silvery gray or light

alluvial fan: …more prominent in arid and semiarid regions, however, and generally are regarded as characteristic desert landforms. This is particularly true in the basin-and-range type of areas of parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the western United States, Chile and Peru, Sinai and western Arabia, and Central Asia, where the basic landscape…

fox: Classification: corsac (corsac, or steppe, fox) Small and social steppe-dwelling fox that inhabits steppes and semideserts of eastern Eurasia; coat yellowish gray or brown to reddish gray; body similar in form to the red fox but with larger legs and ears. V. ferrilata (Tibetan fox) Short-eared short-tailed…

hedgehog: …hedgehogs (genus Hemiechinus), and two steppe hedgehogs (genus Mesechinus). European hedgehogs are kept as pets, as is the African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris).

lemming: …wood lemming (Myopus schisticolor) and steppe lemming (Lagurus lagurus) are the smallest, measuring 8 to 12 cm (3.1 to 4.7 inches) in body length and weighing 20 to 30 grams (0.7 to 1.0 ounce). The other species are larger, weighing 30 to 112 grams, with bodies 10 to 22 cm…

rinderpest, an acute, highly contagious viral disease of ruminant animals, primarily cattle, that was once common in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. Rinderpest was a devastating affliction of livestock and wildlife, and for centuries it was a major threat to food production

pika: The steppe pika (O. pusilla) has been reported to have litters of as many as 13 young and breed up to five times in a year.

polecat: Much lighter fur distinguishes the masked, or steppe, polecat (M. eversmanni) of southeastern Europe and Asia.

the Steppe, belt of grassland that extends some 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from Hungary in the west through Ukraine and Central Asia to Manchuria in the east. Mountain ranges interrupt the steppe, dividing it into distinct segments, but horsemen could cross such barriers easily, so that steppe peoples