MUSSEL 



5606 



MUSSOLINI 



and large ponds, where in autumn 

 it amasses great heaps of edible 

 roots, reeds, and sedges, often plas- 

 tered with mud on the exterior. Its 

 burrows communicate with this 

 store, which is gradually consumed 

 from the centre during the winter. 

 It possesses scent-glands with a 

 strong musky odour, which has 

 earned for it the alternative name 

 of musk-rat, shared by the un- 

 related desman of Europe (q.v. ) and 

 the Indian shrew. The musquash is 

 trapped 

 extensive- 

 ly for the 

 sake of its 

 fur. See 

 Fur. 



Mussel. 



A name Musquash or Musk Rat. 

 popularly 



Specimen of the small North American 



rodent extensively trapped for its fur 



applied to a large number of bivalve and the house called Pinkie House 



molluscs, both marine and fresh 

 water, but more correctly to the 

 common mussel, Mytilus edulis, of 

 the markets. Abundant on the 

 rocks around the British coasts, it 

 is found in great clusters attached 

 by the thread-like byssus which is 

 produced by the foot. It is an im- 



Loretto School occupies the site 

 of a chapel dedicated in the 16th 

 century to our Lady of Loretto. 

 The industries include fishing, and 

 the making of 

 paper, fishing 

 nets, etc. ; there 

 are also works 

 for making wire. 

 Musselburgh 



proper and Fish- 



jjll errow across the 



Esk, where there 

 is a harbour for 

 the fishing boats, Musselburgh arms 

 are united by a bridge The town 

 has fine golf links and bathing 

 facilities. An annual race meeting 

 is held. The battlefield of Pinkie 

 is near the town. Poj>- 17,200. 

 See Loretto ; Pinkie. " ) 



Musset, ALFRED DE (1810-57). 

 French poet, novelist, and drama- 

 tist. Born in Paris, Dec. 11, 1810, 

 the son of a war office official, he 

 was admitted to the circle of 

 romantics of whom Victor Hugo 

 was the chief, and soon m established 



portant food mollusc, and thrives himself as one of its most remark- 

 best around the mouths of rivers, 

 where it obtains an abundance of 

 food ; but it is liable to pollution 

 from sewage. Seven species of fresh- 

 water mussels occur in Great Brit- 

 ain, one of them the swan mussel 

 sometimes attaining a width of 

 over 7 ins. The pearl mussel occurs 

 in the mountain streams of the 

 N. and W. Fresh-water pearls 

 were formerly highly valued as 

 gems, but they usually lack the 

 lustre and beauty of the product 

 of the pearl oyster. See Mollusca. 

 Musselburgh. Mun. and police 

 burgh of Midlothian, Scotland. It 



Mussel. Specimens of fresh-water species. 

 Above, Duck mussel, Anadonta anatina, 

 actual size, 3} ins. across ; below, Swan 



mussel, A.cygnea, actual size,5A ins. across 



able members. Early in 1830 he 

 published Contes d'Espagne et 

 d'ltalie, which met with a cordial 

 reception ; and before the year was 

 out his first comedy, La Nuit Veni- 

 tienne, was produced at the Odeon 

 Theatre, but was not successful. 

 The set-back was but brief, for with 

 La Coupe et les Levres, and A quoi 

 re vent les 



stands on the Firth of Forth, where 

 the river Esk enters it. It is 6 m. 

 from Edinburgh, of which it is 

 practically a suburb, and is served 

 by the N.B. Rly. The chief buildings 

 are the old tolbooth, the town hall, 



Jeunes Filles, 

 two short 

 plays pub- 

 lished in 1832, 

 his import- 

 ance as a dra- 

 in a t i s t was 

 immediately 

 recognized. 



Two tragi-. 

 comedies, 

 Andre del 



Sarto and Les Caprices de Marianne 

 followed, in 1833, and towards the 

 close of that year he set out with 

 George Sand (Armandine Dude- 

 vant), who was six years older, for 

 Venice. The two writers had con- 

 ceived a passion for one another, 

 but after a few months together 

 the} 7 separated. This episode was 

 followed by a period of literary 

 activity, marked by the production 

 of some of his finest work. In 

 1838 de Musset was appointed 

 librarian at the home office in 

 Paris. A few years later he began 

 to suffer much in health ; but in 

 1845 published his delightful pro- 

 verb play, II Faut qu'une Porte 

 soit ouverte ou fermee (first 

 acted three years later), and in 

 1847 had a notable stage success 

 with Un Caprice. He died May 2, 

 1857. 



Great alike as poet, dramatist, 

 and story writer, de Musset com- 

 bined fervent passion and great 

 lyrical genius with the finest wit 

 and rare dramatic ability. Two 

 years after his death George Sand 

 published an account of her liaison 

 with him in the form of a novel, 

 Elle et Lui ; to which the poet's 

 brother Paul retorted with Lui et 

 Elle. De Musset's works were 

 published in ten volumes in 1876. 

 See Biographic de Alfred de 

 Musset, P. de Musset, 4th cd. 1877 ; 

 Correspondence de George Sand 

 et d' Alfred de Musset, 1904 ; and 

 French Poets and Novelists, H. 

 James. 1908. 



Mussolini, BENITO (b. 1883). 

 Italian statesman. Born in Ro- 

 magna province of humble parent- 

 age, he went to 

 work at an 

 early age, but 

 managed to 

 acquire educa- 

 tion in Italy 

 and Switzer- 

 land. An ar- 

 dent socialist, 

 he edited the 

 leading organ 

 of socialism, 

 Avanti. The t vandyit 

 Great War changed his views, and 

 he resigned his membership of the 

 socialist party and founded a daily 

 newspaper, the Popolo d'ltalia, at 

 Milan. He fought in the war as 

 corporal of Bersaglieri. 



His organizing ability raised the 

 new Fascismo movement formed 

 by him to combat Bolshevism to 

 the most powerful party in Italy, 

 with himself as leader and dic- 

 tator. He was appointed premier 

 in 1922, and at once set about the 

 reconstruction of Italy, and took a 

 strong line, in foreign policy, 

 advocating territorial expansion 

 for Italy. See Fascisti ; Italy. 



B. Mussolini, 

 Italian statesman 



