MELANCONIUM. 



[ 497 ] 



MELOPHILA. 



tendrils or otlier-svise. They are all mere 

 forms of Sphaoriacei. 



MELA^CO'NIUM, Lk. — A supposed 

 genus of Melauconiei^(Stylosporous I uugi ), 

 so called from forming a kind of black rust 

 on branches of trees, reeds, &c. Several 

 species have been found in Britain. The 

 commonest is M. bicolor (Didi/i}wsj)orium 

 ekvatum, Br. Fl.), on twigs of birch. Fries 

 places also Cnjptosporium vulgare here. 

 These plants are forms of Sphaeriacei. See 



COXIOMYCETES. 



BiBL. Berk. Brit. Flor. ii. pt. 2. p. 357 ; 

 Ann. N. H. vi. p. 438 ; Fries, Summa Veg. 

 p. 508 ; Tulasue, Ann. d. Sc. Nat. 4. ser. v. 

 p. 109. 



MEL'ANINE.— The black or brown pig- 

 ment met with in the choroid and uvea ; in 

 the rete mucosum of man, especially the 

 negro, and animals ; in hair, feathers, &c.; 

 a)id in the blood in malaria. These pig- 

 ments are derived from htematine and 

 hsemoglobine, and exist usually in the 

 form of very mmute granules. They are 

 insoluble in watey, alcohol, ether, and 

 acids: but are sometimes soluble in alkalies 

 or solution of chlorine. The lungs and 

 bronchial glands often contain a black pig- 

 ment, which is unacted upon by these re- 

 agents, and is derived from carbonaceous 

 matter admitted through the respiratory 

 organs. (Rindfleisch, Path. Hist, 167 ; 

 Hoppe-Sevler, Ati. Chim. 240.) 



MELANOGAS'TER, Cd.— A genus of 

 Hypogaeous Gasteromycetous Fungi. Two 

 species occur in this coimtry, under beech, 

 Lombardy poplars, &c. M. variegatus (fig. 

 54, p. 92) is sold in the market at Bath 

 under the name of Red Truffle, but it has 

 none of the fine flavour of the real Truffle. 

 M. ambiguus is very fetid, smelling like 

 assafcBtida. 



BiBL. Tul. Fung. Hyp. t. 2. f . 4, 5 ; Berk. 

 Outl. 293 ; Cooke, Handh. 356. 



MELANOTHE'CA, Fee.— A genus of 

 Pyrenodei (Lichenaceous Lichens). 



Char. Thallus scarcely any; apothecia 

 verrucaroid, numerous, confluent ; hjTnenia 

 scarcely distinct ; perithecium black ; spores 

 8, variously divided. Two British species^ 

 on trees. (Leighton, Lich. Flora, 498.) 



MELAS'MIA, L^v. — A supposed genus 

 of Sphaeronemei (Coniomycetous Fungi), 

 but apparently only a stylosporous form of 

 Rhytisjl\. M. acerina occurs on the 

 leaves of the sycamore, forming black spots, 

 sometimes as much as 1-2" in diameter. 



BiBL. Berk. Ann, N, H. 2 ser. v. 456 ; 



E^veiU^, Ann. Sc. Nat. 3 s^r. v. 276 ; Fries, 

 Summa Veg. 423. 



MELASPTLEA, Nyl.— A genus of Gra- 

 phidei (Lichenaceous Lichens). 



Char. Apothecia black, superficial, artho- 

 noid ; spores 1-septate ; paraphyses distinct. 

 Five species. (Leighton, Lich. Flora, 436.) 



MELICER'TA, Schrank.— A genus of 

 Rotatoria, of the family Floscularitea. 



Char. i3odies each iu an isolated tubular 

 carapace or urceolus ; rotatory organ fom- 

 lobed ; eyes two, at least when young. 



M. ringens (PI. 44. fig. 3 ; fig. 4, animal 

 removed from the sheath ; fig. 6, jaws). 

 Carapace conical or cylindrical, brownish, 

 composed of numerous rounded or discoidal 

 bodies agglutinated together ; body colour- 

 less. Length of carapace 1-36 to 1-24". 



Frequently found attached to water- 

 plants, especially Fotamogeton crispus. 



BiBL. Ehr. Infus. 404; Williamson, 

 3Iicr. Jn. 1852 ; Gosse, Tr, Mic. Sac. 1851, 

 iii. 62 ; Bedwell, Jn. Mic. Soc. 1878, 176 ; 

 Ann. N. H. 1881, viii. 448. 



MELI'OLA, Fr. — A genus of Ascouiyce- 

 tous Fungi, belonging to the division Peii- 

 sporiacei. 



All the species are exotic, occurring on 

 various leaves, and distinguished by their 

 highly developed mycelium and large septate 

 sporidia, 



BiBL. Leveille, Ann. Sc. Nat, 1846, v. 

 266 ; Mont. Cuba Crypt. 327. 



MELOBE'SIA, Lam.— A genus of Coral- 

 linaceae. Nine British species, on rocks and 

 other Algae (Harvey, Mar. Algce, 107). The 

 capsules (ceramidia) form little blimt cones, 

 scattered over the crusts, and containing 

 tufted tetraspores as in Corallina. 



MELOLON'THA, Fabr. (Cock-chafer). 

 — A genus of Coleopterous Insects, family 

 Melolonthidae. 



The structure of M, vidgaris, the common 

 cock-chafer, has been elaborately studied 

 and described. 



BiBL. Suckow, Naturg. d. Maikdfers ; 

 Straus-Diirckheim, An. comp. d. Insect, j 

 Westwood, Introd. 



MELOPHTLA, Nitzsch {Melophagm, 

 Latr.). — A genus of Dipterous Insects, 

 family Hipj:)oboscidce. 



Char. Head posteriorly received iu an 

 excavation of the thorax ; wiugs and halteres 

 absent; last joint of the tarsus largest. 



M. ovinus, the sheep-tick (PI. 35. fig. 23). 

 Common upon sheep. Antennae small, sunk 

 in an eye-Uke cavity of the head ; eyes small, 

 oval, resembling two groups of ocelli ; setae 



2k 



