/ 
156 MEL 
fatigued, and take to the highest trees, where 
they will suffer themselves to be shot one 
alter another, if within reach of the marks- 
man. This fowl was first seen in Frauce in 
• the reign of Francis I. and in England in that 
of Henry VIII. By the date of the reign of j 
these monarch*, the first turkeys must have 
been brought from Mexico, the conquest of 
wh ch was completed A. D. 1521. 
The turkey hen begins to lay early in the 
spring, and will often produce a great number 
of eggs, which are white, marked \yith red- 
dish or yellow spots, or rather freckles. She 
sits well, and is careful of her young; of 
which in this climate she will often have from 
14 to 17 for one brood : but she scarcely ever 
sits more than once in a season, except al- 
lured thereto by putting fresh eggs under her 
as soon as the first set are hatched ; for, as she 
is a dose sitter, she will willingly remain two 
-months on the nest, though this conduct, as 
may be supposed, is said greatly to injure the 
bird. Turkeys are bred in quantities in some 
of the eastern counties of England, and are 
•driven up to London towards autumn for 
sale in flocks of'several hundreds, which are 
collected from the several cottages about 
Norfolk, Suffolk, and neighbouring coun- 
ties, the inhabitants of which think it well 
worth their while to attend carefully to them, 
by making these birds a part of their family 
during tiie breeding-season. It is pleasing to 
see with what facility the drivers manage 
them by means of a bit of red rag fastened 
to the end of a stick, which, from their anti- 
pa hy to it as a colour, acts with the same ef- 
fect as a scourge to a quadruped. 
Of the turkey there are several varieties, 
which have arisen from domestication. The 
most common is dark-grey, inclining to black, 
or barred dusky-white and black. There is 
also a beautiful variety of a fine deep copper 
colour, with the greater quills pure white, and 
the tail of a dirty white ; it is when old a 
most beautiful bird. A variety with a pure 
white plumage is also now not unfrequent, 
and appears very beautiful. It was once es- 
teemed as a great rarity, ‘and the breed sup- 
posed originally to have arisen in Holland. 
The sahjou inhabits India, and is sometimes 
less than tiie last. See Plate Nat. List. fig. 
261 . 
MELES, in zoology. See Ursus. 
MELIA, azddtruclt, or the bead-tree, a 
genus of the monogynia order, in the decan- 
dria class of plants, and in the natural method 
ranking under tiie 23d order, trihilatax The 
calyx is quinquedentated; the petals five; tiie 
nectarium cylindrical, as long as the corolla, 
with its mouth ten-toothed; the fruit is a 
plum with a quinquelocular kernel. There 
are three species, ail of them exotic trees of 
the Indies, rising near 20 feet high, adorned 
with large pinnated or winged leaves, and 
dusters of pentapetalous flowers. They are 
all propagated bv seeds sown on hotbeds. 
MELIANTIIUS, honey-Jtower, a genus 
of the angiospermia order, in the didynamia 
class of plants, and in the natural method 
ranking under the 24th order, corydales. The 
calyx is pentaphyllous, with the lowermost 
leaf gibbous: there are four petals, with- the 
nectarium under the lowest ones. The cap- 
stiie is quadrilocular. There are three spe- 
cies : 1. The major has many upright, ligne- 
6 us, durable stalks, and from the sides and 
M E L 
tops of the stalks long spikes of chocolate- 1 
coloured flowers. 2. The minor lias upright, 
ligneous, soft, durable staiks; and from the 
sides and ends of tiie branches long, loose, 
pendulous bunches of dowel’s tinged with 
green, saffron-colour, and red. Both the 
species flower about June ; but rarely produce 
seeds in this country. They are very orna- 
mental, both in foliage and flower, and merit 
admittance in every collection. They are 
easily propagated by suckers and cuttings. 
They thrive best in a dry soil, and in a shel- 
tered warm exposure. 3. The commdous, lit- 
tle known. 
MELICA, ropegrass, a genus of the digy- 
nia order, in tiie triandria class of plants, and 
in the natural method ranking under the 4th 
order, gratnina. The calyx is bivalved, biflo- 
rous, with an embryo of a flower betwixt the 
two florets. There are three species, of 
which the most remarkable is the nutans. It 
is a native of several parts of Britain, and the 
adjacent islands ; and the inhabitants of some 
of tiie western islands make ropes of it for 
fishing-nets, as it will bear the water for a 
long time without rotting. 
MEI.ICOCCA, a genus of the class and 
order octandria monogynia. The calyx is 
four-parted; tiie petals four, bent back; stigma 
subpeltate, drupe coriaceous. There is one 
species, a tree of South America. 
MELiCYTUS, a genus of the class and 
order dioecia pentandria. There is one spe- 
cies, of New Zealand, little known. 
MELISSA, baum, a genus of the didyna- 
mia gymnospermia class of plants, with a 
monopetalous ringent flower, the lower lip of 
which is divided into three segments, whereof 
the middle one is cordated: the seeds are four 
in number, and contained in the bottom of 
the cup. There are six species. 
Baum is greatly esteemed nmong the com- 
mon people as good in disorders of the head 
and stomach ; but is less regarded in tiie shops. 
It is most conveniently taken in infusion by 
way of tea ; the green herb is greatly better 
than tiie dry, which is contrary to the general 
rule in relation to other plants. 
MELITTIS, bastard baum, a genus of the 
didynamia gymnospermia class of plants ; the 
upper lip of whose cup is emarginated ; the 
upper lip of its flower is plane, and tiie lower 
one crenated. There are two species. 
MELIUS INQUIRENDUM, in law, a 
writ that lies for a second inquiry to be made 
of what lands, &c. a man died seized ; when 
partiality is suspected upon the writ diem 
ciausit, &e. 
MELLATS. This genus of salts is but im- 
perfectly known, in consequence of the scar- 
city of mellitic acid. Hitherto they have 
been examined only by Klaproth and Vau- 
quelin, and even by them too slightly to ad- 
mit a description of their properties. The 
following are all the facts hitherto ascer- 
tained. * 
1. When mellitic acid is neutralized by 
potass, the solution crystallizes in longprisms. 
The acid appears capable of combining with 
this salt, and forming a supermellat of potass. 
For when the mellite (or " native mellat of 
alumina) is decomposed hy carbonat of po- 
tass, and the alkaline solutions mixed with 
nitric acid, crystals are obtained consisting of 
mellitic acid combined with a small portion of 
potass. 
M E L 
2. When mellitic acid is neutralized by 
soda, ’the solution crystallizes in cubes ov 
three-sided tables; sometimes insulated, some- 
times in groups. 
3. When mellitic acid is saturated by am- 
monia, the solution yields fine transparent six- 
sided crystals, which become opaque when 
exposed' to the air, and assume the white co- 
lour of silver. 
4. When mellitic acid is dropt int© barytes 
water, strontian water, or lime water, a white 
powder immediately precipitates, which is 
dissolved by adding a little more of the acid. 
5. When t! re acid is mixed with a solution 
of sulpbat of lime, very small gritty crystals 
precipitate, which do not destroy the transpa- 
rency of tiie water ; but the addition of a 
little ammonia renders the precipitate flaky. 
The precipitate produced by this acid in lime 
water is redissolved by the addition of nitric 
acid. 
6. When this acid is dropt into acetat of 
barytes, a flaky precipitate appears, which 
is dissolved by adding more acid. With mu 
riat of barytes it produces no precipitate; 
but in a short time a group of transparent 
needle-form crystals is deposited, consisting 
most likely of supermellat of barytes. 
7. When this acid is dropt into sulphat of 
alumina, it throws down an abundant precipi- 
tate in the form of a white flaky powder, 
MELLITE, honeystone, mellat of alumina. 
This mineral was first observed about 10 
years ago in Thuringia, between the layers of 
wood coal. It is of a honey-yellow colour 
(whence its name) ; and is usually crystallized 
in small octahedrons, whose angles are often 
truncated. Fracture conchoidal. Specific gra- 
vity, according to Abich, 1.666. When heat- 
ed it whitens, and in the open air burns with- 
out being sensibly charred. A white matter 
remains, which effervesces slightly with acids, 
and which at first has no taste, but at length, 
leaves an acid impression upon the tongue. 
Klaproth analysed the mellite in 1799, and 
ascertained it to be a compound of alumina 
and a peculiar acid, to which he gave the 
name of mellitic. .And this analysis was soon 
after confirmed by M. Vauquelin. 
MELLITIC ACID has been found only 
in the mellite. It may be procured fro nr 
that mineral by the following process: Reduce 
tiie mellite to powder, and boil it in about 
72 times its weight of water. The acid com- 
bines with the water, and the alumina sepa- 
rates in flakes. By liltring the solution, and 
evaporating sufficiently, the mellitic acid is 
obtained in the state of crystals. 
These crystals are either very fine needles, 
sometimes collected into globules, or small 
short prisms. They have a brownish colour, 
and a taste at first sweetish-sour, and after- 
wards bitterish. 
This acid is not very soluble in water ; but 
the precise degree of solubility has not been 
ascertained. When exposed to heat, it is 
readily decomposed, exhaling an abundant 
smoke, which however is destitute of smelk 
A small quantity of insipid ashes remains be- 
hind, which do not alter the colour of litmus 
paper. 
Ail attempts to convert it into oxalic acid 
by the action of nitric acid have failed. The 
nitric acid merely caused it to assume a 
straw-yellow colour. 
The effect of the simple bodies on this acid 
has not been tried. It combines with alka* 
