The Merlin—(Falco Æsalon,Linn.;L’Emerillon,Buff.)—The smallest of all the hawk kind, scarcely exceeding the size of a black bird. Its bill is blue; cere and irides yellow; the head is of a rust colour, streaked with black; back and wings of a deepish brown, tinged with ash, streaked down the shafts with black, and edged with rust colour: quill feathers dark tipped and margined on the inner webs with reddish white: the breast and belly are of a yellowish white, with streaks of rusty brown pointing downwards; the tail is long, and marked with alternate dusky and pale bars; the wings, when closed, do not reach quite to the end of the tail; the legs are yellow; claws black.
The merlin, though small, is not inferior in courage to any of the falcon tribe. It was used for taking larks, partridges, and quails, which it would frequently kill by one blow, striking them on the breast, head, or neck. Buffon observes, that this bird differs from the falcons, and all the rapacious kind, in the male and female being of the same size. The merlin does not breed here, but visits us in October; it flies low, and with great celerity and ease. It preys on small birds, and breeds in woods, laying five or six eggs.
Merrythought,s.A forked bone in the body of fowls.
Mesentery,s.That round which the guts are convolved.
Mesh,s.The space between the threads of a net.
Mesh,v.To catch in a net; to insnare.
Metal,s.A hard compact body, malleable and capable of fusion. The metals are six in number; first, gold; second, silver; third, copper; fourth, tin; fifth, iron; and sixth, lead.
Metallic,a.Partaking of metal, containing metal, consisting of metal.
Metalline,a.Impregnated with metal; consisting of metal.
Mettle,s.Spirit, sprightliness, courage.
Mettlesome,a.Sprightly, lively, brisk.
Mew,s.A cage, an enclosure, a place where a thing is confined; cry of a cat; a sea fowl; the place where a hawk changes her feathers.
The mew is the place where hawks are put to moult. They are sometimes kept loose in a room; but it is, in my opinion, much better to mew them on perches or on blocks.
Hawks must be fed very high, and kept very quiet when they mew; they are also kept unhooded, and frequently bathed.—Sebright.
Midge,s.A small fly, a gnat. The artificial midge is very serviceable in evening fishing.
Midriff,s.The diaphragm.
Midstream,s.Middle of the stream.
Migration,s.Act of changing place.
What has so often been said of herrings, mackerel, and other gregarious fish moving in vast shoals from Shetland to the Orkneys, and of their then dividing and surrounding the Islands of Great Britain and Ireland, is, I think, liable to some objections.
During the last month (April) large shoals of mackerel came on the shallows, a few miles from Brighton, one day, and disappeared the next. This is constantly observed to be the case, not only there but in other places, and may perhaps be accounted for in this way. We must consider that there are probably as many mountains, and valleys, and plains in the sea as we know there are on land. We are to recollect that those mountains and valleys are covered with weeds of various kinds, which afford food and shelter to an infinite number of fish and marine animals and insects; and we know that all fish come into shallow water for the purpose of depositing their ova, which the influence of the air, not, as has been commonly supposed, of the sun, is required for bringing to maturity. Is it not probable, then, that the shoals of fish which are found on our fishing banks, have left some neighbouring deep, where they had retired for the winter, till they are rendered buoyant by the quantity of roe within them, and are directed by instinct to go and deposit it in the adjacent shallows? If, as is generally supposed, all fish, both great and small, from the whale to the herring, have each their respective haunts and localities, why should we suppose that they quit those haunts to go many hundred miles in search of spawning ground, when that ground is to be found near their winter retreats? It appears more probable that the large shoals of fish which are found are quite unconnected with each other, and that they have all just quitted some neighbouring deep for the nearest shallow, only moving on as the ground is occupied, or till they have paired and the roe is ready to be deposited.—Jesse.
Mile,s.The usual measure of roads in England, one thousand seven hundred and sixty yards; eight furlongs, or five thousand two hundred and eighty feet.
Milk,s.The liquor with which animals feed their young; emulsion made by contusion of seeds.
To dry up a Bitch’s Milk.—Take goose grease and rum, equal portions, rub the teats once or twice a day; if the case is bad, for three or four days.
Brandy and salad oil, used in the same way, will have a similar effect.
Milktooth,s.Milkteeth are those small teeth which come forth before when a foal is about three months old.
Milkwhite,a.White as milk.
Milldam,s.The mound by which the water is kept up to raise it for the mill.
Millepedes,s.Wood-lice, so called from their numerous feet.
Miller’s-thumb,s.A small fish found in brooks, called likewise a bull’s head.
Millet,s.A plant; a kind of fish.
Mineral,s.Fossil body, matter dug out of mines.
Minnow,s.A very small fish, a pink.
This beautiful little fish abounds in many of our small gravelly streams, where they keep in shoals; it is sometimes called the pink, and when in right season and not sick, which only happens just after spawning, is dappled, its sides inclining to a greenish watery sky colour, its belly white, and its back almost black, but these colours are not universal; the body is slender and smooth, the scales being extremely small; it seldom exceeds three inches in length; the lateral line is of a golden colour, the back flat and of a deep olive; the sides and belly vary greatly in different fish, as a few are of a rich crimson, others are bluish, and others white. The tail is forked, and marked near the base with a dusky spot. The minnow appears first in March, continues until Michaelmas, and then betakes himself to the mud, weed-roots, or wood in rivers, to secure himself from floods and fishes of prey. They are usually full of spawn all the summer (for they breed often), and quickly arrive at their growth and perfection.
Although so diminutive in size, the minnow may be compared for the excellency of its taste to many of the most famed fish; they are in some places made into minnow tansies; after being gutted and well washed in salt and water, their heads and tails cut off, they are then to be put with yolks of eggs well beat with cowslips and primrose flowers, and a little tansy shred very small, and fried in good butter; the sauce to them is butter, vinegar, or verjuice, and sugar. To the young sportsman, who has not possessed himself of the patience requisite to form the angler, the minnow yields plenty of amusement. They will in hot weather bite eagerly all day, and are frequently drawn out of the water from their adhering to the end of the worm, without being touched by the hook; the best way to catch them, is, to have three or four very small hooks, baited with the least red worm, or a piece of one, and a crow quill float; fish deeper than midwater, or near the ground in shallow places, in eddies, and at the sides of small streams.
Minnows are very excellent baits for many fish, as will hereafter be specified, and when wanted in haste for that purpose, a small meshed casting-net will save much time and trouble, as enough for a day’s diversion may be caught at a throw or two in shallow streams.
Minnow Fishing.—The tackle for minnow fishing for trouts, should be of the same sort as that for salmon, with this difference, that it must be finer, with a stout single silk worm gut at bottom, and the hook No. 2, 3, or 4, according to the bigness of the trout in the water where angled for: the middle-sized and whitest minnows are the best (of which those caught in streams are far brighter than those procured from ditches or stagnated waters), and the way of baiting recommended by Walton, is,
“To put the hook in at the mouth and draw it out through the gill about three inches; then again put the hook in at the mouth, and let the point and beard come out at the tail; then tie the hook and the tail about with a fine white thread, which will make it spin quicker; pull back that part of the line which was slack when the hook was thrust in the second time, which will fasten the head of the minnow, so as to make it be almost straight on the hook; try if it turns well, which it cannot do too fast. Angle with the point of the rod down the stream, drawing the minnow against the current gradually, and near the surface: when descried, the trout will freely come at it; be careful not to snatch it away, nor strike until he has turned with the bait. For this angling the winch and ringed rod is to be always used; and there should be two or three swivels on the line, which will assist the spinning of the minnow.”
Walton’s method may be altered and improved, by first thrusting the hook in at the lower side of the minnow’s under, and also quite through the upper chap, drawing it two or three inches on the line, and putting the hook in at the mouth as before directed; this will keep the minnow’s mouth closed, which otherwise should be stitched up.
Various hooks are recommended in minnow fishing; one much used consists of a large hook, with two very small ones fastened back to back to a piece of gut about two inches long, with a small hook to another gut something shorter, to fasten the head of the minnow: these pieces of gut are so attached to the link, that the two small hooks may be about the middle of the minnow when baited, and the other reach the head; a small lead cap (which renders other weight unnecessary) slides upon the link, keeps the short pieces of gut close, and falls upon the head of the minnow. The advocates for this plan boast of the certainty of hooking the trout with the two small hooks; this may be true, says an angler of no inconsiderable skill, but he asks if these small hooks (which seldom exceed No. 12) are sufficient to kill a trout of any bigness; and when a fish is hooked by these, the other hooks are entirely useless, from the situation in which they are placed. Another objection started by the same gentleman, is, that when the gut to which they are tied has been a short time in the water, it will not sustain the weight of the hooks, but they will sink below the minnow, and are continually foul of weeds and rubbish at the bottom; besides, the lead cap, falling upon the minnow’s head, totally conceals the eyes, parts which add life and attraction to the bait, and are, on that account, so essential to be seen.
Some use about three feet of stout silkworm gut for the bottom links, with two or three small swivels, which prevents the line from being entangled, and assists the twirling of the minnow. If these hooks are used as directed for pike, it will be successful; the bottom swivel must be open at one end, that the link on which the hooks are may be taken off occasionally to be baited; the proper size of these hooks is No. 7; if the old method of a large hook and a smaller above it, be preferred, the proper sizes are Nos. 2 and 6, with a running line; the angler can permit the minnow to be carried by the current under bushes, banks, &c.; this will be effected by his suffering the stream to gain upon it when he pulls it back, which also prevents its sinking to the bottom, and entangling the hooks; as he draws it gently against the stream, favouring the direction to which he would have the bait driven, it will of course spin round very quick, and this is the moment the trout usually takes it; by holding the rod firm, he will infallibly hook himself; will then spring out of the water several times, and, by an astonishing strength and agility, endeavour to get quit of the hook. The angler must not be too hasty, but lower his right hand, which will raise the top of his rod and keep it bent; by this means the trout may be tired, but he will not readily suffer himself to be got into the landing-net; the best way therefore, instead of bringing the fish to the surface (where he will so violently plunge, as to endanger breaking the rod, line, or hook), is to keep him as deep in the water as possible.
Artificial minnows made of mother of pearl, &c., fitted to single, two, or more hooks, and bent in various attitudes, are to be purchased at all the tackle makers.—Daniel.
Mint,s.A valuable herb that grows very abundantly. There are two kinds used in horse medicine, spearmint and peppermint. The former is an excellent carminative, generally affording relief in flatulency of the stomach and bowels, and the complaints which arise from it, termed gripes and flatulent colic.
Minute,s.The sixtieth part of an hour; any small space of time.
Minute-glass,s.A glass of which the sand measures a minute.
Minute-watch,s.A watch in which minutes are more distinctly marked than in common watches which reckon by the hour. Such are generally used by judges of a course, &c.
Miss,v.Not to hit; to mistake.
Missel Thrush(Turdus viscivorus,Linn.;La Drainé,Buff.)s.A bird.
The length of this bird is about eleven inches. The bill is dusky, the base of the lower bill yellow; the eyes hazel; the head, back, and lesser coverts of the wings, are of a deep olive brown, the latter tipped with white: the lower part of the back and rump tinged with yellow; the cheeks are of a yellowish white, spotted with brown, as are also the breast and belly, which are marked with larger spots of a dark brown colour; the quills are brown, with pale edges; tail feathers the same, the three outermost tipped with white; the legs are yellow, claws black. The female builds her nest in bushes or low trees, and lays four or five eggs, of a greenish blue colour, marked with red spots. Its nest is made of moss, leaves, &c., lined with dry grass, strengthened on the outside with small twigs. It begins to sing very early, often on the turn of the year in blowing showery weather, whence in some places it is called the storm-cock. Its note of anger is very loud and harsh, between a chatter and a shriek, which accounts for some of its names. It feeds on various kinds of berries, particularly those of the misletoe, of which birdlime is made. It was formerly believed that the plant of that name was only propagated by the seed which passed the digestive organs of this bird, whence arose the proverb—“Turdus malum sibi cacat;” likewise feeds on caterpillars and various kinds of insects, with which it also feeds its young.
This bird is found in various parts of Europe, and is said to be migratory in some places, but continues in England the whole year, and frequently has two broods.—Bewick.
Missile,a.Thrown by the hand, striking at a distance.
Mist,s. A low thin cloud, a small thin rain, the drops of which are hardly perceptible.
Misletoe,s.The name of one of those plants which draw their nourishment from some other plant. It generally grows on the apple tree, sometimes on the oak, and was held in great veneration by the ancient Druids.
Mite,s.A small insect found in cheese or corn; a weevil; vermin found about the head and nares of hawks.
Mithridate,s.Mithridate was formerly, before medicine was simplified, one of the capital medicines of the shops, consisting of a great number of ingredients, and has its name from its inventor, Mithridates, king of Pontus.
The following is the recipe for Mithridate, or Confection of Democrites.
Cinnamon twenty-four drachms; Indian spikenard, ginger, saffron, shepherd’s-purse seed, frankincense, Chian turpentine, of each ten drachms; Zedoary mace, long pepper, juice of hypocistus, storax, opoponax, galbanum, opobalsam and castor, of each one ounce; scordium, cubebs, white pepper, carrot seed, bdellium, of each seven drachms; celtic nard, gentian, dittany of Crete, red roses, wild parsley seed, cardamoms, sweet fennel seeds, gum arabic, strained opium, dissolved in wine, of each five drachms; aromatic reed, valerian root, sagapenum, aniseed, of each three drachms; catechu, St. John’s wort, skinks, of each two ounces and a half, &c. &c.
Another of these absurd preparations is composed ofseventy-twoarticles.
Mittens,s.Coarse gloves for the winter; gloves that cover the arm without covering the fingers.
Mob,v.To harass or overbear by tumult; a term in hunting.
Mohair,s.Thread or stuff made of camel’s or other hair; an excellent article for sporting dresses.
Mole,s.A mole is a formless concretion of extravasated blood, which grows into a kind of flesh in the uterus; a natural spot or discolouration of the body; a mound, a dyke; a little beast that works whilst under ground.
Molecatcher,s.One whose employment is to catch moles.
Molehill,s.Hillock thrown up by the mole working underground.
Mollusca,s.An order of the class Vermes of Linnæus. It comprehends naked simple animals not included in a shell, but furnished with limbs, as snails, star fish, sea urchins, cuttle fish, &c.
Moon-eyed,a.Having eyes affected by the revolutions of the moon; dim-eyed, purblind.
Moonfish,s.Moonfish is so called, because the tail fin is shaped like a half moon.
Moor,s.A marsh, a fen, a bog, a tract of low and watery ground; a negro.
Moorcock,s.The male of the moorhen.
Moorhen,s.A fowl that feeds in the fens, without web feet.
Moose,s.A large American deer. They were formerly found in Ireland, and their gigantic remains are frequently discovered in the bogs and morasses.
Mop,s.Pieces of cloth, or locks of wool, fixed to a long handle, to clean floors, carriages, &c. &c.
Morass,s.Fen, bog, moor.
Morbid,a.Diseased, in a state contrary to health.
Morbidness,s.State of being diseased.
Mordant,a.Biting, pungent, acrid.
Moreland,s.A mountainous or hilly country.
Morillon, (Anas Glaucion,Linn.;Le Morillon,Buff.)s.An aquatic bird.
Bill brown, orange from the nostrils to the point, the knob of which is black; it is an inch and a half long, rather narrow towards the apex; the nostrils are placed very forward; head brown, cheeks tinged with black; irides straw colour; a broad white circle round the neck, the back part of which is mottled with brown; breast, sides of the body, and scapular feathers, white, barred with black; belly white; thighs and vent feathers brown and white; inner coverts of the wings brown; back and coverts of the wings black, mottled with white; quill feathers and tertials black; secondaries white; tail rounded and grey; legs and toes yellow brown, with a greenish tinge; webs and claws black. Length, one foot four inches; breadth, two feet four inches; weight, one pound seven ounces.
They are generally seen in small flocks, diving for their food, near the shore.—Bewick.
Mortar,s.A strong vessel in which materials are broken by being pounded with a pestle; a short wide cannon, out of which bombs are thrown; cement made of lime and sand with water, and used to join stones or bricks.
Mortification,s.The state of corrupting or losing the vital qualities, gangrene; humiliation, vexation, trouble; to humble, to depress, to vex.
Mortise,s.A hole cut into wood that another piece may be put into it.
Moss,s.A plant.
Moth,s.A small winged insect that eats cloths and hangings; an evening fishing fly.
Moult,v.To shed or change the feathers, to lose the feathers.
Mountain,s.A large hill, a vast protuberance of the earth.
Mountain,a.Found on the mountains, as mountain hares, mountain partridges.
Mountainous,a.Hilly, full of mountains; large as mountains, huge; inhabiting mountains.
Mouse,s.The smallest of all beasts, a little animal haunting houses and corn-fields.VideField Mouse.
Mouth,s.The aperture in the head of any animal at which the food is received; the opening, the entrance; the instrument of speaking.
Mouth,v.To chew, to eat; to seize in the mouth; to injure with the teeth.
Mow,s.A loft or chamber where any hay or corn is laid up.
Mow,v.To cut with a scythe; to put in a mow.
Mucilage,s.A slimy or viscous body, a body with moisture sufficient to hold it together.
Mucilage is made by dissolving gum arabic in water. There are other cheaper gums, however, that will answer the same purpose: mucilage may be made also from quince seeds and starch. For internal use it is most cheaply and abundantly obtained from flax-seed, or linseed. Eight ounces infused in two or three quarts of boiling water, forms a good mucilage.—White.
Mucilaginous,a.Slimy, viscous, soft with some degree of tenacity.
Mucous,a.Slimy, viscous.
Mucus,s.The viscous substance discharged at the nose; any viscous matter.
Mud,s.The slime at the bottom of still water; earth well moistened with water.
Mue,v.To moult, to change feathers.
Muffle,v.To cover from the weather; to blindfold; to conceal; to involve, to hood a hawk.
Mule,s.An animal generally between a he-ass and a mare, or between a horse and a she-ass.
These useful and hardy animals are the offspring of the horse and ass, or ass and mare; those produced between the two last are esteemed the best, as the mule is observed to partake less of the male than of the female parent; yet it is a general remark, that they almost always inherit, in some degree, the obstinacy of the parent ass, though it must be confessed that this vice is heightened by their being injudiciously broke in.
Savoy produces very large mules, but the finest are bred in Spain. They are chiefly used in countries where there are rocky and stony roads, as about the Alps and Pyrenees, &c. Great numbers of them are kept in these places, they are usually black, and are strong, well-made, and large, being mostly bred out of fine Spanish mares. They are sometimes fifteen or sixteen hands high, and a good one of this kind is worth fifty or sixty pounds. No creature is so proper for carrying large burdens, or more surefooted. They are much stronger for draught than our horses; often as thick-set as our dray-horses, and will travel for several months together with six or eight hundred weight on their backs.
The mule far excels the horse for travelling in a mountainous country, the former being able to tread securely where the latter can hardly stand. Their manner of going down the precipices of the Alps, the Andes, &c., is very extraordinary. In these passages, on one side are steep eminences, and on the other frightful abysses, and as they generally follow the direction of the mountain, the road, instead of lying on a level, forms at every little distance, deep declivities of several hundred yards downward. These can be descended only by mules, and these animals seem sensible of the danger, and the caution that is to be used in such descents. When they come to the edge of one of these precipices, they stop, without being checked by the rider, and if he inadvertently attempts to spur them on, they continue immovable, apparently ruminating on the danger that lies before them, and preparing themselves for the encounter. They not only attentively view the road, but tremble and snort at the danger. Having prepared for the descent, they place their fore-feet in a posture as if they were stopping themselves, they then put their hind-feet together, but a little forward, as if they were going to lie down. In this attitude, having taken, as it were, a survey of the road, they slide down with the swiftness of a meteor. In the mean time, all that the rider has to do, is to keep himself fast on the saddle without checking the rein, for the least motion is sufficient to disorder the equilibrium of the mule, in which case they both unavoidably perish. But their address in this rapid descent is truly wonderful, for in their swiftest motion, when they seem to have lost all government of themselves, they follow exactly the different windings of the road, as if they had previously settled in their mind the route they were to follow, and had taken every precaution for their safety.
In these journeys the natives place themselves along the sides of the mountains, and holding by the roots of the trees, animate the beasts with shouts, and encourage them to persevere. Some mules, after being long used to such travelling, acquire a kind of reputation for their safety and skill, and their value rises in proportion to their fame.
The Roman ladies had equipages drawn by mules, as appears from the medals of Julia and Agrippina, and at this day, in Spain, the carriages of the nobility, and even of princes, are usually drawn by them. We are assured that M. de Thou, first president of the parliament, had the fourth coach in France, in 1505, till which time every body rode to court and parliament on mules.
The progeny between the pheasant and the common fowl, are necessarily mules, as proceeding from different species, although of the same genus. They may be obtained with some little difficulty, which they scarcely repay, as being neither an improvement in form nor goodness of the flesh. It is recommended, as the best method, to confine a cock-pheasant half grown with two pullets of the same age, either game, bantam, or common, as may be desired; or to make a house for common hens in a pheasant preserve near home, where they will soon associate with the pheasants, and be trodden by the cocks. Hybrids, or mules, between the pheasant and black grouse, have been occasionally found on the moors.—Le Keux—Moubray.
Mullet,s.A sea fish.
The mullet is found in great plenty on several of our sandy coasts, and, in particular, haunts those small bays that have influxes of fresh water; they are very cunning, and when surrounded with a net, the whole shoal frequently escapes by leaping over it; for when one takes the lead, the others are sure to follow.
They come in great shoals into the rivers with the tide during the summer, and keep rooting, like hogs, in the sand or mud, leaving their traces in the form of large round holes; but return back when the water ebbs, never stopping in the rivers. They are something like the dace in shape, yet much thicker; the head is almost square and flat on the top; the nose blunt; lips thick; they have no teeth, only the upper-lip is a little rough, as is also the tongue; between the eyes and mouth is a hard callus; the pupil of the eye is black, encircled with a small silvery line; the colour of the back is dusky, varied with blue and green; the sides silvery, marked with broad, dusky, parallel lines, reaching from head to tail, which is much forked; the scales are large and deciduous, and are also upon the covers of the gills and head, and extend as far as the nostrils. The largest are nearly half a yard long, and the flesh is excellent.
Although the mullet are generally first seen here in the month of June, from the wetness of this summer the shoals are later in their appearance than usual. Mullet are taken in draught-nets like salmon, but on this coast a different mode of fishing is pursued. The shoals in hot weather run in with the tide, and after remaining on the shores and estuaries during flood they return with the ebbing water. The following method we employed in our fishing to-day: being provided with a sufficient quantity of herring-nets and a number of spars and poles, we selected, at low water, a sandy creek for our operations, and commenced erecting a line of poles across the entrance of the cove. The nets were then extended along these uprights, and also secured firmly to the bottom of the spars; the lower part of the net is kept upon the bottom by a row of stones, and the remainder laid flat upon the sands. With the flowing tide the fish pass over the prostrate net, and run along the estuary; at high water the buoy-ropes are raised and secured to the upright poles; with the assistance of a boat the whole is effected in a few minutes, and a net-work barrier effectually cuts off the retreat of all within. When the ebb of tide commences, the mullet begin to retire, and when they discover that their egress is obstructed, their attempts to effect a passage are both constant and curious—now running down the nets, trying for a broken mesh by which to force an aperture—now with a bold spring endeavouring to clear the buoy-ropes, and, even after repeated failures, leaping at it again and again. The last effort is directed to the bottom, but there the heavy stones resist every attempt to dislodge them, and deserted by the treacherous water, the mullet are left upon the bare sands.
The general length of the common mullet (mugil) is from twelve to eighteen inches. When used immediately after being taken, the fish is excellent; carriage, even for a short distance, injures it. Dr. Blotch recommends oil and lemon-juice to be used with it at table. Vinegar, with parsley and melted butter, is better—“probatum est.”
This fish is sometimes preserved by salting; and from its spawn an inferior kind of caviar, calledbotargo, is prepared, by using the common process of curing and drying.—Wild Sports.
Multiparous,a.Bringing many at a birth.
Mum,s.Ale brewed with wheat.
Mungrel,s.Anything generated between different kinds; anything partaking of the qualities of different causes or parents.
Mungrel,a.Generated between different natures, baseborn, degenerate.
Munition,s.Ammunition; materials for war.
Muriates,s.Combinations of muriatic acid, with alkalies, earths, or metals.
Muriate of Ammonia, commonly namedcrude sal ammoniac.—When dissolved in vinegar, it has been found a useful application for splents when in a state of inflammation.
Muriate of Antimony, orButter of Antimony.—A strong and useful caustic, employed by smiths, in canker, punctured wounds from picking up a nail, bruises of the foot, &c.
Muriate of Copper.—A solution of verdigris in muriatic acid or spirit of salt. A mild caustic, and diluted occasionally with water.
Muriate of Soda.—Common salt, or the salt employed with food. This is an excellent laxative for cattle, and, in small doses, promotes digestion. Mow-burnt hay, or bad hay of any kind, is made more palatable to horses and cattle by being moistened with water in which a small quantity of salt has been dissolved, and it is, perhaps, rendered more easy of digestion also.—White.
Murky,a.Dark, cloudy, wanting light.
Murrey,a.Darkly red.
Mus,s.A tribe of order Glires, and class Mammalia. In it are included the common rat and mouse, Norway rat, musk rat, &c. &c.
Muscadine,s.A kind of sweet grape, sweet wine.
Muscle,s.A bivalve shell-fish.
Muscovy,Cairo,Guinea, orIndian Duck(Anas moschatus,Linn.;Le Canard Musque,Buff.),s.
This species is much larger than the common duck, measuring about two feet in length. The bill is two inches long; the tip and nostrils brown; the other parts of it red, as is also the red warty skin which joins its base, and surrounds the eyes. The crown of the head is rather tufted or crested, and black; the cheeks, throat, and fore part of the neck, white, irregularly marked with black; the belly, from the breast to the thighs, white. The general colour of the rest of the plumage is deep brown, darkest, and glossed with green on the back, rump, quills, and tail; the two outside feathers of the latter, and the first three of the former, are white: the legs and feet are red, short, and thick. This is the general appearance of the musk duck; but, as it is domesticated in almost every country, it varies very much, like all other birds in that state. In the female, the bare warty or carunculated skin which is spread from the bill over the eyes, is of a much duller red, and does not cover so large a portion of the head as it does in the male: she is also of a less size.
These birds have obtained the name of Musk Duck, from their musky smell, which arises from the liquor secreted in the glands on the rump. They are a thriving and prolific species, and their flesh, which is highly flavoured, is by many very much esteemed. They will associate with the common ducks; and instances are not wanting of their producing a mixed breed.—Bewick.
Muscular,a.Performed by muscles.
Musk,s.A very powerful perfume; it is procured from a kind of Indian goat.
Musket,s.A soldier’s gun; a male hawk of a small kind.
Musketeer,s.A soldier whose weapon is his musket.
Musketoon,s. obs.A blunderbuss, a short gun of a large bore.
Muslin,s.A fine stuff made of cotton.
Mustard,s.A plant.
Musty,a.Mouldy, spoiled with damp, moist and fetid; stale.
Mute,a.Silent, not vocal, not having the use of voice.
Mute,s.The excrement of hawks.
Mute,v.To dung as birds.
Mutton,s.The flesh of sheep dressed for food; a sheep.
Muzzle,s.The mouth of any thing; a fastening for the mouth which hinders to bite; a contrivance to prevent a horse from eating hay or litter.
Muzzle,v.To secure the mouth.
Myopy,s.Shortness of sight.
Myrrh,s.A precious kind of gum. Myrrh is sometimes used in veterinary practice. The tincture is a favourite remedy with grooms and farriers, for recent wounds. The dose of myrrh is from one or two to three drachms.