Il6 A GLOSSARY OF GREEK BIRDS 



ME'MNiiN, s. ficfifovis, s. Mcfifocos opi/is. The Ruff, Machetes 

 piigiiax, L. 



Mosch. iii. 42 ov joaov atLonJiv iv ayKfai iralSa tov 'Aois \ lirTanei'os TTfpt 

 (Tana KivvpdTO Mffivovos opvis. Paus. X. 3I, 6 p-efivovibes rnls opvKrlv i(niv 

 ovofia, Kara 8e eVoj 01 'EXXjjTTrdjTiot cf>aaiv avras fv elprjiiivaL^ rjpepais uvai 

 re enl tov Mijivovoi tov Ta<poi>, Koi oirocrov tov p.vi]paTos bivbp(itv earlv 

 7] noas \f/i\6v, toito /cat aaipovaiv ai opviOes koi vypols to2s TTT€po7s tov 

 ' AlarijTTov r<u vSari pulvovai. Ael. V. I ovkovv tovs opiidas Tovi enavvpovs 

 TOV rjpcoos a<pi.KV(l<T6ai kotci nav eVor, Koi 8iaipe7cr3ai re Koi diner xlCfadai. 

 e's e^dpav ical 8ia<Popdv, Kai pax(a6at p^X^'" KapTfpau, k. r. X.: cf. Anecd. 

 Paris. Bekk. ii. p. 25. See also Dion. De Avib. i. 8 ; Quint. Smyrn. 

 Posthomer. ii. 645, et seq. ; Plin. x. (26) 37 ; Ovid, Met. xiii. 607, 

 Amor. i. 13, 3 ; Solin. c. 40. 



The identification, first suggested by Cuvier (Grandidier's Phny, loc. 

 cit.), is certain, the combats or ' hilling ' of Ruffs being unmistakeably 

 described : for modern descriptions, see Montagu, quoted in Yarrell, 

 4th ed. vol. iii. p. 428. At the same time, it is evident that the myth is 

 a very ancient one, and its connexion with this particular species of 

 bird and its peculiar annual combats may be a late version of an old 

 and mysterious story : cf Creuzer, Symb. ii. 181, &c. In other words, 

 though Pausanias and Aelian undoubtedly alluded to the Ruff, I do 

 not for a moment believe that Moschus did so. Vide s. v. dfTiil/uxoi. 



ME'PMNOI, s. |ji€p|xi'Tj?, Hesych., also Cram. Anecd. Oxon. i. 64, 24. 

 A kind of hawk, sacred to Cybele, Ael. xii. 4 ; according to 

 Hesych., identical with xpiopxris- 



ME'ROvI*. The "Bee-eater, Jl/erops apiasA'r, L,. Mod. Gk. ^€Xt(ro-o<^ayos, 

 peXiaa-ovpyus (Erh.), and on Parnassus l3opydpr]s (Heldr.). 



In Arist. H. A. vi. I, 559 iiepo-^, s. f'ipoy\r (Bk.), ov S' ol Boiwroi KoKovaiv 

 depona : cf. Hesych. deponei, opvid Tiva, also Schol. in Ar. Av. 1354; 

 depoTTOvs, Suid. in verb. dvTinfXapye'iv : rjepo^ S. rjepoTTOs, Boios, ap. 

 Anton. Liber, c. 18. A name similar to (3opydpr]s used by Scotus, aves 

 quae dicuntur Graece Boareia, ovant in foraminibus terrae, and by 

 Albertus M., quam obarcham Graeci vocant : cf. Schneider in Arist. 1. c. 

 According to Bent (Cyclades, 1885, p. 325), pepoinas now means in 

 Syra simply a bird, opvis. 



Arist. H. A. ix. 13, 615 b cpaal be Tives Km TOVS peponas dvTfKTpe^^eadai 

 VTTO Tcbv fKyovoiv OV povov yqpufTKovTns oXXii K.a\ fldvs, orav oioi T daiv' 

 TOV 8e naTepa Kal Tt)v prjTepa pereiv evdov. fj 6' I8ea tov opvidos Ta>v 

 TTTfpcov eVri TCI pev vrroKaTO) d>)(p''iv, tci 8e errdvco acrnfp ttjs oXkvovos Kvdvfov, 

 Ta S' eV ('iKpcov TOiv TTTepvy'iuiv ipvBpd (cf. Plin. X. {^iZ) 5^)- '''''fft 8e TTfpi e^ ij 

 e-HTis. i'TTo Tr]v dnwpnv [it breeds in Greece about the middle of April, 

 Lindermayer], eV to'ls Kptjpvols to'ls pnXaKots' eladveTai S' ('laai Kiu TtTrnpas 



