MOL 



MON 



ted to it ; sheep are said to be very 

 fond of tlie leaves. The white ber- 

 ries make good birdlime, when pre- 

 pared. 



MIST. Fog. 



MITES. Wingless Insects of the 

 genus Acarus, inhabiting animal mat- 

 ters in certain stages of decay. The 

 cheese mite is the Acarus domcsticus. 



MITRAL VALVES. The valves 

 of the left ventricle of the heart. 



MITRE. In building, the junction 

 of two pieces of wood, &c., by cross 

 fitting. 



.MOCKING-BIRD. A species of 

 thrush. See Mimus. 



MIXEN. A compost. 



MOBILITY. Capacity for move- 

 ment, mobile. 



MODILLOX. An ornament, or 

 scroll, placed at intervals under the 

 corona. 



MOHAIR. The silky hair of the 

 Angora goat, used for camlets and 

 other costly stuffs. 



MOLARS, MOLARES (from mola, 

 a mill). The grinding teeth, placed 

 behind the incisors. 



MOLASSE. A soft, green sand- 

 stone, of the miocene epoch, found 

 in Switzerland 



MOLASSES. The thick, dark 

 fluid which runs from the Muscovado 

 sugar ; it consists of uncrystallizable 

 sugar, an acid, aromatic bodies, and 

 water : when fermented, it yields 

 rum by distillation. But under this 

 name the refuse of the sugar-house 

 is also sold, a compound which is 

 more correctly called treacle. The 

 inspissated juice of the corn, maple, 

 &c., is also called molasses by some 

 persons. 



MOLE. The American mole is the 

 Scalops aquaticus, an animal distinct 

 from the European {Talpa Europea). 

 Moles live in pairs, in rich soils 

 abounding in worms, slugs, and in- 

 sects, upon which they feed : they do 

 much good in this way, and should 

 not be disturbed unless in great num- 

 bers. They may be destroyed by set- 

 ting traps in their paths ; the trap is 

 no more than a half cylinder of wood 

 made hollow, each end of which 

 should be furnished with a ring con- 



taining a noose, orloop, of horsehair ; 

 these are loosely fastened in the cen- 

 tre by means of a moveable peg, and 

 the hair stretched above the ground 

 by a bent stick capable of springing 

 up. As the mole passes, he forces 

 the central peg away when half 

 through the trap, and the spring above, 

 acting on the hair, draws it tightly 

 and strangles the animal. 



MOLE CRICKET. Achcta gryllo- 

 talpa. Earth crab. A kind of crick- 

 et, with a remarkable hand like a 

 mole, by which it burrows in the soil ; 

 it devours the roots of plants, and is 

 often very injurious to meadows : 

 when found, they should be killed. 



MOLECULE. An atom not ca- 

 pable of being reached by mechani- 

 cal subdivision. 



MOLE PLOUGH. A plough pro- 

 vided with a deep sharp foot beneath 

 the sole to penetrate the earth. See 

 Draining. 



MOLE-TREE. Euphorbia lalhyriis. 

 Spurge caper, epurge. A biennial 

 herb, the fruit of which, when half 

 ripe, is pickled for capers. It is an 

 acrid plant, and was supposed to be 

 injurious to moles. 



MOLLITES (from mollis, soft). A 

 disease of the bones, hoofs, &c., in 

 which they become soft, and often 

 flexible. 



MOLLUSKS, MOLLUSCA. The 

 animals inhabiting shells, and those 

 of similar conformation, but without 

 that covering : they are of low or- 

 ganization, and cold-blooded. 



MOLYBDENUM. A rare metal, 

 not used in the arts. 



MOMENT, MOMENTUM. The 

 available force of a moving body at 

 any time ; its velocity multiplied into 

 its weight. 



MONADELPHOUS, MONODEL- 

 PHIA (from fiovog, one, and a6c?.^ia, 

 a fratcrnilij). Flowers in which the 

 stamens are united into one mass by 

 their filaments. 



MONANDROUS, MONANDRIA 

 (from (lovor, and avrip, male). Plants 

 1 or flowers having one stamen only. 



MONAS, plural MONADS. A ge- 

 nus of extremely minute simple poly- 

 I gastric infusiorials. 



501 



