MAC 4 



and is usually made up in long tube? of 

 tk< thickness of a goose-quill. 



MACARCN'IC, | An epithet for a bur- 



MACARO'MAN. j lesque species of poetry, 

 made up of a jumble of Latin modernized, 

 or of native words with Latin termina- 

 tions. 



MACAS'SAR POISON, Ippo. The gum of a 

 tree which grows in the isle of Celebes, 

 in the Indian ocean, with which the Ma- 

 layans anoint their arrows to make the 

 wound fatal. 



MACAW. A name common to those par- 

 rots which have a long cuneiform tail. 

 See PSITTACCS. 



MACE, Lat. mads, a spice; the middle 

 bark of the nutmeg. 1. A thick, tough, 

 reticulated, unctuous membrane, of a 

 lively reddish yellow colour, which en- 

 velopes the shell of the nutmeg. 1'. Fr. 



masse, a club. An ensign of authority 

 borne before some official persons by a 

 mace-bearer. Originally the mace was a 

 club or instrument of war, made of iron, 

 and used by cavalry. 



MACEDONIANS. In ecclesiastical history, 

 n sect of Christians who sprung up in the 

 4th century, denominated after a bishop 

 u( Constantinople, who denied the exist- 

 ence of the Holy Ghost. 



MAOEBA'TION, from macer, thin. The 

 process of soaking bodies in water or 

 other fluid, in order to extract their vir- 

 tues. It differs little from digestion 



MACHE'TES. The-Rujfs, a genus of birds ; 

 order Grallatorice, family Lingirostru, 

 Cuv. One species only is known, the 

 Tringa pugnax, Lin., somewhat smaller 

 than a snipe. 



MACH'IAVELISM. The principles inculca- 

 tfd by Machlavelli, an Italian writer, se- 

 cretary, and historiographer to the repub- 

 lic of Florence. Political cunning and arti- 

 fice intended to favour arbitrary power. 

 Hence Machiavelian, one who adopts the 

 principles of Machiavel. This word is 

 also used adjectively. 



MACHIC'OLATED. In ancient architecture, 

 a building whose parapets project beyond 

 the faces of the walls, and are supported 

 by arches springing from large corbels. 



M ACH IN E' , Lat. machina. An instrument 

 employed to regulate motion, or to in- 

 crease either its velocity or its force. The 

 term is therefore more particularly signi- 

 ficant of the contrivance interposed be- 

 tween the natural force and that employed 

 in fulfilling the end desired, as to a water- 

 wheel, which is situated between the 

 water and the apparatus for grinding 

 corn or pumping water, as the case may 

 be. The tackle connected with most con- 

 trivances are also known by the general 

 name of machinery. Machines are classed 

 under different denominations, according 

 to the agents by which they are put in 

 motion, the purposes they are intended 



2 MAC 



to effect, or the art in which they arc 

 employed, as hydraulic, pneumatic, masr- 

 netic, carding, spinning machines, &C 

 They are simple or complex, according to 

 the number of their parts. 



MACHI.N'ERY. A general term for com- 

 binations of mechanical elements. The 

 word conveys a more extended idea than 

 machine, which is a particular piece of 

 machinery, applied to a special purpose. 



MACK'EREL, ( Dut. mackreel, Ger. mack- 



MACKA.REL, I rele, Ir. tnackreil, Wei. 

 macrell. A fish, the Scomber Scomber, 

 Yarr., 5. rulyaris, Flem., very common on 

 the English coasts, at various periods of 

 the year. The mackerel is easily taken 

 by a variety of baits, particularly so dur- 

 ing a gentle breeze of wind, hence termed 

 a mackerel-breeze or mackerel-gale. The 

 fish is highly esteemed as an article of 

 food. When alive, it possesses great sym- 

 metry of form, and much brilliancy of 

 colours. 



MA'CLE. In mineralogy, the hohl spath 

 of Werner, and hollow spar of Jameson. 

 Macle occurs only in crystals, the form of 

 which is a four- sided prism. It is opaque , 

 sometimes translucent ; colours white or 

 gray, often shaded with yellow, green, 

 red, &c. Sp. gr. 2'94. Found in black 

 argillaceous slate. 



MACMIL'LANITES. A religious sect in 

 Scotland, descended from the Covenanters 

 in the 17th century. They are more gen- 

 erally known as Cameronians, from their 

 founder, Richard Cameron. The name 

 of Macmillanites they derived from the 

 first preache-r of their doctrine in the west 

 of Scotland, whose name was Macmillau : 

 it is confined to Glasgow and its vicinity. 



MA'CROCOSJI, from /*ctx*o<;, great, and 

 xnruti;, the world. The universe or visi- 

 ble system, in distinction to microcosm, or 

 world of man. 



MACRODAC'TTLE. A family of birds ; order 

 GrallatoritB, Cuv. Name from uaxgev, 

 long, and SMZTV^OS, a finger, the family 

 being furnished with very long toes fitted 

 for walking on the grass of marshes, and 

 even for swimming. The jacanas, rails, 

 coots, sheath-bills and flamingos, are ex- 

 amples. 



MACROM'ETER, from w^?, great, and 

 f&tT%6v, measure. A mathematical instru- 

 ment contrived to measure inaccessible 

 objects, by means of two reflectors on a 

 common sextant. 



MAC'ROPUS. The name given by Shaw to 

 a genus of Marsupialia, comprehending 

 the kangaroos, from j&azgos> l n S an< * 

 <rws, a foot. 



MACRGSCEt'iDES. An insectivorous mam- 

 mal, which inhabits the rocky mountains 

 of the western part of the district of Al- 

 giers, recently observed by M. Wagner. 



