M U S 
©fgjreat length, compofed of a double tube, the interior 
of which is very fender, extenfile at the pleafure of the 
animal to a valt length, and terminated by a very fmall 
fpi racle. The length of thjs tube is, therefore, varied in 
proportion to.the greater or fmaller depth at which the 
infect choofes to continue; the tip reaching, to the furface, 
in order to iupply the requifite quantity of air. Some¬ 
times great numbers of thefe maggots are found coiled or 
twifted together by their tails in Inch a manner, that it is 
not eafy to feparate any one from the reft. The complete 
infeft is frequently feen on flowers during the autumnal 
feafon. See'fig. n. 
77. Mufca verficolorata: downy; thorax with two 
faint whitifh dorfal lines ; abdomen rufous; back black, 
varied with cinereous. It inhabits Germany, and is very 
like the preceding. 
78. Mufca tenax, the hardy fly : downy ; thorax grey; 
abdomen brown ; hind-fhanks comprefled and gibbous. 
The Mufca tenax is about the fize of a drone, and of a 
brown colour, with transparent wings ; and the firft feg- 
ment of the abdomen is yellowifli on each fide. It pro¬ 
ceeds from a larva of Angular appearance, being a long¬ 
tailed brown maggot, of rather flow motion, meafuring 
about three quarters of an inch in length, without the tail, 
which is extenfile, and confifts of a double tube, the ex¬ 
terior annulated into numerous fegments, and the inte¬ 
rior terminated by a circle of hairs, lurrounding a fpira- 
culum or air-hole. This maggot is feen in muddy ftag- 
nant waters, drains, and other places of the like deferip- 
tion ; and, notwithftanding its unpleafmg appearance, ex¬ 
hibits, when accurately examined, many particulars well 
worthy of admiration. The feet, which are feven in num¬ 
ber on each fide, are wonderfully calculated for enabling 
the animal to afeend walls or other perpendicular places, 
to feek fome proper fituation in which it may undergo 
its change into a cryfalis, being very broad, and befet on 
their under furface with numerous fmall hooked claws ; 
thus giving it the power of clinging wdth fecurity during 
its afeent. Of this larva a particularity is ftated, on the 
authority of Linnaeus, which, if true, may indeed well be 
numbered among the miracula inledtorum ; viz. that, 
being afrequent inhabitant of the turbid pulp ufedin the 
operation of paper-making, it is often expolecl to the ac¬ 
tion of the wooden mallets ufed in the procefs, as well as 
fqueezed in the ftrongeft prefies; and yet furvives unin¬ 
jured by thefe feemingly-deftruftive operations. This 
larva commonly changes to achry falls about the end of 
Auguft ; the lkin contrasting and drying round the body, 
and the tail continuing in a fhrivelled ftate. After thus 
remaining about the fpace of a fortnight, it gives birth to 
the complete infefl, which has fo much the general ap¬ 
pearance of a drone, that it is very frequently miftaken 
for fuch. It is very common during the month of Sep¬ 
tember. 
This fly has a fmall brain, formed of two lobes, which 
are iituated very clofe together, but diitinguiflied by a lon¬ 
gitudinal furrow; the anterior part produces a large nerve, 
which is afterw’ards dillributed to the antennse and the 
probofeis. The optic nerves are very thick, cylindrical, 
and equal in diameter to the length of the brain, on the 
lateral parts of which they reft ; they terminate at their 
extremities in very large bulbs, which correfpond to the 
breadth of the eyes. The firft ganglion of the medulla is 
produced by two cords, which come from the pofterior 
part of the brain, and embrace the cefophagus as a collar ; 
it is very flender, and fituated in the breaft; it furnilhes 
a pair or filaments to the mufcles of the anterior feet. 
The fecond and the following ganglia, in all three in 
number, are united to each other merely by a Angle cord. 
The laft ganglion is one-half larger than that which pre¬ 
cedes it. Pofteriorly it produces eight or nine filaments, 
which are intended for the parts near the anus; the firft 
of the three is fituated in the breaft, where it furnilhes 
nerves for the mufcles of the wings and the feet; the 
other two ganglia are in the abdomen ; the laft but one is 
Von. XVI. No. 1109. 
M U S 257 
placed above the union of the third ring with the fourth ; 
and the laft on the interior and inferior edge of the fifth 
ring. _ 
This curious infeft is Ihown in two different politions 
at fig. 12 and 13. the foot is Ihown magnified at e, and the 
tail at/ 
II. Peelers none. 
79. Mufca uliginola: black; abdomen fnowy, tipt with 
black. It is found in Germany and in this country. The 
probofeis is cylindrical, grooved on the back for the re¬ 
ception of the briftle ; there is a white dot in the front; 
the poifers are white, the legs pale. 
80. Mufca marginata : black ; margin of the abdomen 
and lhanks whitilh. This fpecies is common in France 
and England. The antenna; are united at the bale; tho¬ 
rax black-bronze ; abdomen depreffed, with a few faint 
whitilh fpotS on the back ; the thighs are black, and the 
wings white. 
81. Mufca neftarivora: black; antennae cylindrical, 
perfoliated; wings white. This, wherever it is met with, 
is found in the flowers of fruit-trees ; where it remains 
the whole day extracting their neftar. It has a fmall and 
oblong body. Shaw's Gen. Zool. Turton's Gindin's Linn. 
Nat. Hift. by the Editor of this Work, vol. xiii. 
MUS'CA, /. in antiquity, a defignation given to para- 
fites, buffoons, &c. who intruded themfelves into the 
company of thofe that defpifed them, or found means to 
be admitted to entertainments where they were not wel¬ 
come. The fame name is ufed for officers of the popilh 
inquiiition, who feign themfelves of the fe£t of the pri- 
foners,in order to draw a confeflion of their opinions from 
them, and thereby betray them ; there being perfons 
placed to overhear their converfation. 
MUS'CADEL, or Muscadine, / A rich wine, of the 
growth of Provence, Languedoc, Cividad, &c. The word 
is by fome derived from mujk, the wine being fuppofed to 
have a little of the fmell of that perfume; by others from 
mufca, a fly, becaufe the flies are extremely fond of its 
grapes ; as the Latins had their vinum apbtiim, fo called 
ab apibus, from the bees which fed on it.—-The mufeadine 
flays for the bride at church. Annin's Hift. of Two Maids, 
1609.—I’ll undertake to fleep Axteen [hours] on the re¬ 
ceipt of two cups of mufeadine. The Hog hath loft his Pearl, 
Quaff’d off the mufcadel, 1 
And threw the fops all in the fexton’s face. Shahefpeare. 
The procefs for making mufeadine at Frontignac, is the 
following ; The mufeadine grapes are allowed to grow 
half dried on the vine ; and, as foon as they are gathered, 
they are trod and prefled, and the liquor is tunned, with¬ 
out letting it Hand to ferment in the fat; the lee which 
remains is fuppofed to produce the peculiar flavour of 
this wine. Phil. Tranf. 
MU'SCiE VOLITAN'TES, f. Dark irregular veins and 
fpots, feeming to fly before the eyes of many people, ef- 
pecially on looking at bright objeCls, fuch as white paper, 
the lky-light, the candle, &c. Theie have often the ap¬ 
pearance of cobu'ebs, fometimes that of fmoke, duff, See, 
The refemblance of many of thefe Ipots to flies lias given 
them the name of mufca volitantes, q. d. “ flies flying 
about.” Sometimes they are called the “ pin and w,eb.” 
It-is not eafy to account for this phenomenon. Some 
will have its caufe to lie in the aqueous humour; others in 
the retina. Monf. de la Hire’s account of them is this; 
They are (he fays) of two forts: fome permanent, which, 
in turning the eye upon a point of an object, appear always 
fixed in the fame fituation to that point 5 others feem to 
fly about, and to change their fituation, though the eve 
be fixed. The fliapes of both forts are changeable: thofe 
of the firft fort are commonly like a dark fpot upon a white 
ground ; thofe of the fecond fort appear like the knots of 
a deal board, fome parts of them being very clear, and 
furrounded with dark threads; they are alfo attended 
with long fillets of irregular lhapes, which are bright in 
