melody 
modifications anil eomliiiKttions of these and similar prln- 
eiples. (r) The principal voice-part in 11 liar- 
inonic composition; usually, now, the soprano, 
hut in older mute tlw tenor; the cunt us Mrmus; 
the air. (<l) A son"; of clear and balanced form ; 
an air: a tune. A melody is authcntir when Ita com- 
pass extends nbout :m ort:ivr upward from Its key-not r m 
llnal, plagalvhun its eompass extends about n half octave 
iboTftind below th6 key-note and final. It Is diatomic when 
it uses only Hi' i n . >| . tones of the scale In which It is writ- 
ten, ehri'iiiiilif when It uses other tones, foreign to that 
. Ir i^ ,'.,/<'. or <;,,ij<//i,-t when it proceeds by single 
ilt-^rrrs, ii)>\\;inl or lUnvmvaril ; t/wi-c- / n] >li*ji<n<-t when 
It j>i oeeeds by steps of inure than a single degree. It is 
tyllalnr. when but oin tone Is given to each syllable of the 
word;? ; slurred when more than one tone is given to a 
syllable. A melody may be further described as popular, 
national, artistic, etc. 
3. A melodious or tuneful poem ; a poetical com- 
position suitable for singing. 
There are. no doubt, some exquisite melodia (like the 
"Sabrina Fair") among Ills (Milton's) earlier poems, as 
could hardly fall to be the case In an age which produced 
or trained the authors of our best English glees. 
Lowell, Among my Books, 2d SIT , p. 284. 
Imperfect melody, a melody which does not extend 
throughout the mode in which it is written. Leading 
melody. See leading!. =&yn. Harmony, Rhythm, etc. 
See euphony. 
MeloS (mel'o-e), n. [NL. (LinniBug, 1758) ; etym. 
uncertain.] ' The typical genus of Meloidte; the 
oil-beetles, usually referred to the Cantharidte 
or blister-beetles proper. It contains those apterous 
species which have the body large and distended, with the 
elytra short, oval, and lapping over each other at the base 
of the suture. When alarmed these Insects emit from the 
joints of the legs a yellowish oily liquor. In some parts 
of Spain they are used Instead of cantharides, or are mixed 
with them. The lame are parasitic In the nests of bees, and 
Mtlol tiarbana. 
a, first or triiingulin larva (line shows natural sizs); fi, claws; t'. 
antenna; d, maxillary palpus ; e, labial palpus; ft. imagoof female; 
i. antenna of male. 
arc peculiar in undergoing two hyperroetamorphoses, thus 
existing in three distinct larval forms. (See hypcrmeta- 
tnorp/ionJO The larvss attach themselves to bees, whose 
eggs they destroy, and live within the egg-cells, being 
supported by the honey intended for the young bee : henee 
they are called bee-lice. It Is a very large genus, of wide 
distribution. Fourteen species Inhabit North America. 
melograph (mel'o-graf), . [< Gr. /wAoj-pd^or, 
writing songs, < ftt^of, song, melody, + ypafatv, 
write.] An electrical apparatus for recording 
the order and duration of the notes of a piece of 
music played on a piano. The depression of the keys 
is made to close an electric circuit* and the record is made 
much in the same way that a message is recorded by a 
Morse telegraph-instrument. The strip of paper is after- 
wan) punctured along the marks of the record, and passed 
through another machine, which, by means of the perfora- 
tion, closes the circuit of a small electromotor ami works 
a perforator. The perforator is then made to reproduce 
a stiff paper stencil, which is an exact copy of the written 
record. The stencil may then be used in the melotrope 
for the reproduction of the music. 
meloid (me'loid), n. and n. I. a. Pertaining to 
t he Miloida; or having their characters. 
II. H. Any member of the family Mcloida. 
Meloidae (me-16'i-de), . pi. [NL., < Meloe + 
-iilif.] A family of beetles typified by the ge- 
nus Meloe, or merged in Cantharidtv. The lar- 
vtn are parasitic upon other insects, especially 
HjMMnopt0ni. 
melologue (mel'o-log), . [< F. melolofjue (see 
uuot.), < Gr. tieXof, song, + ffyuv, speak: see 
-iiloiiy. Cf. monologue, etc.] A mixture of 
speech and song; a recitative; a melodrama. 
[Rare.] 
During a stay in Italy llerlioz composed an overture to 
King Lear and Le Retour a la Vie, a sort of symphony, 
with intervening poetical declamation between the single 
moveineins, e:ill<Mi liy the composer a meloln<in': 
Kni-ite. llrit., III. .vis. 
Melolontha(niel-o-lon'tlia).;/. [XL.CFalmrius, 
177.~>),<<ir. tnirn'turUi,. . a kind of hectic 
r cockchafer.] The typical ";enus of Milnlnn- 
tlliiltl'. It is represented in tli,' old Wnrl.l exelusneli. 
288 
8701 
with alNillt 20 species, having the thlnl antenna! Joint 
longer than the fourth, the anteimal elub of the male 
'i jointril, tliat of tltr female f> jointed. M. mdffaris is the 
eoniinon cockchafer or dor-bug of Europe, often very de- 
structive. 
Melolonthidae (niei-o-ion'tlii-de), n.pl. [NL., 
< .Wiliilinithn + -iiln. } A family of lamellicorn 
beetles, typified by the genus M< In/imtlin ; now 
generally reduced to a subfamily of Hcai-ahin- 
ilir : cockchafers. The same group of beetles, vari- 
ously rated in the system, is called MeMonthada. Mth- 
l:.,iih,r. Melolonthida, Mtlolonthida, MelvlimtMtti, UcMon- 
thitue. 
melolonthidan (mol-o-lon'thi-dan), n. A mem- 
ber of the M//<ilu/il/(itl<e. 
melolonthine (mel-o-lon'thin), a. [< Melolon- 
tha + -inel.] Of or pertaining to the group of 
beetles typified by the genus lM0IoilMa, 
melomane (mel'6-man), n. [< F. melomane = 
Sji. an Inniiino; <Gr.//f/tof,song.melody, + -uavr/f, 
< fiaiveoBai, be mad.] Same as melomauMC. 
melomania (mel-o-ma'ni-a), n. [F. melomanie 
= 8p. melomania; < NL. ineloniania, < Gr. ut- 
/of, song, melody, + fiavia, madness, frenzy.] 
An inordinate passion for music. Compare 
mngi co mania. 
melomaniac (mel-6-ma'ni-ak), n. [< melomania 
+ -ac.] One who has an inordinate passion for 
music. 
melomany (mel'o-ma-ni), . [< F. me'lomanie, 
< NL. melomania : see melomania.'] Same as 
melomania. 
melon 1 (mel'pn). n. [Formerly also mellon, mil- 
Ion, million (the last still in dial, use) ; < OF. me- 
lon, mellon, millon, F. melon = Sp. melon = Pg. 
melfto = It. melone, a melon/ LL. melo(n-), for L. 
melopepo(n-) (>OF. melopepon), < Gr. /iri>j>ir6Truv, 
a melon, so called as being apple-shaped, < Gr. 
fiij'Xov (L. malum), apple (including also pears, 
peaches, etc.), + xfauv, a melon: see pepo.] 
1. A herbaceous succulent trailing annual 
plant, Cucumis Melo, natural order CucurbiUiceir, 
or its fniit. the muskmelon. The plant is not 
known in a wild state, but its origin was referred by Lie 
Candolle to the region of the southern Caspian. It has 
been cultivated from time immemorial in the not countries 
of the East, the melons of Persia being specially celebrated, 
and is now planted wherever there is sufficient summer 
heat to mature its fruit. The latter at its best is very rich 
and highly flavored. It is an ellipsoid or globular pepo, 
the edible part of which is the inner layer of the pericarp, 
the stringy and watery placenta; with the seeds being re- 
jected. I In melon is grown In numberless varieties, as 
the cantaloup, the nutmeg, etc. In the I'nited States this 
fruit, in all its forms, is known as musJrmelon melon being 
applied indifferently to it and the watermelon, or even by 
preference to the latter. The melon of Numbers xi. 5 li 
thought by some to have been the watermelon (see def. 2). 
See cantaloup and CCHIM. 
Have millions at Mihelmas, parsnepg in Lent 
Turner, Husbandrie, March. (A'areg.) 
Some grapes and millons from my Lord at Lisbone. 
I'epys, Diary, Sept. 27, 1661. 
Stumbling on melons as I pass, 
Insnared with flowers, I fall on grass. 
M'H-ci'll. The Garden. 
2. The watermelon, Citrullus vulgaris. 3. A 
melon-shell. 4. A hemispherical mass of blub- 
ber taken from the top of the head of the black- 
fish, grampus, and related cetaceans; melon- 
blubber. The melon reaches from the spout-hole to the 
end of the nose, and from the top of the head down to the 
upper jaw. 
The head was dissected on deck ; first the melon was re- 
moved, then the throat, next the under jaw, and lastly the 
"head-skin," which Is the whaleman's term for the blub- 
ber on top of the head. Fuheric* of L'. S., V. 11. 290 
Gourd-melon, n pumpkin-like fruit, used In India for cur- 
ries. Seebtnincaia. Hairy melon. Same as abdalari. 
Sweet-scented melon, a variety of muskmelon some- 
times regarded as a species, Cuiumfe Dudaim. Also called 
apple-cucumber. 
melon 2 (mel'on), n. [Abbr. of pack-melon or 
l>tt<l<li/-m<'lon.] Same as pademelon. 
melon-blubber (mel'on-blub'er), n. The melon 
of n cetacean. See 71, 4. 
melon-cactus (mel'on-kak'tus), . See Melo- 
M0tM. 
melon-caterpillar (mel'on -kat'er-pil-ar), . 
The larva of a pyralid moth, Phacellnr/i (En<li- 
optis) Jiyaliiiata. It is yellowish-green. 1 J inches 
long, and is destructive to melons and other 
pepos or cucurhitaceons fruits. 
Melongenidffl (mcl-on-jen'i-de), H. pi. [NL., 
< M<-linii/i-ii!i Gr. uifMv, apple, + >evof, kind), 
the typical genus, + -irfff'.] A family of probos- 
eidiferousrachiglossate iMstropods. typified l>y 
the genus M: lini< n,t. The animal has the head elon- 
gated, narrow lateral teeth with an enlarged outer cusp, 
nnil the shell more or less pyrifonu. Also Melongencc. as 
a subfamily. 
melon-hole (met'on-hol). M. A hole made by 
the pademeloii or padmelou. very dangerous for 
horsemen: often applied to other similar holes. 
[Australian.] 
meloplasty 
The plain Is full of deep melon Met, >nd the ground I* 
rotten ami innlrrniined with rain. 
A. C. Grant, llush life In Queensland, I. 220. 
meloniformoneron-i-!orni). n. .Mclon-Hhuped. 
melon-Oil \ mol'on-oil), . The oil of the melon 
of a cetacean. It is valuable for lubricating 
watches and other fine machinery, and is by 
MIIIIC preferred to porpoise-oil. 
melon-shaped (maI'gn-*Upt), ". Having the 
form of a melon ; oval with depressed lines run- 
ning from end to end, the intervals between 
them being convex, so that a transverse section 
in any part has a scalloped outline. This form 
is found in many fruits, seeds, the eggs of in- 
sects, etc. 
melon-shell (meron-shel), n. The shell of a 
mollusk of the genus ifelo. 
melon-thick (mel'on-thik), n. A West Indian 
name of the common melon-cactus, Meloeacttm 
communis. 
melon-thistle (md'on-this'l), n. A melon- 
shaped cactus, as those of the genus Melocactut. 
melon-tree (mel'on-tre), n. The papaw, Ca- 
rica Papaya. 
melon-worm (mel'on-werm), 11. Same as mel- 
on-caterpillar. 
Melopelia (mel-o-pe'li-ft), . [NL., < Gr. uftoc,, 
song, + ffWfia, a dove, rock-pigeon.] A ge- 
nus of the family Columbian; and subfamily 
Zcnaitiina': the white-winged doves. They have 
the outer primary normal : the tail rounded, shorter than 
the wing, and 12- feathered ; the bill slender, black, and as 
White- winged Dove (Melofflia Intfafttra '. 
long as the tarsus ; a large bare clrcnmorbltal space ; the 
neck with metallic luster : a blue-black auricular spot ; a 
large white mark on the wings : and the sexes alike in plu- 
mage. M. leucoptrra is a common dove of the southwest- 
ern parts of the United States, conspicuous by reason of 
the white on the wings. 
Melophagus (me-lof'a-gus), n. [NL., < Gr./uy- 
/ov, a sheep, + Qayflv, eat.] A genus of pu- 
piparous parasitic insects of the dipterous fam- 
ily Hippobosrido!, founded by Latreille in 1802. 
if. omiuu, a well-known wingless species, is the common 
sheep tiek. The genus is also called MelnphUa and Me- 
lophaya. 
melophone (mel'o-fon), n. [< Gr. /tftoc, a song, 
+ <t*jvfi, voice.] A kind of concertina. 
melophonic (mel-o-fon'ik), a. [< Gr. /^/of, 
song, + ijxjvi/, voice, + -ic.] Pertaining to 
music or its performance. 
melophonist (mel'o-fo-nist), n. [< Gr. />of, 
song, + <puvq, voice, + -*<.') A singer of melo- 
dies. 
Here, as In the case of the Hebrew mtlnphnnutt, I would 
Insinuate no wrong thought. 
Thackeray, A Dinner In the City, lii. 
melopiano (mel'o-pi-an'6), n. [NL., < Gr. / 
song, + It. piano: see piano.] A form of piano- 
forte, invented by Caldara in 1870, on which a 
sustained tone, with a chance for crescendo and 
diminuendo effects, is made possible through 
an ingenious arrangement of little hammers 
that strike rapidly upon the strings and thus 
prolong and control their vibration. The qual- 
ity of the tone produced is sweet and effective. 
meloplast (mel'o-plast), n. [< Gr. uif.of, song, 
-t- rr><i<Tr;/r. a molder, modeler, < Tr/aoortv, form: 
see plastir.] A system of teaching the rudi- 
ments of music, invented bv P. Galin in 1817, 
bv which many of the complications of the or- 
dinarv notation are avoided at first. 
meloplasty (mel'o-plas-ti), . [< Gr. /^^, pL, 
the cheeks (pi. of uiftov, apple), + vZaooeii', 
form : see plantic.] In aura., the transplanta- 
tion of tissue to supply new material for the 
checks when a considerable part has been de- 
stroyed by disease or injury. 
