Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/183

* MURUMURX: PALM. 149 MUSCARDINE. MURU'MURU PALM. See Astroc.vryum. MURVIEDRO, moUr-vyri'diu. A small town of Si):uii. ill llie ProviiR-e of N'alcneia, occupy inj; the site of the aucieiit Saguntuin (fi-V.) (Map: Spain, E 3). Population, in lilOt). (i784. MTJRZUK, niGoi-zook' or MOTIRZOUK. The caiiilaluf i''fZ/,an (q.v.), North Africa, situated in an unhcaltliful ref,'iou in latitude 25^ 50' X., and longitude 14° 10' E. (Map: Africa, F 2). It is surrounded by a ^^■all and has an extensive pal- ace. The inhabitants manufacture leather and textiles. The population is estimated at G500. MTJSACE.a;, mu-za'se-e (Neo-Lat. nom. pi., from Miisa, from Ar. maux, banana-tree). The Banana Family. A natural order of generally stemless monoeotyledonous plants, which resemble trees in appearance, and sometimes rival jialms in stateliness. The long sheathing bases of the leaf- stalks combine to form a false stem. From the midrib to the margin of the leaf blade are many fine parallel veins. Hence the wind tears the tissue between them and makes the leaves very ragged. The flowers are borne on spadices in cymes or racemes often with bright colored bracts which are protected by spathes. The fruit is either fleshy or a three-valved capsule. The spe- cies (about 00) are widely distributed in warm climates, and are of great value, the fruit of some, particularly of the genus Musa. being much XLsed for food, the fibres of the leaves of others for cordage and for textile purposes. A very in- teresting species is the traveler's tree (q.v.) of Madagascar. The principal genera are Musa, Strelitzia, Ravenala, and Heliconia. The species of the first three are found almost wholly in the Old World, those of the last named in the New. See Plantain; Banana; Hemp, Manila. MXJS.ffi'TJS (Lat., from Gk. Moixraroj, ilou- saios). A legendarj' Greek poet, and personifiea- tion of the powers of the Muses. His parents were said to be Eumolpus or Antiphemus and Selene, and in story he was closely connected with Orpheus, of whom he is variously called teacher, son, and pupil. He is especially asso- ciated with the Eleusinian mysteries, which he was said to have founded, and many poems ap- parently connected with this worship, or oracu- lar, were attributed to him. He had no existence outside of legend. A later Musoeus, who prob- ably flourished about the end of the sixth century of the Christian Era, was the author of a very pleasing amatory poem, in Greek, entitled Tln'o and Lcinuhr, discovered in the thirteenth century, of which the first edition was published by Aldus Manutius about 1494; critical edition by Dilthey (Bonn, 1874). See Hero. MUSA IBN" NOSEYR, moo'sa Tb"n mV.sir' (c.GGO-71.3). An .iab governor of Northern .Af- rica, who gave permission to Tarik (q.v.) in 711 to make an expedition into Spain, which led mascus. Consult Burke, History of Spain, vol. i. (London, 1895). MTJSAUS, nu.i-z:"i'ys, Johann Karl August (173.")-87). A German writer, best known for his ] ollcsiimrchcn der Deutschtn ( 1782-80), a col- lection of tales blending genial humor, quaint fancy, and common sense. Musiius was born in Jena, March 29, 1735. He studied theologj', be- came in 1763 tutor, of pages at the Court of Weimar, and in 1770 professor at the Weimar Gymnasium. His literary career began (1700) with a successful parody of Richardson's Graiidi- son. Then, after eighteen years' silence, he satir- ized Lavater's whimsical theories in Pliysiogno- mische Reisen. His sprightly and genial b'reund Hrins Erschciiiungen in Holheins Miinicr (1785) are interesting because they show the rising influ- ence of Wieland. He died at Weimar, October 28, 1787, before completing Straussfedern, a series of tales. In 1788 appeared the clever skits iloralische Kindcrl;lai>t>er. Other posthumous writings were gathered in 1791 with a notice of Musiius bv his pupil and relative, Aug. von Kot- zebue (Leipzig, 1791). There is a Life by Miiller (.Jena. 1807). MUSCffi VOLITANTES, mus's* vol'i-tan'tez (Lat., flying flies). The term applied to flo.at- ing grayish spots before the eyes. Whoever will look through a minute pin-hole in a card at the clear sky may see floating before his sight a number of translucent tubes or fibres, and many little beads, of which some are separate, some attached to the tubes, and some apparently within them. Some of the tubes or fibres are" straight, others looped or twisted, and others again forked. All these objects are bright in the middle, and bounded by fine black lines. The doublings and crossings of the loops or knots in the twisted fibres appear as black points. Though the eye be fixed, these bodies change their position with greater or less rapidity. Now, in ordinary light and vision these objects are usual- ly unobserved, though some jiersons can easily see them, especially when looking at a bright sur- face. They are caused by shadows cast upon the retina by cells which occur normally in the vitreous humor. They occur most often with errors of refraction and disturbances of diges- tion. They are of no importance whatever. Af- ter a sudden movement of the eyes they appear to settle downward. Fixed black spots, not moving at all while the eyes are motionless, are sugges- tive of actual disease and demand an ophthalmo- scopic examination. MTTS''CARDINE (Fr. muscardinc, muscadin. It. inosenrdino. nioftrndino. musk lozenge, from moscaio, ML. inusralinn. musk, from Lat. niiis- cns. musk), or Silkworm Rot {Botri/tis bas- siana). A serious fungous disease of silkworms. It consists of erect branching threads, with clus- ters of spores at the ends of sliort lateral branches. to the Moorish conquest of the Peninsula. Musa, The spores germinate on healthy silkworms, espe jealous of the success of his subordinate, crossed himself in 712 with an army of eighteen or twellly thousand men. He made conquest after cnncpiest. Init was checked in 713 by an order of the Caliph to repair at once to Damascus. He left iniiiiodiately, his son .bdul Aziz taking com- mand. When ]rusa arrived at Damascus he was <Ieprivcd of his command, disgi-aced. and killed, while his son met his death in his palace at Seville, at the hands of a messenger from Da- cially those in the last stage before spinning their cocoons. They germinate also on the cater- pillars of other lepidopterous insects, and on the common house-fly. Diseased worms die suddenly, become discolored, and are soon hard and dry. Within twenty-four to thirty-six hours their bodies may be covered with a whitish powder, the spores of the fungus. For the prevention of this disease absolute cleanliness in the breeding house is necessarv; rooms should be cleansed and fumi-