210 
M U R 
MUR 
rofe or flefli colour, or even nearly white, except the three 
pair of ramified branchial fins on each fide the neck, which 
are of a bright red or carmine-colour. Its general fhape 
is that of an eel ; the body being cylindric, till towards 
the end of the tail, where it become fiat, and is attenuated 
both above and below into a kind of fatty fin, fcarcely dif- 
tinguilhable from the reft of the tail. The fkin is every¬ 
where fmooth and even ; the head of a fomewhat depreffed 
form, with a lengthened, obtufe, and widifh, fnout, and 
has no external eyes : the mouth is moderately wide, and 
furnifhed with a row of very minute teeth : the legs are 
about three quarters of an inch in length ; the fore-legs 
being fituated almoft immediately behind the branchial 
fins, and the feet furnifhed with three toes, without any 
appearance of claws; the hind-legs are fituated at a great 
diftance backwards, towards the commencement of the 
tail, and are of the fame appearance with the fore-legs ; 
but the feet have only two toes, which, like thofe of the 
fore-feet, are deftitute of claws. The motions of the 
animal, when taken out of the water, are, in general, ex¬ 
tremely flow and languid; as is alfo the cafe when kept 
in a velfel of water ; but, when in its native lake, it is fome- 
times obferved to fwim pretty brifkly, waving its body in 
a ferpentine direction, in the manner of a leech. It is well 
figured by Laurenti, who feems to have been its firft de- 
fcriber, in his work entitled “ Specimen Medicum, exhi- 
bens Synopfin Reptilium,” under the title of Proteus an- 
guinus. With refpe< 5 t to its real nature, zoologifts are 
not yet agreed : fome imagining it to be the larva of fome 
fpecies of lizard whole gradations have not been fully af- 
certained ; while others, with perhaps equal probability, 
fuppofe it a complete or perfect animal. It appears evi¬ 
dently to be of a predacious nature ; feeding on the fmaller 
kind of aquatic animals; fince one which was kept alive 
for fome days in a veflel of water, was obferved to dif- 
charge from its ftomach feveral fmall fhells of the genus 
Helix, and in the ftomach of one which Dr. Schreiners 
diffe&ed were found the head and -bones of a fmall fifli. 
Its voice is a ftrong hifs, louder than might be expected 
from the fize of the animal. Upon the whole, as Dr. 
Schreibers obferves, there can be no doubt that this ani¬ 
mal bears a great affinity to the M. firen, before defcribed, 
having both gills and lungs; and, therefore, leaves us 
in equal uncertainty as to its being a larva or a perfedl 
animal. It is, however, remarkable that, notvvithftand- 
ing the moft careful refearches during many years, and 
the frequent fifhing which takes place in the lakes and 
caverns of the neighbouring country, at all feafons of the 
year, no animal has hitherto been detected of which it 
can poftibly be fuppofed the larva. 
29. Murcena pifciformis, the fifh-formed firen: fer¬ 
ruginous-brown, fpotted with black, with finely rami¬ 
fied branchiae, tetradaftylous fore and pentadaCtylous 
hind feet. This animal was firft defcribed in Shaw’s 
Naturalift’s Mifcellany, from a well-preferved fpecimen 
in the Britifli Mufeum. It departs ftill more from the 
appearance and fhape of an eel, approaching that of a 
fifh, as its name imports; and, though perhaps no other 
than the larva or tadpole of fome large American li¬ 
zard, feems a fcarcely lefs lingular and curious animal 
than the firen, fo much and fo long the fubjeCt of dubi¬ 
ous fpeculation to Linnaeus, and for which he at length 
inftituled his additional order termed Meantes.- In its 
general appearance it bears fome refemblance to the 
larva of the Rana paradoxa; but is furnifhed with gills, 
opening externally in the manner of a fifli : the openings 
are very large, and the operculum, or external flap, is 
continued from the fides of the head acrofs the throat be¬ 
neath, fo as completely to infulate the head from the 
breaft : the gilis themfelves confift of four femicircular 
bony or cartilaginous arches, which are denticulated or 
ferrated on their infernal or concave part, like thofe of 
fifhes : on the opercula, or external flaps, are fituated 
three very large and elegant branchial fins or ramified 
parts, divided and fubdividcd into a vaft number of Hea¬ 
der or capillary procefies. In thefe particulars it refera- 
bles the M. firen, except that, in that animal, the external 
opening to the gills is very fmall. The mouth is fur¬ 
nifhed in front with a row of extremely minute teeth : 
the tongue is large, fmooth, and rounded at the tip : the 
riCtus or gape, when the mouth is clofed, appears confi- 
derably wider than it really is ; owing to a lateral fulcus 
proceeding from each corner to fome diftance. The feet 
are entirely deftitute of webs, and the toes are furnifhed 
with weakifh claws : the fore-feet have four, and the 
hind-feet five, toes. Exclufive of the general colour of 
the animal, the whole fkin, when minutely examined, ap¬ 
pears to be fcattered over with very minute white fpecks, 
relembling thofe on the lurface of the M. firen. The 
fides of the body are marked by feveral ftrong rugae, or 
furrows; and an imprefied lateral line or fulcus is conti¬ 
nued from the gills to the tail. It is fuppofed to inhabit 
Mexico : in length it is about fix inches, in height one 
and a half. 
A fpecies nearly allied to this is mentioned by Mr. 
Schneider,who examined it in the mufeum of profefTor Hell- 
wig at Brunfwick. It was taken in the Lake Champlain, 
in North America, where it is laid to be dreaded by the 
fifliermen, who confider it as a poifonous animal. Its 
length is more than eight inches, and its diameter nearly 
an inch : it is foft, fpongy, and porous, and is marked on 
each fide by three rows of round black lpots : tail anci- 
pital, comprefl'ed, and fpotted ; lower edge ftrait; upper 
curved; tip roundifh or cylindric. Head broad, flat; 
eyes fmall ; teeth in both jaws conical obtufe, and rather 
long: tongue broad ; mouth wide ; lips like thofe of a 
fifh : on each fide the neck three branchial fins: feet 
four, diftant, tetrada£Iyl6us, and without claws. Schneid. 
Hijl. Amph. p. 50. 
It may be added that the animal figured in the 4th vo¬ 
lume of the American Philofophical Tranfaftions, and 
defcribed by Mr. de Beauvois as a new fpecies of firen, 
feems much allied to the prefent, (M. pifciformis,) and 
may even be the fame fpecies, fince it appears to agree in 
the leading particulars: the fpecimen, however, feems 
not to have been in the higheft ftate of prefervation, fince 
no mention is made of any fpots: its fize is confiderably 
fmaller than that of the prefent animal; and the toes are 
reprefented as terminating bluntly. Mr. de Beauvois 
thinks, that, upon the whole, the Linntean order 3 Ie«ntcs 
fhould bey>referved, until more detailed and enlarged ob- 
lervation^jen thefe animals lhall have completely eluci¬ 
dated th^jr real nature. Shaw's Naturalift's Mifcellany, and 
GenerufZoology, vol. iii. 
MURAs'NA, a celebrated Roman, left at the head of the 
armies of the republic in Alia by Sylla. He invaded the 
dominions of Mithridates with fuccefs, butfoon after met 
with a defeat. He was honoured with a triumph at his re¬ 
turn to Rome. He commanded one of fhe wings of Sylla’s 
army at the battle againft Archelaus near Chaeronea. He 
was ably defended in an oration by Cicero, when his cha¬ 
racter was attacked and cenfured. Cic. pro Mur. Appian 
de Mithrid. 
MU'RAGE, f. [from min us, Lat. a wall.] Money paid 
to keep walls in repair.— Murage is a reafonable toll, to 
be taken of every cart and horie coming laden through a 
city or town, for the building or repairing the public 
walls thereof, due either by grant or prefcription : it feems 
to be a liberty granted to a town by a king for collecting 
of money towards walling the fame. See ltat. 3 Edw. I. 
c. 30. Jacob. 
MURAJA'MA, a town of Japan, on the weft coaft of 
Niphon : lixty miles fouth of Achita. 
MURAKWA', a town of Poland, in the palatinate of 
Braclaw: twenty-eight miles weft of Braclaw. 
MU'RAL, adj. [muralis , Lat.] Pertaining to a wall.— 
Mural arch is a wall, or walled arch, placed exactly in 
the plane of the meridian, i. e. upon the meridian line, 
for the fixing of a large quadrant, fextant, or other inftru- 
ment, to oblerve the meridian altitudes, &c. of the hea¬ 
venly 
