METEORS. 



MIGNONETTE. 



united with those of physical geography, and 

 on the other side with those of astronomy. 

 The temperature of the interior of the earth it- 

 self, and that of the ocean, as well at the sur- 

 face as at every accessible depth subjects of 

 the greatest interest, with respect not only to 

 the present state of the earth, but also to its 

 former physical condition are so intimately 

 connected with the temperature and other af- 

 fections of the atmosphere, that the study of 

 them becomes, in fact, a department of mete- 

 orology. And the various kinds of luminous 

 and igneous meteors which appear within the 

 atmosphere, though some of them originate, in 

 all probability, in distant regions of the solar 

 system, such as the zodiacal light, the polar 

 lights, or aurora borealis and australis ; the 

 meteors called shooting stars, and the stupen- 

 dous-masses of matter in combustion calledyJre- 

 balls, which cast down upon earth immense 

 blocks of red-hot iron, or showers of heated 

 stones, constitute another wide field of mete- 

 orological inquiry. This interesting branch of 

 science must ever command the especial con- 

 sideration of the shepherd, the farmer, and the 

 cultivator of the soil in general. 



METEORS. A name given to any pheno- 

 mena of a transitory nature originating in the 

 atmosphere. Meteors are of various kinds: 

 some are produced simply by a disturbance of 

 the equilibrium of the atmospheric fluid, and 

 are called aerial meteors; such are WINDS, 

 WHIRLWINDS, &c. A second class arise from 

 the deposition of the aqueous particles which 

 the atmosphere holds in solution, and which 

 are precipitated in consequence of a dimi- 

 nution of pressure or temperature, sometimes 

 in a fluid and sometimes in a concrete form. 

 These are called aqueous meteors, as DEW, FOGS, 

 HAIL, RAIN, SNOW, VAPOUR, &c. A third class 

 of meteors or atmospheric phenomena are 

 caused by the action of the aqueous particles 

 dispersed in the atmosphere, or -the rays of 

 light. These are called luminous meteors, and 

 comprise fata morgana, halo, mirage, parhelia, 

 the rainbow, &c. A fourth class are the igne- 

 ous meteors, comprehending those which present 

 the phenomena distinctive of combustion. 

 See AEROLITE, NORTHERN LIGHTS, LIGHTNING, 

 SHOOTING STARS, &c. 



METHEGLIN (Germ, meth, mead). A be- 

 verage made of honey and water, fermented by 

 the addition of yeast. See ME ^D. 



MEZEREON, or SPURGE OLIVE (Daphne 

 mezereuni). This is a pretty shrub, indigenous 

 to England, where it grows wild in woods, but 

 is not common. The stem is bushy, 4 or 5 

 feet high, with upright, alternate, smooth, 

 tough, and pliant branches ; leafy while young. 

 The flowers are pale garnet-coloured, highly, 

 and to many persons too powerfully fragrant, 

 seated in little tufts on the smaller branches. 

 The scarlet berries, which are the favourite 

 food of some species of finch (Loxia) are poi- 

 sonous to many animals. There are varieties 

 with pink and white flowers ; and the berries 

 also vary to a yellow or orange hue. The 

 bark of the root is employed in medicine. It 

 is excitant and sudorific. The active principle 

 is a fixed acrid aloe resin. See SPURGE 

 LAUREL. 

 808 



MICA. A well-known mineral, with a pearly, 

 metallic lustre, consisting of extremely thin.elas- 

 tic plates or layers somewhat resembling glass. 

 The largest sheets are brought from Siberia, 

 and used instead of glass, especially to enclose 

 fire where it is desirable to see the flame, as in 

 stoves, &c. Mica enters into the composition 

 of granite. Its specific gravity is 2-65. When 

 analyzed it is shown to contain potash, mag- 

 nesia, silica, oxide of iron, with other ingre- 

 dients of well-known fertilizing properties. 

 (See GEOLOGY.) Hence, where any of these 

 are deficient in soils, the application of mica 

 must be advantageous. 



MICE (Mws). A very destructive sort of 

 vermin to many of the cultivator's growing 

 and housed crops, and which should, therefore, 

 be destroyed as soon as possible. Cats, dogs, 

 owls, snakes, and hedge-hogs are the natural 

 enemies of rats and mice, and should, therefore, 

 be encouraged about the farm. 



To destroy Rats and Mice in Corn Stacks. The 

 following method was adopted by the late Mr. 

 John Gibson, of Millbeck Hall, Keswick, and is 

 still continued by his son, Mr. Joseph Gibson, 

 of the same place, with never-failing success. 

 It is accomplished by simply driving in a few 

 hedge-stakes, at about 4 feet distance, round the 

 stack intended to be housed, and having a 

 woollen or linen web, of about 6-4ths or 7-4ths 

 wide, upon the stakes, so as to be perfectly close 

 at the bottom, of which particular care must 

 be taken, in order that none of the vermin may 

 creep under the folds. It is certain that none 

 will attempt to climb over the top, and it mat- 

 ters not whether there are fifty or a hundred 

 within the enclosed area, they will be quite 

 safe. An active lad and a dog may easily de- 

 stroy any number, and he must be a clumsy 

 fellow if he lose one in a hundred. A few 

 neighbours, by subscribing about 2s. 6rf. each, 

 might get an article at lOrf. a yard that would 

 serve them all for about 20 years. If the 

 above simple method were generally adopted 

 for a short time, those destructive enemies to 

 the stack-yard would soon be considerably re- 

 duced. A correspondent of the Mark Lane Ex<% 

 press suggests the following plan for the de- 

 struction of these obnoxious vermin. Feed 

 with flour and a few sweet almonds bruised 

 and mixed together with a small quantity of 

 treacle, to form a paste (add a few drops of oil 

 of aniseed), for 5 or 6 nights, until they take 

 it freely, never laying more of the mixture than 

 they will eat up clean ; then add a teaspoonful 

 of carbonate of barytes to about a pound of the 

 paste. I prefer the barytes to arsenic, it being 

 free from the sour taste of the arsenic, which the 

 rats will never take a second time. By using 

 the above compo'sition, I have kept my pre- 

 mises clear, without employing a rat-catcher, 

 al the expense of a few shillings a year. 



MID-RIB. In botany, the middle vein of a 

 leaf, which passes from the petiole to the apex. 



MIGNONETTE (Reseda, to calm or ap- 

 pease; the Latins considered its application 

 useful in external bruises). The sweet migno- 

 nette (R. odorata') is an old and universal fa- 

 vourite, on account of the very pleasant odour 

 emitted by the flowers. Though usually an- 

 nual, by care in a green-house and constantly 



