BING. 156 RING OF THE NIBELTJNGEH. vailcil nlso in Rome iindci' the P.Piiublic. V'mlcr the Empire to wear a yold iin<; was the special jirivileye of the senators, but afterwards it was extended to the kniglits, and under Justinian it was permitted to all freemen. The Romans prac- tioed 'the most extravajjant luxury with rings,' and engraved gems were especially common. Among Celtic and CJermanic tribes rings were worn (in fingers, wrists, and ankles, and especially as torques, a kind of elaborate collar about the neck. The knights of the .Middle Ages wore iron rings about the neck, arms, and legs as a s.ymbol of a vow, upon the fulfillment of which the ring was removed. Many quaint customs in regard to rings sur- vive from the Middle Ages and even from earlier ))eriods. Cramp-rings, supposed to heal that ail- ment, were blessed by the King, in connec- tion with the healing of the 'King's evil.' Poison-rings, like the one used by Hannibal in his suicide, contained a layer of poison, and the Italian uiniulo del iiinito was a refined means of assassination during the iliddle Ages. The ring played an important part in the principal Vene- tian state ceremony, the yearly marriage of the republic with the Adriatic. From the Biicentaur, the Doge east a ring into the sea, in token of its subjection to the republic. The celebrated fish- erman's ring, used by the Pope, is engraved with the picture of Saint Peter in a boat, and the name of the reigning pontiff'. With such a ring all the Papal briefs since the thirteenth century have been sealed. Upon the Pope's death his ring is broken and another is presented to his successor by the city of Rome. The ring plays an im- portant part in the coronation of a king, and in the investiture of bishops. Before the invention of coinage rings were used as money, as is re-
- corded of the Egyptians, Israelites, and the Ger-
man and Celtic peoples of Europe, and to this day copper rings are used by African traders. Consult: King, Antique Gems and Rinijs (Lon- don, 187'2) ; Jones, Finr/er-Ring Lore (ib., 1876) ; Schneider, Die Gestaltiing des Kinges vom Mit- lelalter bis in die Neuzeit (Mayence, 1878) ; Ed- wards, History and Poetry of Finger-Rings (New York, 1880). KING, Max ( 1817-1001 ) . A German novelist, born at Zauditz, near Ratibor. and educated at Breslau and Berlin. He practiced medicine un- til 1848, and, after two years at Breslau, settled in Berlin. In his novels, which are very numer- ous, he deals with modern social questions, and displays keen observation of human nature and ability to portray vividly scenes of want and misery. Chief among his works are: Die Kinder Gotte's (1852) ; Verirrt tind Erliiist (1855) ; John Milton und seine Zeit (1857) ; Rosenkreuzer und Illnminaten (1861) ; Gotter und Gotzen (2d ed. 1871) : Sieg der Liebe (1886) ; and Htreber und Kdmpfer (1888). RING AND THE BOOK, The. A poem by P.obert Browning (1869). A book recording an old murder in Rome, bought by the poet, sug- gested the plan, while the ring is the circle of evidence about the theme. Pompilia. a young girl, is married to an elderly Count Guido Fran- ceschini. Each is deceived as to the other's wealth, and Pompilia is cruelly treated. She finally escapes to join her adopted parents under the care of a priest, Caponsacchi. Guido pur- sues them and murders Pompilia and her parents. The story of the tragedy is told in ten versions by tile actors, bj- the city, by certain ollicials, and by the Pope, making a poem of 20,000 lines. The finest parts are the monologues of Pompilia, the priest, and the Pope. RING-BILLED GULL (so called from the colored ring aljout the beak). A small gull widely distributed tlirougliout the interior of North America and along the coasts. The gen- eral color is light pearl-blue, the outer wiug- quiils black, the feet and bill greenish, and the bill encircled at the angle with a broad band of black. This gull breeds in colonies upon north- ern sea-beaches and on the shores of the lakes of the Northwestern States and Canada, and mi- grates southward in winter. RINGBONE. A circle of bony matter around the horse's coronet, most common in the fore legs of draught horses with short upright pasterns, but occasionally also on the hind limbs of lighter-bred horses. Excessive work on hard roads is the most commonly attributed cause; l>roper rest and nourishment are the best preven- tives. RING-DOVE. The largest and most common of European Avild pigeons {Cohimba palunibus) , which is characterized by a white spot on each side of its neck, forming a nearly continuous ring. See Pigeon. RINGED PARROT. Any one of the small long-tailed Oriental parrakeets of the genus Pah^ornis, especially the ring-necked parrakeet {I'alwornis torquatus) , which ranges from India to Cochin-China, where it often does great dam- age to grain crops. Its general hue is green, and the neck of the male is ornamented with a rose- red collar, incomplete in front, above which is a black ring incomplete behind. See Pakkakeet. BING MONEY. At an early stage of society, prior to the invention of coinage, but after the inconveniences of direct barter had been discov- ered, the precious metals, formed into rings, were used as a medium of exchange. The use of ring money among the Egyptians is proved by repre- sentations in their wall paintings. The gold or silver rings were formed of a wire or bar of metal bent into a circle, but not quite united at the extremities, so that they could be made into a chain, from which portions could be detached at pleasure. It seems probable that the indi- vidual loops were not adjusted to a particular weight, but that each bundle of loops amounted in the aggregate to a particular weight. The ring money of the East found its way at an early ]ieriod to Western Europe and the British Islands. RING-NECKED SNAKE. A harmless American snake [Diadoithis punetatus) , about 15 inches long, blue-black above and orange-yel- low below, with a yellow ring about the neck. BING OF THE NIBELUNGEN. A tetral- ogy of music dramas, by Richard Wagner, com- prising Das Rheingold, Die Wttlkiire, Siegfried, and GottrrdUmmcrung. The story is taken from the Nibelungenlied, but contains more of the Norse than German elements. The [ilot of Wagner con- cerns the magic nugget of gold in possession of the three Rhine maidens. He who shall forswear love and fashion the nugget into .a ring shall gain supreme power in the world. In the Rhein- gold, Alberic, the Nibelung, seizes the gold, hav-
