Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/53

 MES

the kingfifherV It is very common in Italy, and extremely fo in the ifland of Crete ; but is not known in England. It feeds on bees and other infects, and fometimes on feeds. See Tab. of Bird, N°. 17. Ray's Ornithol. p. 102.

MEROS, in zoology, the name of a very large American fifh, growing to five or fix feet long, and called by the Braiilians, cugupu-guacu. Its head is very large, and its mouth wide and toothlefs. Its eyes have a black pupil and a yellow iris. It has five fins, one running the whole length of the back, and reaching nearly to the tail; the anterior part of this is narrow, and armed with fmall but fharp fpines ; the other part is broader, and fuihined by fofter rays. Behind the anus is one like the hinder part of that on the back, and two others be- hind the gills, which are large and broad. The tail fin is very large and broad, and much more fo at its extremity than at its origin. Its fcales are fmall. Its head, back, and fides, are of a brownifh grey, and its belly white. It is accounted a well tailed fifh. See Tab. of Fifhes, N°. 53. Ray's Ich- thyography, p. 303.

MERULA, in ornithology* the name of the black-bird, a bird of the tardus or thrufh kind, of which there are feveral fpecies. 1. The common kind, well known in our hedges. 2. The kind called the pafferjblitarius, or folitaryfparrow. See Pas- ser. 3. The deruleus, of which there are two kinds. See Cj-eruleus. 5. The Brafilian Black-bird, remarkable for the fhortnefs and crookednefs of its beak, and for its remark- ably beautiful colours. Its tail and wings are black, and the reft of its body of a fine beautiful deep red. Its legs and feet are black, or of a brownifh grey. Its wing feathers alio have fome {light variegations of red. 6. The Merula Rofea, or rofe-coloured black bird ; this is fmaller than the common kind, and its back, breaft and wings are of a pale red or da- malk rofe -colour. Its wings and tail black. 7. The red- breaftcd Indian 'Black-bird, called by the Brafilians jacapu. See Jacapu. 8. The Merula Torqaata, or ring amzcll. SeeA.MZELL. Befide thefe there is the Mem la Montana, or common amzell ; And the Merula Bicolor : And two other birds, called Merula Congeneres defcribed by Aldro- vandus, but not now known. See Tab, of Birds, N\ 29, 30* and Ray's Ornithol. p. 140.

Merula, in ichthyology, the name of a fca fifh of the tar- dus or wrafie kind, of a fhort and flat figure, and all over of a dull and dead bluifh black. The back, (ides, and belly, are all of this colour, as are alfo even the fins and tail. It is a fifh not much efteemed, being of an infipid watery tafte, but is fold among the poorer fort in the Italian markets. Ron- delct. de Pifc. L. 6* c. 5. p. 172,

Merula Aquatica, the name of a bird, called the water ouzel in Englifh.

It is about the fize of the common black-bird, but has a fliorter body, and a thicker neck. Its beak is ftrait, fharp, and black, and its head, and the upper part of its neck, are of a brownifh black. Its back and wings are variegated with black and grey ; its throat and breaft are of a fnow white ; but the belly toward the tail is black ; its tail is fhort, and it is very thick feathered, as are in general all the water birds. It frequents waters, and is very common in many parts of Germany, nor much lefs fo in the northern counties of Eng- land. It feeds on fifh, and fometimes on infects, and though not a web-footed fowl, will fometimes dive under water after its prey. Ray's Ornithol. p. 104.

Merula Fluviatilis, in ichthyology, a name given by Schorie- veldt, and fome other writers, to the common tench. Thefe are whimfical and arbitrary names, and exprcis nothing. Ar- tedi has much better diftinguifhed the fifh, having taken away even its generical name, and reduced it to the cyprtni, of which genus it is evidently a fpecies : He has called it the black mucous cyprinus, with an even, not forked or invected tail. This is a name by which it can never be miftaken. Jrtedi Gen. Pif.

Merula Saxatilis, a name given by f fomc to the tarda marino. See thearticle Tordo Marino.

MERZENIUS, in botany, a name ufed by fome authors for

marjoram. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2. MES-AIR, in the manege, is a manege half terra a terra, and half corvet. See the articles Terra a Terra, and

CORVET, Cycl.

MESANGIA, in natural hiftory, the name of a bird common in France and Italy ; it is of the fize and fhape of the ficedu- la, and differs from it in very little, except the having a black fpot upon the head. This feems to be the vielamorypbos of .the aiments, who fuppofed, as many do at this time, that .the ficcdula changed into this bird. The ficedula, or fig- cater, comes into the gardens in France only at the time when the figs, which are its proper food, are ripe : Thefe it devours in an infatiable manner, and as foon as it has done with them, goes away again. Soon after this the Mefangia or black cap appears, and is fuppofed to be the fame bird, with the addition of this beautiful ornament. The antients were very fond of this imaginary change of one bird into an- other i and Anftotle tells us that the upupa is the fame bird with the cuckow, only changed in the colour and difpofition Oi its feathers. yEfchylus tells us in the fame manner, ac- . epiding to the opinion of his times, that the cuckow fines

MES

all the rummer, and after that difappears ; and that foon after- wards it comes again in a new form, with a plume upon its

. head, and is called the upupa.

MESAZONTES, Mtovfril,;, officers under' the emperors of Constantinople. See the article Mediator.

MESE, in the Greek mulic, was the ultimate note of the me- fon tetrachord, and anfwers to Guido's a la mi re. IVallis, Append. Ptolem. Harm. p. 157. See the article Dia- gram.

MESEMBRYANTHEMTJM, in botany, the name by which Diilenius, Linnaeus, and others, have called the plants ufually named Ficoides. Limitsi Gen. PI. p. 250.

MES ENTERIC A Febris, a name given by fome authors to a peculiar kind of acute fever, called by our Sydenham, nova febris in a peculiar treatife ; and by Hcifter more properly the ftomachic or inteftinal fever. See the article InteSti- nalis Febrisi

MESERA, a name given by fome medicinal writers to the Alexandrian tuttv.

MESENTERIC t"C>/.)— Mesenteric oitMeseraic: Arte- ries. Ruyfch s painted the meferaic arteries and veins as having different eourfes in the diftfibution of their brandies in the inteftines. Albinus b attributes this miftake to Ruyfeh's hav- ing injected the arteries at one part of the inteftines, and the veins at another j and by a figure reprefenting the internal cellular membrane of the ilium, with both arteries and veins injected, fhews their cotirfeS to be the fame. — [ 3 Adv. Dec. 3. lab. i. fig. 4, 5, 6, 7. b Diflert. de After. &" Veri. Intcftinl apMed.Eff. Edinb.] Sec the article Mesen teric, Cycl

MESIRE, a name given by Avifenna to a diftemperature of the liver, attended with a fenfe of heavinefs, tumour, inflam- mation, and pungent pain, and always with thirit, a dry mouth, and a parched black torigud.

MESITICUM, among the Romans, a toll paid for a place to fell goods in the forum. Pitifc, in voc.

MESMARCHURES, in the manege. See thearticle Pas- te RK.

MESOCHORUS, Hm#»f*^ amongthcantients. The meficborl were muficians who prefixed in concerts, and by beating a defk in a regular manner with their feet, directed the meafure of the mulic. For this purpofe in the theatre they wore wooden clogs on their feet, that they might be better heard, which weie called by the Greeks, Crupe%ia. Hofm. Lex. in voc.

Mesochorus, among the Romans, was alfo ufed for a per- fon in public affemblies, appointed to give the Ggnal for ac- clamation at the proper time, that all might join in it at once. Pitifc. in voc. Seethe article Acclamation.

MESOCUROS, MwoxJrp®-, in antiquity, an actrefs in trage- dies who had the middle part of her head fhaven : But others think that Mefocuros fignifies a girl, or very young woman. Hofm. in voc.

MES'OGLOSSI, a name given by fome writers to the mufcles of the toiigue s rilore ufually called by anatomifts, the Gc~ nioghjfi.

MESOrYCNI, Msawtwot, in the antient mufic, was an ap- pellation given to fitch chords as formed the middle notes of the fpifla. There were five Mejopycni in the fcale. See the articles Pycni and Spissum.

MESORO, in ichthyology, a name given by Salvian to that fifh which we call the butterfly -fifh, the bleiinus or belennius of other authors. It is diftinguifhed by Artedi by the name of the blennus, with a furrow between the eyes, and a Iar°-e fpot in the back fin. Salvian has taken his name from the common appellation of this fifh among the Italian fifhermen. See the article Blennus.

MeSoro is alfo ufed by the Italians for the fifh commonly cal- led the uranefcope or Jlar-gazer. It is a fpecies of the tra- chini, and is diftinguifhed by Artedt under the name of the tracbhn/s, with many beards on the lower jaw. Willugbby y Hift. Pifc. p. 132.

MESOTHENAR, a flat and nearly triangular mufcle, lying between the firft phalanx of the thumb and the bottom of the palm of the hand. It is inferted by a very broad bafis in the ligament which connects the os magnum to that which fup- ports the thumb. It is llkewife inferted along the internal Of angular part of that bone of the metacarpus which fupports the middle finger, and in the fmall extremity of that which anfwers to the index; from thence the fibres contracting to an angle, terminate in a flat tendon of different breadths, which is inferted in that fide of the head of the firft phalanx of the thumb, which is turned to the hollow of the hand, and in the neighbouring part of the bafis of the fecond phalanx, by means of the fecond fefamoidc bone belonging to that joint. Win/low's Anatomy, p. 197.

MESP1LEUS Lapis, in natural hiftory, a name given to fome fpecies of the echinitse, from their refemblance to the ripe fruit of a medlar. This was a name given them before they were much known, and they were fome time afterwards cal- led, from their five lines on the furface, pentexoche.

MESPILUS, the Medlar, in botany, the name of a genus of trees, the characters of which arc thefe : The flower is of the rofaceous kind, being compofed of feveral petals arranged in a circular form, the foliaceous cup of which becomes after- wards a fruit of a roundifh figure, coronated at the end,

flefhy^