Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/884

* MANDRAKE. 790 MANED WOLF. leaves ana ovate berries; and the vernal man- drake (Mamlrugora o/ficiimniin), which (lowers in spring, and has oblong ovate leaves and Eloliose berries. Both are natives of the south of Kiirope and of the East. The root, which often crudelv resembles the human ligure. is large and carrot-like, and from it the leaves spring with no apparent stem, and among them the stalked whitish (lowers. The plant has a fetid, narcotic smell and is reputed poisonous. Krom ancient times, aphrodisiac virtues have been ascribed to the mandrake, which was therefore supposed to cure barrenness. (See Gen. xxx. 14-10.) In the United States the name mandrake is often ap- plied to the Mavapple (Po,iophyUum peltalum), a low-growing perennial plant, the fruiting stem of which divides about a foot from the ground, each branch bearing a large peltate leaf and be- tween them the yellow. Heshy fruit, about the size of a plum. The dried rootstalk is used in medicine. MANDRIL, (ir MANDREL (from Fr. man- drill, mandrel, from Lat. inundra, Gk. ^Mpa, ttall'. bed for insertion of the stone of a ring). A bar of metal inserted in a piece of work to form it, or to hold it during the process of mami- faeture, as in a lathe, or the spindle which car- ries the chuck of a lathe, and communicates motion to the work. MANDRILL. A baboon (€iiiioccph(ilus mor- mon), the largest of the tribe, and perhaps the U'diest in features and disposition. It is nearly related to the drill, and its characteristics are fuUv described under B.uoox. Little is known of the geographical range of this animal, or of its habits in a wild state, although its existence was known to the ancients. It can be tamed when taken young, and a few which have been kept in European zoJllogical gardens have shown mucli intelligence under training, but few pleas- ant traits. Sec Plate of B.BOONS. MANDTJRIA, man-doo're-a. An ancient town in the Province of I.ecee, South Italy, situated about 23 miles west of Leeee and about the same distance southeast of Taranto (Map: Italy. M 7). It has some relies of antiquity. Olives, wine, grain, and fruit are the chief products. The place is of Greek origin. Population, in 1901 (including Uggiano ilontefusco). 13,113. MANDVI, mand'vy. A seaport of the native State of Gutch. Bombay, India, on the northern shore of the Gulf of Cutch, 180 miles southeast of Karachi (Map: India, A 4). Though there is no regular landing-place, boats of any size can land at the sandy beach, and large vessels find secure anchorage in the olTing. ^Mandvi has direct steamship communication with Bombay: its trade was strcmgly aflfected by the recent famine, which also accounts for the decrease in its popu- lation. Population, in ISOl, 38,1.55: in 1901, 24.083. MAN-EATER SHARK. A shark which is known or believed to devour men : specifically, the great "white' or 'blue' shark (f'lirchnrodon carrharias. or Rondeleti) of the family Lam- nid;F. This is one of the largest of the sharks, reaching a length of 30 or 40 feet. It" frequents all temperate and tropical seas, and is occasion- ally taken on both the Atlantic and Paciiic coasts of the Ignited States. Its body is stout, and the caudal fin large and strong, giving great swimming power; the nose is square and pointed. the eyes prominent, the mouth very large and armed in both jaws with live rows of triangular teeth, which are peculiar in being serrated. In a siK'cimen 36 V2 feet long, it is recorded, the teeth measured 1% inches across the base. There have frequently been dredged in the Central Pa- cific Careharodon teeth 4 inches across the base, indicating sharks more than tw ice as large ; and it is believed that the owners of these teeth were living within a comparatively recent period. The color'^of the skin is by no means 'white,' but of the hue of lead, with the tips of the pectoral fins black. This monster ranges the seas seizing and devouring whatever it is able to overcome; a specimen taken in California had a young sea- lion weighing 100 pounds in its paunch. Like other sharks, they follow ships for many days, feedin" upon the" offal thrown overboard, and upon other fishes attracted by the same bait. That the larger ones might easily bite oil' the le" or even the whole body of a man is not to be doubted; and unquestionably many such casual- ties have occurred to persons in tropical seas, al- though experienced swimmers, such as the pearl- divers, profess to fear them little, being able to frighten them away, or avoid their rush, and even to stab them to death with a knife. The earliest remains of this genus of sharks have been found in the Upper Cretaceous beds of Texas. In the Eocene marls of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, especially in New Jersey and Xorth Carolina, the teeth of Careharodon are quite abundant and form an important source of the phosphate on account of which the deposits are mined. These fossil teeth often attain a size of six inches in width at the base and six and one- half inches in height. This implies an owner fully 100 feet in length. Contemporary with this predecessor of the present species was an- other, distinguished by having a little projection or 'ear' on each side of each tooth near its base, and this attained a length of .50 or 60 feet, and must have aided its larger relative in clearing the Miocene ocean of Zeuglodon and other great marine reptiles. They swarmed, as is known from the frequency of their teeth in the Ter- tiary deposits of many parts of the world, and seem to have been especially numerous along our southeastern coast. The teeth of these, as well as of modem sharks, also abound on the floor of the deeper parts of the present oceans. MANED 'WOLF, or Red Wolf. An extraor- dinarv wolf-like animal {Caiiis jiibaius), re- garded as the only true wolf in South America, and held by some naturalists to be entitled to generic distinction. It inhabits Brazil, Para- guay, and Northern Argentina, but does not ex- tend south of the borders of the Pampas. It is about the size of the common wolf, but not so heavv, its height being due to its long, ungainly legs, "which give it a peculiar stilted appearance. (See Plate of Woi.VES and Wn.n Dogs.) It has a rather slender, pointed head, long ears, and com- paratively short tail. The general color is bright yellowish" red. with a black patch on the nape "of the neck, another on the lower jaw. and one on each foot, forming conspicuous black 'stock- ings.' This aspect and its habits seem to remove it from the companv of the true wolves and to place it nearer the' 'fox dogs' (q.v.). It never assembles in packs, but lives in the forest in pairs and hunts entirely alone. It is nocturnal, secretive, timid, and rarely seen, and is feared by