Species 1 Merganser Goosander
2 Castor Dun Diver
3 Serrator Less Dun Diver
4 Albellus Smew
5 ———————— Lough Diver
6 Minutus Red-headed Smew.
For a particular description of each species, _vide Bewick, Montagu, &c.
&c._
MERLIN, _s._ A kind of hawk.
[Illustration]
_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 of _seventy-two_
articles.
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.
[Illustration]
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. _Vide_ FIELD 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.
[Illustration]
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, called _botargo_, 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 named _crude sal ammoniac_.—When
dissolved in vinegar, it has been found a useful application for splents
when in a state of inflammation.
Muriate of ammonia, powdered 2 dr.
Vinegar 1 oz.
Alcohol 1 oz.
Water 2 oz.—Mix.
_Muriate of Antimony_, or _Butter 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, or INDIAN DUCK (_Anas moschatus_, LINN.; _Le
Canard Musque_, BUFF.), _s._
[Illustration]
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAG, _s._ A small horse; a horse in familiar language.
NAIL, _s._ The horny substance at the ends of the fingers and toes;
the talons of birds and beasts; a spike of metal by which things
are fastened together; a stud, a boss; a kind of measure, two
inches and a quarter.
NAPE, _s._ The joint of the neck behind.
NARCOTIC, _a._ Producing torpor, or stupefaction.
NARES, _s._ The hawk’s nostrils.
NARROW, _a._ Not broad or wide.
NARROW-HEELS, _s._ A disease in horses.
Chronic lameness may exist in various degrees, and, in the early stages
of the disorder, a horse may do considerable work, by paring his feet
properly, and keeping them cool and moist; by paring the soles, putting
on a wide hollow shoe, and keeping them stopped with tar ointment. By
such management the progress of the disease may be retarded, and the
horse much relieved; but it can never be cured. Most commonly the
disease gradually gets worse, and at length the horse becomes unfit for
every kind of work. At this period the horse is generally blistered or
fired, and turned to grass. But this never does any good; shoes with
claws, or hinges and screws, have been proposed, and employed with a
view to open the heels; but of course they have never done any good,
either in the way of prevention or cure. The hoof has been all rasped
away, and the horse turned to grass until a new hoof has grown down of a
proper form, but it has never done any good. That cruel operation of
tearing off the sole, technically termed drawing the sole, was formerly
practised for it, but is now, I trust, completely discontinued. In
short, every thing that human ingenuity can devise has been tried, but
nothing has ever been found to cure this disorder. I believe at this
time all veterinarians agree in the opinion of its being absolutely
incurable.—_Blaine._
NATIVE, _a._ Produced by nature, not artificial; natural, such as is
according to nature; conferred by birth; pertaining to the time
or place of birth, original.
NATURAL, _a._ Produced or effected by nature.
The natural fly delights in hovering over the stream, and performs it
with that ease and beauty, which cannot be attained with the artificial,
but the former often drowns when tired of making its airy evolutions,
and it is then the latter best resembles it, and as a drowned fly is the
artificial one taken by the fish, no art being able to make that play
upon the water like the living one.
This way of angling is chiefly adapted to warm weather, when the water
is low and clear; and is best in small rivers and brooks, where the
angler can keep more out of sight than near large waters, that are more
exposed. He must have a long rod, as before described for artificial fly
fishing; the line fine for nearly the whole length of it (which is not
to exceed three fourths of that of the rod), with a fine short shanked
hook, in size proportioned to the baits.
NAVE, _s._ The middle part of the wheel in which the axle moves; the
middle part of the church, distinct from the aisles or wings.
NAVELGALL, _s._ Navelgall is a bruise on the top of the chine of the
back, behind the saddle, right against the navel.
NEAP, _a._ Low, decrescent.
NEAT, _s._ Black cattle, oxen; a cow or ox.
NEAT’S-FOOT OIL, _s._ Is extracted from the feet of oxen, &c.; it is
used in lubricating stiff joints, old sprains, &c., and is an
excellent preservative of harness and leather.
NEB, _s._ Nose, beak, mouth. In Scotland, the bill of a bird.
NEBULA, _s._ It is applied to appearances like a cloud in the human
body, as to films upon the eye.
NECK, _s._ The part between the neck and the body; a long narrow
part.
The neck should form from the head to the withers, an elegant but
moderate curve, with which it should unite with a very moderate
depression only; while its under surface ought to be but very slightly
incurvated, and should enter the chest rather above the point of his
shoulders. A large prominent windpipe adds to the perfection of the
lower surface of the neck. In point of length, it is of consequence that
the neck be duly proportioned. The long neck, when thin withal, seldom
presents a firm or proper resistance against the pressure of the bit.
When, on the contrary, the neck is too short, the head is frequently ill
placed, and the lever in the hand of the rider will be also too short.
Such necks are often likewise weighty, and overloaded with flesh. It is
evident, also, that such cannot be reined up without danger of
suffocation; and it is seldom that a short-necked horse is speedy. When
the upper surface of the neck is thick and heavy, it is a very strong
presumption of a sluggish disposition, particularly in geldings and
mares. In stallions, it is a _distinctive sexual_ mark, and hence less
to be depended on. Now and then, the neck is arched downwards, which is
called ewe-necked. When the deformity is considerable, it prevents the
head from being carried in its true angle; instead of which, the nose,
from being projected upwards and forwards, has occasioned such horses to
be called stargazers; to remedy which, it is usual to draw the head down
by a martingal. In the horse, as well as in all the grazing tribes, the
length of the well proportioned neck is such, that, adding to it the
angle resulting from the head, the length of both is equal to the height
of the shoulders from the ground. It may not, also, be amiss to mention,
that, in the purchase of a horse, it is prudent to observe whether the
upper part of the neck bears any marks of a tight collar having been
worn: when such an appearance does exist, it commonly arises either from
a strap worn to prevent the action of crib-biting, or such a horse is
apt to unloose himself, which is almost an equal defect.—_Blaine._
NEEDLE, _s._ A small instrument pointed at one end to pierce cloth,
and perforated at the other to receive the thread; the small
steel bar which, in the mariner’s compass, stands regularly
north and south.
NEIGH, _v._ To utter the voice of a horse.
NEIGH, _s._ The voice of a horse.
NERVE, _s._ The nerves are the organs of sensation passing from the
brain to all parts of the body; it is used by the poets for
sinew or tendon.
_Neurotomy._—A question has arisen how far a horse that has undergone
the operation of the division of the nerve of the leg, and has recovered
from the lameness with which he was before affected, and stands his work
well, may be considered to be sound. In our opinion there cannot be a
doubt about the matter. Does the operation of neurotomy render a horse
as capable of work as he was before he became affected with the disease
on account of which, and to relieve him from the torture of which, the
nerve was divided? Is the operation of neurotomy so invariably followed
by capability, and continued capability of ordinary and even
extraordinary work, that they may regularly be considered as cause and
effect? The most strenuous defenders of the nerve operation cannot
affirm this. They can only say that they partially succeed in almost
every fair case,—that they perfectly succeed in the majority of cases;
but they cannot deny that the horse will batter and bruise that foot,
when he has lost sensation in it, which should have been tenderly used;
that even the hoof will sometimes be lost, after operations performed
with the greatest judgment; that the lameness will sometimes return,
after the animal has gone sound, one, two, or three years; and that,
after all, there is a little unpleasantness, and even unsafeness in the
action of the horse, from the peculiar manner in which the foot meets
the ground when its feeling is destroyed; and that the horse is more
liable to accidents, for he will travel on without warning his rider of
the evil, after a piece of glass has penetrated his foot, or a stone has
insinuated itself between the sole and the shoe; and thus irreparable
mischief will be done, before the cause of it can possibly be detected.
A horse on whom this operation has been performed may be improved—may
cease to be lame, may go well for many years; but there is no certainty
of his continuing to do so, and he is unsound.
* * * * *
_Poiet._—These, as well as the omens of death watches, dreams, &c., are
for the most part founded upon some accidental coincidences; but
spilling of salt on an uncommon occasion may, as I have known it, arise
from a disposition to apoplexy, shown by an incipient numbness of the
hand, and may be a fatal symptom; and persons dispirited by bad omens
sometimes prepare the way for evil fortune, for confidence in success is
a great means of ensuring it.
I knew a man of very high dignity, who was exceedingly moved by these
omens, and who never went out shooting without a bittern’s claw fastened
to his button-hole by a riband.
* * * * *
Under these circumstances a man must either pick his shots or
occasionally miss, though his gun be every time held straight. I venture
to say there is no sportsman living who has not been known to miss the
fairest shots, and there are very few but now and then in a season will
shoot badly for a whole day. It stands to reason when the most skilful
may become for a time unnerved for shooting by ill health, oppression of
mind, one night’s debauch, or anything that will operate on the temper
or nerves.—_The Horse_—_Sir Humphry Davy_—_Hawker._
NEST, _s._ The bed formed by the bird for incubation; any place
where insects are produced; an abode; boxes of drawers, little
conveniences.
NEST, _v._ To build nests. _Vide_ NIDIFICATION.
NESTEGG, _s._ An egg left in the nest to keep the hen from forsaking
it.
NESTLE, _v._ To house, as in a nest; to cherish, as a bird her
young.
NESTLING, _s._ A bird taken out of the nest.
NET, _s._ A texture woven with large interstices or meshes, used for
taking fish and birds. Game is frequently thus poached, and to
the smaller kinds, particularly snipes, the net is very
destructive.
The snipe net seems to be the most destructive, and is used with great
success in Ireland, as follows: it must be about half as long again as
the partridge-net, with the meshes much smaller and not quite so deep;
two strong men hold each end of the net, and run down the wind with it,
as fast as possible, having not time even to look where they are going,
as they must constantly mind the net, to see when a bird strikes it,
that they may let it fall, by which means they secure these birds; they
get, of course, very severe falls, from the attention they are obliged
to pay to the net, but are amply repaid, it being no uncommon
circumstance for them to take one or two hundred brace, in a very few
hours (especially if the day is dark and windy, which is the most
favourable time both for gun and net). The top part of the net gets so
forward, that by the time the snipe perceives it, and rises, on striking
the lower part of it, he is secured. One netted snipe is worth twenty
that are shot.
* * * * *
_Anecdote of Netting Snipes._—Visionary in the extreme were many of the
devices which entered into his head in regard to compassing the wild
fowl, that resorted hither in astonishing abundance; in two only of
those which he put into execution was he successful; namely with the
talking hare, and the snipe net. Of his numberless expeditions with the
latter, one is worthy of recital. It was at the close of a cold winter’s
day, when John and an attendant sallied forth from Grenton for the moor,
anticipating much sport, as the wind and the complexion of the evening
seemed particularly favourable; moreover they soon encountered a
hail-storm, which made the birds lie to their perfect satisfaction.
They had at length taken a quantity of snipes, and were thinking
about returning, when something struck the net with unusual force,
and struggled so, that the poles were with difficulty kept to the
ground. What have we here, said the attendant, calf, sheep, hog,
dog, or goat? It is the d——l, I believe, replied John, and if we can
but hold him fast, we shall have made a tolerable night’s work of
it. The net had enclosed a goose of a coarse dun-coloured plumage,
no one knew what sort of a goose it was, but it was allowed to be
the largest aquatic bird, the hooper excepted, ever taken on King’s
Sedgmoor.—_Thornhill_—_Sporting Anecdotes._
NETWORK, _s._ Anything resembling the work of a net.
NEUROLOGY, _s._ A description of the nerves.
NEUROTOMY, _s._ _Vide_ NERVE.