1 1 6 A GLOSSARY OF GREEK BIRDS 



ME'MNftN, s. fxepojas, s. Mepvovos op^is. The Ruff, Machetes 

 pugnax, L. 



Mosch. iii. 42 ov TOO-OV duoio-iv ev ayKecrt TralSa TOV 'Aoi? | 'nrra^vos Trepi 

 tra/Lia KivvpuTO Mepvovos opvis. Paus. X. 31, 6 p-ep-vovides Tais opvio~iv ecrnv 

 ovofia, Kara 8e CTOS 01 'EXXqo-Trdi/rtoi (paaiv avras ev elpr]pLevais f)p,epais levai 

 re eVt TOU Me/zi/oi'O? TOV ra^or, KCU OTTOCTOV TOU p,vfjp.a.TOS devdpcov eo~T\v 

 f) iroas ^iXoj/, rotTO /cat (raipovcnv at opvides KCU vypois TOLS Trrepoi? roi) 

 AioTyTrov TO) vSart puivowi. Ael. V. I ouKoCi/ Toi? opvidas Tovs cirwvvfjiov? 

 TOV fjpwos d(piKvel(r6at Kara trav eros, KOI diaipeiadai re Kai Siao-^ifeo-^ai 

 els %dpav KOI dia<popav, Kai /uci^f (rdat fJ-dx^ Kaprcpdv, 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 Pliny, 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. 



ME'PMNOI, s. jj^ppijs, Hesych., also Cram. Anecd. Oxon. i. 64, 24. 

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

 Hesych., identical with Tpi6pxt)s. 



ME'POvl/. The Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, L. Mod. Gk. /zcXt 

 H\ur<rovpy6s (Erh.), and on Parnassus popydprjs (Heldr.). 



In Arist. H. A. vi. I, 559 aepox^, S. e"po\lf (Bk.), ov S' oi BOIOOTO! Ka\oi<riv 

 aepoira : cf. Hesych. depones, opi/ea TIJ/O, also Schol. in Ar. Av. 1354 ; 

 depoirovs, Suid. in verb. dvrine\npyiiv '. rjepo^ S. fjepoTros, Boios, ap. 

 Anton. Liber, c. 18. A name similar to jBopydpijs 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), pepovnas now means in 

 Syra simply a bird, opvis. 



Arist. H. A. IX. 13, 615 b (pavl de rives KCU TOVS p.ep07ras dvTeKTpefaadai 

 VTTO TOM/ eKyovwv ov povov yr)pdo~KovTas aXXa KOI evdus, OTCIV oioi T (%O~LV' 

 TOV de Trarf'pa Kai Trjv p.r]Tepa pe.veiv evBov. 17 8' idea TOV opvidos T>V 

 7TTepS)v earl ra pev vnoKUTco &>^poj/, TO. fie eWra) wvirep Trjs d\Ki>6vos Kvdveov, 

 TO. fi' eV aKpti>v TO)V TTTepvyiw epvOpd (cf. Plin. x. (33) 51). TIKTCI 8e Trepl 1^ rj 

 eTTTa VTTO Ti]v oTTcopav [it breeds in Greece about the middle of April, 

 Lindermayer], ev Tols Kpypvols Tols paXaKols' eto-fiyerai S' et<ra> KOI reVrapa? 



