TENT. A portable structure of canvas-, skin, rugs, or other fabrics, designed for shelter. Ani mal skins and foliage doubtless formed the earli est coverings, for which textile fabrics were sub stituted as civilization advanced. hi the Book of Genesis the patriarchs are represented as dwelling in tents, probably mud) the same as the modern Arab tents, large structures, rude in form, of small height. but covering a consider able space of ground. The early Greek and Mace donian military tents were small coverings of skin, each tent sheltering two soldiers. The Ro mans used two sorts of tents, one of canvas, con structed with two upright poles and a ridge pole between them, a type similar to the camp ing tent of to-day; the other resembling a light hut, a wooden skeleton, covered by bark. hides, mud, straw, o• any other material which afforded warmth o• protection. This latter type. it may be presumed, was only employed in the winter or for the more permanent eamps. Each tent sheltered ten soldiers with their decanux. Pos sibly the tent has reached its highest perfection in Persia, where there are many tribes W110 dwell in tents. They are nearly hemispherical, over a wooden framework, and covered with felt, with worked hangings covering the entrance. The
Chinese lower classes also live much in tents, and while their construction is invariably of mat ting, they are usually of great size and exceed ingly comfortable in design. The modern mili tary tents are made of linen or cotton canvas, and latterly since the discovery of khaki (q.v.), and its wide use in military uniforms, tents made of this material have been very largely employed both in England and in America. The largest military tents are those used for hospital purposes. They are oblong in shape with high side walls. The tent most commonly used in mili tary camps usually is round, about twelve feet in diameter, and ten feet high, affording sleep ing accommodation to about sixteen men. Many other forms are in occasional use throughout the world, some designed to cover one or two men and so constructed as to be easily carried by the men, others by baggage animals or mules. The 'dog tent' of the United States soldier is a small easily carried contrivance which affords a degree of shelter for one or two men. See Es CAMIPMENT for description and illustration of a United States Army common wall tent.