MVS 
It's throatj breaft, and belly, are white; it's fides 
and haunches are fpotted, and barred tranverfely 
with white; it's ears are large and open; and it's 
tail is very fliort. This creature inhabits Ceylon 
and Java. 
Musk, Guinea. This animal is about ten 
inches long: the head, legs, and all the upper 
part of the body, are tawny, and the belly is 
white : in the lower jaw there are two very broad 
cutting- teeth, and three very flender ones on each 
fide of them; in the upper jaw there are two 
very fmall tuflcs; the ears are large; and the tail 
is only about one inch in length. 
Linnfeus confounds this animal with the royal 
antelope. Great numbers of them inhabit the 
Eaft Indies, Java, and Prince's liland. The na- 
tives catch them in little fnares, carry them in 
cages to market, and fell them for a fum lefs 
than three-pence Englilh money. 
MUSK-RAT; the Caftor Zibethicus of Lin- 
n^us. This animal has a thick blunt nofe, fhort 
ears, and large eyes; the toes on each foot are 
feparated; the tail is compreffed iideways, very 
thin at the edges, and covered with fmall fcales, 
intermixed with a few hairs ; the body and head 
are of a reddifh brown colour; the breaft and 
belly are cinereous, tinged with red; and the 
fur is very fine. The length of the body, from 
the nofe to the tail, is one foot; the tail is nine 
inches ; and the whole figure exactly refem.bles 
that of the beaver. 
But this animal differs from all others, in being 
fo formed that it can enlarge or contraft it's body 
at pleafure. It has a mufcle like that of horfes, 
by which they move their hides, lying imme- 
diately under the fkin, and that furnifhed v/ith 
fuch a power of contrailion, together with fuch 
an elafticity in the falfe ribs, that this animal can 
creep into a hole where others, feemingly much 
lefs, cannot poffibly follow it. The female is alfo 
remarkable for two diftin6t apertures, the one for 
urine, and the other for propagation. The male 
is equally peculiar in .it's conformation. The 
marks of the fex feem to appear and difappear pe- 
riodically, in proportion as the muficy fmell is 
ftronger or weaker, which happens at particular 
feafons. 
This animal in fome meafure refembles the 
beaver in it's nature and difpofition : both live in 
focieties during winter; and both form houfes, 
about two feet and a half wide, in which feveral 
families refide together: in thefe they do not af- 
femble, like marmots, in order to fleep ; but purely 
to fhelrer themfelves from the rigours of the fea- 
fon. However, they differ from beavers in hav- 
ing no hoards of provifions; for they only form a 
kind of covert-way to and round their dwellings, 
from whence they iffue to procure water and roots, 
their ufual fubfiftence. 
During the winter feafon their retreats are co- 
vered under a prodigious depth of fnow; for thefe 
animals only inhabit the coideft parts of North 
Ariicrica, and confequently they muft lead a life 
of gloom and neceffity. In fummer, they fepa- 
rate, two by two, and feed on the variety of roots 
and vegetables which the earth fpontaneoufly pro- 
duces. At this feafon they become extremely 
fat; and are much fought after, as well for their 
flefli as their flcins, which are very valuable. 
They then alfo acquire a ftrong fcent of m.ufk, 
very grateful to an European, but which the Ca- 
nadian favages cannot endure. What we admire 
as a perfume, they confider as the mofl abomina- 
ble ftench; and call one of their rivers, on the 
banks of which the Mu(k-Rats burrow in great 
numbers, by the name of the tinking River, 
This ftrange diverfity of tafl.es among mankind 
may perhaps in fome meafure be afcribed to the 
different kinds of food on which they fubfift: 
fuch as feed principally on rancid oils and raw or 
putrid flefh, often miftake the nature of fcents; 
and having been long accuftomed to naufeous 
fmells, will by habit be taught to regard them as 
perfumes. But though thefe hyperborean fa- 
vages confider the Mufl<;-Rat as intolerably fffitid, 
they neverthelefs efteem it's flefh delicious. 
MUSSAPIIR. The name of a bird men- 
tioned by Arabian authors ; who inform us that, 
after having fpent the day in fearching for it''s 
food, it employs the whole night in finging : and 
they farther add, that it's notes are fo melodious, 
as to banifh all thoughts of fleep from thofe who 
hear them. In this account, though fhort, n£cion 
has no doubt a confiderabie fliare; and ir is diffi- 
cult to determine how far truth may be conneded 
with it. 
MUSTELA; the Weafel. In the Linnsean 
fyffem of zoology, this confcitutes a diftindl genus 
of quadrupeds of the order of ferse in the clafs of 
mammalia, comprehending eleven fpecies. The 
charafters of this genus are ; that there are fix cut- 
ting-teeth in each jaw, the upper being ered', 
acute, and feparate; that the lower are m.ore ob- 
tufe; and that the tongue is fmooth. See Wea- 
sel. 
MusTELA Africana. An appellation given 
by Clufius to an animal properly of the fquirrei 
kind, andufually known among naturalifcs by the 
name of the Barbary fquirrel. 
MusTELA is alfo the name of a genus of fiHies, 
of v/hich there are feveral fpecies ; the mofl com- 
mon of which is the fea-loche, or whifi:le-fifii. 
This refembles the common eel in figure, colour, 
and fmoothnefs; but it is not half fo long, in pro- 
portion to the thicknefs; is fomewhat flatter ; and 
has a turgid belly. It is covered with extremely 
minute fcales. The mouth is large, and furniflied 
with feveral feries of fharp minute teeth; at the 
angle of the lower jav/ there is one beard; and at 
the upper part of the noflrils in the upper jaw there 
are two. There are two pair of fins under the 
belly, and one on the back; befides the common 
fin reaching half the length, and extending aimoil 
to the tail. 
There are feveral fpecies of this fifh. 
MusTELA Fluviatilis. An appellation given 
by fome authors to the common lampetra, or lam- 
prey. 
MusTELA Lumpen. A name given by Ar- 
tedi and Ray to that fpecies of blennus called Ga- 
lea by Gefner. It is diftinguiflied by Artedi un- 
der the nam.e of the blennus with four bifid cir- 
ri or beards under the throat. 
MusTELA Marina. An appellation given by 
Bellonius and other ichthyologifts to that fifli 
called in Englifli the flieat; the Glanus of Pliny, 
and the ancient naturalifls. Artedi diftinguiflies 
it by the name of the fihirus, with four beards 
near the mouth. By this chara6ler it is diflinftly 
marked from the fifh called the lake, which, 
though a genuine fpecies ot the filurus, has only 
one beard. 
MUSTEONUM GENUS. A clafs of ani- 
mals fo called from their general refemblance to 
■ the 
