USED IN NATURAL HISTORY. 



95 



Gangue. A place where any- 

 thing is generated or formed. 



MA-r'TER.-Whatever occupies space, 

 and possesses extension and im- 

 penetrability : all bodies are mat- 

 ter with fixed boundaries. 



MATUHA'TIOX. The act of ripening. 



MAX'ILLA. Lat. The cheek-bone ; 

 a mandible. 



MAXIL'LJE. Lat. plur. of maxilla. 

 The lower jaws of insects. 



MAXIL'LARY. Relating to the max- 

 illae. 



MAX'IMA. 1 



MAX'IMUM. > Lat. The greatest. 



MAX'IMUS. ) 



MEAGRE. In mineralogy, applied to 

 the feel or touch of minerals. 



. Chalk is said to be very meagre to 

 the touch. 



MEANDRI'NA. A. genus of polyps, 

 (p. 141, Book viii). 



MEANDRI'N^. Lat. plur. of mean- 

 drina. 



MEA'TCS Lat. A passage, a pore. 



MECHANICAL ORIGIN In geology, 

 rocks composed of sand, pebbles 

 or fragments are termed Rocks of 

 mechanical origin, to distinguish 

 them from those of a uniform 

 crystalline structure, which are of 

 chemical origin. 



ME'DIA. Lat. plur. of medium. 



ME'DIO-PEC'TUS. fr. lat. medius, the 

 middle; pectus, breast. The cen- 

 tre of the breast of insects, (p. 15, 

 Book vi). 



ME'UIO-STER'NUM. The central por- 

 tion of the sternum or breast of 

 insects, (p. 15, Book vi). 



ME'DIUM. The substance or matter 

 in which bodies exist, or through 

 which they pass in moving from 

 1 one point to another. The air, for 

 example, is a medium, in which 

 we exist; fishes live in another 

 medium. 



MEDUL'LA. Lat. Marrow. Pith. 



MEDC'LLARY. fr. lat. medulla, the 

 marrow ; pith. Belonging or re- 

 lating to nervous matter : to pith. 



MEDU'LLARY RATS. fr. lat. medulla, 



marrow. The vertical plates of 

 cellular tissue which radiate from 

 the centre of the stem, through 

 the wood, to the bark in exoge- 

 nous plants. Medullary sheath, is 

 the sheath which immediately 

 surrounds the medulla or pith, of 

 exogenous plants. 



MEDUL'LIN. The porous pith of 

 the sunflower. 



MEDU'SA. A genus of marine ani- 

 mals of the class acale'pha. 



MEDU'SJE. Lat. plur. of medusa. 

 Sea-nettles. 



MEG ALI'CHTHYS. fr.gr. megas. gieat ; 

 ichthus, fish. An extinct genus of 

 fishes, including species of great 

 size. 



MEGA'LODOIT. fr. gr. megas, great; 

 odous, tooth. A genus of peculiar 

 fossil bivalve shells. 



MEGALO'NYX. fr. gr. megas, great; 

 onux, a claw. A large fossil mam- 

 mal, found in Virginia. 



MEGALOSAU'RUS. fr.gr. megas, great; 

 sauros, reptile. A fossil saurian, 

 (p. 58, Book viii). 



MEGATHE'RIUM. fr. gr. megas, great ; 

 therion, beast. Name of an ex- 

 tinct fossil quadruped, (p. 92, 

 Book viii). 



MELAIN. fr. gr. melas, black. The 

 colouring matter of the ink of the 

 cuttle-fish. 



MELAN AE'TOS. fr. gr. n\flanos, black ; 

 aetos, an eagle. A specific name 

 of the common eagle. 



MELA'NIA. fr. gr. melas, black. Ge- 

 nus of fresh-water gasteropods. 



MELANO'COMOUS. Black-haired. 



MELA'PHTRY, and MELA'PHYRE. fr. 

 gr. melas, black. A kind of por- 

 phyry, the constituents of which 

 are united by a black cement, (p. 

 173, Book viii). 



MELEAGRI'ITA. fr. gr. meleagris, a 

 guinea-hen. A genus of the fa- 

 mily of ostracea. 



MELEA'GRIS. Lat. A turkey. 



ME'LES Lat. A badger. 



MELU'FEROUS. Honey-bearing 



ME'LO. Lat. A melon. 



