159 
M E R 
a large tuft of feathers behind the wings, and vent, yel¬ 
low ; tail wedged, edged and tipped with white. Native 
of the Sandwich Iflands, where it is much efteemed on 
account of the tufts of yellow feathers beneath the wings, 
which are uled in various ornamental articles of drefs 
among the natives. It is fourteen inches long. 
There are two other varieties, of which (3 is known by 
having two middle tail-feathers uniform ; and y by its 
rufous flanks, and by its having all the tail-feathers uni¬ 
form. 
23. Meropscarunculatus, the wattled bee-eater: brown, 
belly yellow ; wattles carunculate ; tail wedged, tipt with 
white. It inhabits New Holland, and is defcribed and 
figured in White’s Voyage to New South Wales. It is 
fomewhat of the fize of a miflel-thrulh, but much longer 
in proportion, meafuring about fourteen inches. The 
feathers on the upper part of the head are longer than the 
reft, giving the appearance of a flight creft ; the plumage 
of the bird is brown, the feathers long and pointed, and 
each feather has a white longitudinal ftreak ; beneath the 
eye, on each fide the head, beyond the bale of the lower 
mandible, is a lengthened pendent wattle of an drange 
colour ; the middle of the belly is yellow, the tail wedge- 
fhaped, like that of the magpie, and the feathers are tipt 
with white. The bill and legs are brown See the Plate, 
at fig. 4. In fome individuals of this fpecies a filvery 
ftreak appears beyond each fide of the bill, and in the young 
birds the white ftreaks on the plumage terminate in a 
kind of dilated fpot at the tip of each feather. 
24. Merops corniculatus, the horned bee-eater: brown, 
head nakedilh ; body beneath and tips of the tail-feathers 
whitilh - r horn on the front obttife. This is alfo an inha¬ 
bitant of New Holland, and is defcribed and figured by 
Mr. White. It is rather larger than a blackbird. The 
plumage above is brown, and beneath it is white; the 
head and upper part of the neck are fparingly covered with 
narrow white feathers, almolt like hairs; but the fore¬ 
part of the neck and brealt are furnilhed with long ones 
of a white colour with a dark middle ftreak, and pointed 
at the ends ; its raoft remarkable feature is, that on the 
forehead, juft at the bafe of the bill, there is afliort blunt 
knob, about a quarter of an inch in height, and of a 
brownifli colour ; the tongue is nearly the length of the 
bill, and briftly at the end ; the legs are dark-brown. 
25. Merops gularis, the red-throated black bee-eater: 
black ; forehead and rump blue ; belly fpotted with blue ; 
throat red. It inhabits Sierra Leone. In fize it is rather 
fmaller than the common bee-eater, and its prevailing 
colour is the fineft velvet black ; the forehead is of the 
richeft blue, l'o alfo is the rump, furpafling that of the 
king-filher; the throat is of a bright blood-red, the larger 
wing-coverts and middle quill-feathers bordered with 
bright ferruginous ; the tail is even at the end 5 the bill 
and legs black. 
26. Merops rufus, the rufous bee-eater : quill-feathers 
brown, the outer edge rufous. Body beneath inclining 
to yellow ; toes feparated to the bafe ; hind-claw longer. 
It is oblerved by BufFon, that as the toes in this fpecies 
are not united, as in the reft of the genus, it leems to form 
as it were a connecting link, or fhade, between the bee- 
eaters and the hoopoes. The individuals belonging to 
this fpecies rather affeCt than fhun the haunts of man¬ 
kind ; they often build their conlpicuous nefts on the out- 
fide of houles, and fometimes even in the interior of hu¬ 
man dwellings. They feem neither to penetrate into ex- 
tenfive forefts nor to frequent elevated fituations, but to 
refide among bullies, or flutter about in the open plains, 
appearing always in pairs, and never in families, or flocks. 
When they fing, they bring their body forwards, ftretch 
out their neck, and beat their wings. Their note, which 
is common to both lexes, is heard throughout all the year, 
and conlifts in the Ihrili, frequent, and lively, repetition 
of the fyllable chi. Their neft, which is compofied of clay, 
is hemilpherical, or fliaped like a baker’s oven, about lix 
inches and a half in diameter, and one inch in thicknefs. 
M E R 
The male and female alternately go in queft of, and ar¬ 
range, little balls of clay of the fize of a hazel-nut; and will 
fometimes complete the ftruClure in the courfe of two days. 
From the entrance on the fide, is a partition within, which 
terminates in a circular form on the oppofite fide ; with a 
fmall communication to the chamber, in which four white 
eggs, dafiied with rufous dots, are depofited. As thele 
nefts commonly laft for more than one feafon, they are 
fometimes feized by the brown fwallow, and other birds, 
which are deiirous of faving themfelves the trouble of 
building; but, if the original proprietors wifli to re-oc- 
cupy them, they banifh intruders without ceremony. 
27. Merops Moluccenfis, the Molucca bee-eater: grey; 
orbits naked ; cheeks black ; tail fubequal. It is a native 
of the Molucca iilands ; and is about fourteen inches 
long. The bill is blackilh, pervious, half covered with a 
membrane; tongue as long as the bill, fringed at the 
tip ; lorne of the feathers of the cheeks are tipt with a 
filvery colour; legs dulky ; outer toe connected with the 
middle one; hind-claw longer. 
28. Merops monachus, the brown or cowled bee-eater 3 
white beneath, with black and fomewhat-downy head 
with raifed crown. It is a large fpecies, and a native of 
New Holland. 
29. Merops Malimbicus, the Malimba bee-eater: fan- 
guine rofe-coloured beneath, with black eye-ftripe, white 
throat, and two lengthened tail-feathers. A native of 
Maiimba in Africa, where it continues only three months 
in the year; migrating in troops, flying with the fwiftnefs 
of a fwallow, feeding on infeCts, rarely perching on trees; 
nor on the ground any length of time. 
METROS. SeeMERus. 
MEROSA'GLIA, a town of the ifland of Corfica; 
fourteen miles north-eaft of Corte. 
MERO'W. See Miraw. 
ME'ROZ, in lcripture-geography, a place in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of the brook Kilhon, whofe inhabitants, refufing 
to come to the afliftance of their brethren when they fought 
againft Sifera, were put under an anathema: CurJ'e ye Me- 
roz,fays the angel of the Lord; curfe ye Utterly the inhabitantt 
thereof: becaufe, fyc. Jud. v. 23. Some have thought that 
Meroz is the fame as Merus or Merom ; and this Calmet 
thinks the molt probable opinion. See Merom. Other* 
will have it, that Meroz was a mighty man, w r ho dwelt 
near the Kilhon ; and, not chooling to come to the 
afliftance of Barak and Deborah, w'as thus excommuni¬ 
cated. 
MER'PINS, a town of France, in the department of 
the Charente : fix miles fouth-weft of Cognac. 
MER'RET (Chriltopher), a phyfician and naturalift, 
was born in 1614 at Winchcombe in Gloucefterlhire. 
He was entered of Gloucefter-hall, Oxford, in 1631, 
whence he removed to Oriel-college. He applied to the 
ftudy of phyfic, in which he took the degree of doCtor in 
1642, and about that time fettled in London. He came 
into confiderable practice, was a fellow of the College of 
Phyficians, and one of the original members of the Phi- 
lofophical Society, which, after the reftoration, became 
the Royal Society. He died in 1695. The firft publication 
of Dr. Merret was “ A Collection of ACts of Parliament, 
Charters, Trials at Law, and Judges’ Opinions concern¬ 
ing thofe Grants to the College of Phyficians,” 4to. 1600. 
This book, which became the balls of Dr. Goodall’s work 
on the College of Phyficians, difplayed his attachment to 
the privileges of the body to which he belonged ; and 
was followed in 1669, by “ A Ihort View of the Frauds 
and Abules committed by Apothecaries, in relation to 
Patients and Phyficians.” Tne latter involved him in 
an angry controverly with Henry Stubbe, of which it is 
unnecellary to give any further account. As a naturalift: 
he made himleif known by a volume entitled “ Pmax 
Rerum Naturalium Britannicarum continens Vegeta- 
bilia, Animalia, et Foflilia, in hac Infula reperta,” 1667, 
8 vo. This, though a dry and incomplete catalogue, and 
abounding with errors, has the merit of being the firft of 
the 
