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DARBHANGAH 264 DARFUR head produced into a more or less prom- inent beak; eye spherical, with about 20 lenses; jaws composed of a strong body ending in four horny spines, three of which curve inward. The antennae act as oars, by which the animals project themselves by a series of jerks through the water. They are frequently very- numerous in ponds and ditches, which they often color, especially when the water is stagnant, with an appearance of blood. D. pulex is a favorite and in- teresting microscopic object. DARBHANGAH (dar-ban'ga) , the chief town of Darbhangah district, in Behar province, India ; on the Little Baghmati river, 78 miles N. E, of Patna by rail. It has large bazaars and a hand- some market-place, extensive tanks, a hospital and the maharajah's palace, with fine gardens, menagerie, and aviary. There is an active trade in oil-seeds, food-grains, timber, salt, iron, lime, etc. Pop. (1901) 66,244. DARBY, a borough in Pennsylvania, in Delaware co., on the Baltimore and Ohio, and the Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington railroads, and on the Darby river. Its industries include woolen, silk, cotton and worsted mills, and there are manufactures of water filters, wooden tanks, augurs, and bits. Pop. (1910) 6,305; (1920) 7,922. DARDANELLES (dar-da-nelz') , (the ancient Hellespont) , a narrow channel separating Europe from Asia, and unit- ing the Sea of Marmora with the Arch- ipelago. The name is derived from the ancient city of Dardanus in the Troad, on the S. shore; and Dardanus was named from the Dardani, an ancient people farther inland. The strait ex- tends from N. E. to S. W,, and has a length of about 40 miles, and a breadth varying from 1 to 4 miles. From the Sea of Marmora a strong current runs through the strait to the Archipelago. Both sides are strongly fortified. A treaty concluded between the five great powers and Turkey in 1841 arranged that no ship of war belonging to any nation save Turkey should pass the Dardanelles without the express con- sent of Turkey; all merchant-ships being also required to show their papers to the Ottoman authorities. These provisions were confirmed at London in 1871 and at Berlin in 1878, in February of which year a British fleet had sailed into the Sea of Marmora. The Dardanelles is celebrated in ancient history on account of Xerxes and Alexander having crossed it, the former in 480 B. c. to enter Eu- rope; and the latter in 334 B. c. to enter Asia. The point at which Xerxes crossed, by two separate bridges, was in the neighborhood of Abydos, on the Asiatic shore, opposite to Sestos. Alexander crossed at nearly the same place; and here also young Leander nightly swam across to visit Hero — a feat performed in 1810 by Lord Byron. The attempt by British and French fleets to force the Dardanelles, in connection with the at- tempted capture of the Gallipoli peninsu- la, constituted one of the most important operations of the first two years of the World War. See World War; Turkey. DARDISTAN (dar-dis-tan'), the name given to a region of central Asia, border- ing on Baltistan, the N. W. portion of Cashmere. The country, which consists of lofty mountains and high-lying val- leys, is little known, and its limits are variously given; but its interest depends mainly on the fact that its inhabitants, the Dards, are an Aryan people, speaking a Sanskritic tongue mixed with Persian words. They had been called "Stray Aryans in Tibet," and are Moslems con- verted from Buddhism at a compara- tively recent period: the Rajah of Cash- mere is constantly endeavoring to sub- ject them completely to his authority. The chief districts are Hasora, Gilghit, and Tassin; some authorities also in- clude Chitral in Dardistan. DARFUR (dar'for), a province of central Africa, one of the divisions of the Sudan or "Land of the Blacks," situated approximately in 10° to 16° N. lat., and in 22° to 28° E. Ion.; but its limits are not clearly defined. It is hilly in parts, and traversed by a mountainous ridge called Marra, which is the source of numerous streams. Toward the N. it is level, sandy, and almost destitute of water. During the rainy season (June — September) it exhibits a rich vegetation. The principal products are wheat, millet, rice, maize, and sesame. Tobacco, which is used by the natives in every form, abounds. Watermelons, also, are abundant during the rainy season. Among the fruits are tamarinds and dates. The chief minerals are copper and iron. The wealth of the inhabitants consists principally in cattle. Horses, sheep, camels, and game abound. Darfur carries on a considerable trade with Egypt, Mecca, and the inland countries of Africa ; it was a notorious center of the slave trade. The Fulbes are an in- telligent, well-built race, and have long been Mohammedans; their numbers ar© variously estimated at from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000. Kobbe is the chief trading town. In 1900 Darfur and Kordofan were within the sphere of British in- fluence, by an agreement between Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. See Brit- ish East Africa.