MER 
fome females of the town of Edam, in Weft Frief- 
land, going into a boat, in order to milk their 
cows in a meadow which was overflowed, per- 
ceived a Mermaid entangled amongft fome mud. 
They liberated it; and putting it into their boat, 
brought it to Edam; equipped it in women's ap- 
parel°and taught it to fpin. It readily fwallowed 
human food ; and, if we may credit this grave jour- 
nalift, acquired fome notions of the Deity, mak- 
ing it's reverences very devoutly whenever it pafTed 
a crucifix; but never attempted to fpeak. 
In the year 1560, near the Ifle of Manar, on 
the coaft of Ceylon, fome fifhermen are faid to 
have brought up, at one draught of a net, feven 
Mermen and Mermaids; of which feveral Jefuits 
are faid to have been witneflTes. It is alfo added, 
that the phyfician to the viceroy of Goa examined 
them with a great deal of care ; and, after difl!e(5t- 
ing them, aflerted that all their parts, both inter- 
nal and external, perfeftly refemibled thofe of the 
human fpecies. 
Another creature of the fame fpecies is faid to 
have been caught in the Baltic in the year 1531, 
and fent as a prefent to Sigifmund King of Poland, 
with whom it lived three days, and was viewed 
by all the court. We are likewife informed, that 
the King of Portugal,-and the Grand Mafter of the 
order of St. James, had a fuit at law in order to 
determine v/hich party had a right to thole mon- 
Iters. 
MEROPS; the Apiafter of authors : in Eng- 
lifh, the bee-eater. This bird, which refembles 
the king-fifher in fliape, is about the fize of the 
blackbird. The beak is long, black, and a little 
crooked; the irides are of a fine red colour; the 
nead is long and large; the feathers at the infer- 
tion of the upper chap are of a blueifh green hue; 
thofe in the centre of the head are white; the 
crown, a little more backward, is of a reddifh 
brown colour; and on each fide runs a black line 
from the angle of the beak riirough the orbit of 
the eyes. The neck and fhoulders are green, vi^ith 
a reddilh caft; the belly and bread are blue; the 
tips of the long feathers are blackifh, the reft be- 
ing variegated with a bright green and a fine 
orange-colour. The legs, which are very fliort 
and thick, are of the fame lhape as thofe of the 
king-fifher. 
This bird is very common in Italy, and parti- 
cularly fo in the ifland of Crete ; but it is never 
feen in England. It feeds on bees and other in- 
fers, and fometimes on feeds. 
In the Linnsean fyftem, the Merops forms a 
genus of pic£e, charaflerized by a bent, com- 
prefTed, carrinated beak ; a tongue fringed at the 
apex; and feet formed for walking. Befides the 
common bee-eater, there are fix other fpecies. 
MEROS. A very large American fifh, grow- 
ino; to five or fix feet in lenajth; and fometimes 
called by it's Brazilian name, Cugupu-guacu. 
The head is very large; the mouth is vv'ide, and 
deftitute of teeth; the irides are yellow; and the 
eyes are black. It has five fins; one running the 
whole length of the back, and reaching nearly to 
the tail, the anterior part of which is narrow, and 
armed v/izh. fmall fharp fpines; the other part be- 
ing broader, and fuftained by fofter rays. Behind 
the anus there Is another; there are two behind 
the gills, v/hich are large and broad; and the tail- 
fin, which is very large, particularly at it's origin. 
The fcales are fmall ; the head, back, and fides, 
are of a brownifa grey colour; and the belly is 
white. The flefh is accounted well-tafted. 
M I L 
MERULA. A name fometimes given to the ( 
blackbird. See Black.bir.d and Amzell. 
MERULA. A name alfo ufed to expi-efs a 
I marine fifh of the turdus or wrafic kind, of a fliorc 
flat figure, and an infipid wateij tafle. The back, 
fides, and belly^ are wholly of a dull, dead blueifli 
black colour; as are alfo th.e fins and tail. This 
fifh is found on the coails of Italy, but eaten by 
the poorer fort of people only. 
MERULA AQUATICA. A clafilcal ap- 
pellation for die bird called in Englifh the water- 
oufel. 
MERULA FLUVIATILIS. A name given 
by fome ichthyologifts to the common tench. Ar- 
tedi makes it a fpecies of the cyprini, diftinguifh- 
ing it under the appellation of the black mucous 
cyprinus with an even, not forked tail. 
MERULA SEXATILIS. A name whereby 
authors fometimes exprefs the fifii othcrwifc called 
Tordo Marino. 
MESANGIA. A bird common in France 
and Italy, of the fhape and fize of the ficedula, and 
differing very little from it, except that it has a 
black fpot on the head. This is probably the 
Melancoryphos of the ancients ; who fuppofed, as 
well as many moderns, that the ficedula changed 
Into this bird. The ficedula, or fig-eater, vifits 
the gardens of France only vv^hen the figs are ripe, 
which are it's proper food; and, after devouring 
them in an infatiable manner^ retires again. Soon 
after, the Mefangia, or black-cap, makes it's ap- 
pearance; and is commonly fuppofed to be the 
fame bird, with the addition only of the above- 
mentioned beautiful fpot on it's head. 
The ancients feem to have been very much at- 
tached to this tranfmigration of birds; for Arifto- 
tle tells us, that the Upupa is the fame bird with 
the cuckow, only changed in colour, and the dif- 
pofition of it's feathers. In confirmation of this-, 
y^ilfchylus informs us that, according to the opi- 
nion of his times, the cuckow fings all the fum- 
mer, and then difappears; and that, foon after- 
wards, it arrives In a new form, with a plume on 
it's head; and is then called the Upupa. 
MESORO. An appellation given by Salvlan 
to the fifli called in Englifli the butterfly-fiA, the 
blennus or blennius of ichthyologifts. 
Mesoro is alfo ufed by the Italians to exprefs 
the fifh commonly called the Uranofcopus, or ftar- 
gazer. 
METUPORANGA. A Brazilian bird, called 
by fome Tepetototl, and by Aldrovandus Gallus 
Indicus. It nearly approaches to the gallinaceous 
fowls of the fame country called Mitu and Pauxi, 
but varies from them in being deftitute of a tail ; 
and likewife from the Mitu, in having a protube- 
rance of the fize of a cherry over it's beak. 
MEW. See Gull, Winter. 
MICFIALALATLI. A name by which the 
Mexicans, according to Nieremberg, exprefs the 
bird called otherwifc Achaialaftli. 
MID A. A worm or maggot, from which the 
purple fly found on bean-flowers, and hence called 
the bean-fly, is produced. 
MIDAS EAR-SFIELL. An appellation 
fometimes given to the trumpet-fhell. 
MILLEPEDA, A name ufed by fome con- 
chyologifts to exprefs a fpecies of murex of the 
fpider-ftiell kind, fb called from the vaft number 
of prominences In the fliape of points termed feet 
in this fcries of fhelis, arifing from it's lip, which 
Is greatly extended. The body of this fhell is full 
of tubercles; and the tail is long and crooked. 
^MILLEPEDES. 
