MUG
M U L
a rolling-pin, ftrewed over lightly with afhes, or powder of chalk.
When the cake is thus rolled out, with a thin, fine, and per- fectly ftrait brafs wire cut off from the cake one thin plate ; this muft be done with great caution, left it fhould break ; take this up, and rubbing it over with oil or fat, lay it over the mould ; then cut out a femicircular piece from the mafs, of the fame thicknefs with the former, and with this cover the back plane, or farther end of the mould, joining the edges of this plate to thofe of the former, clofely and perfectly, by wetting them well with water.
Next cut off from the cake another thin plate, to be the bot- tom of the Muffle ; this may be either left loofe for the Muf- fle to be placed on it occafionally, or the bottom edges of the already formed Muffle may be joined to it all round by means of water, as the back was before joined to the arched part of the Muffle. But whether it be intended that the bottom fhall be thus fixed on, or left loofe, it muft be half an inch broader every way than the bottom of the Muffle, that this may ftand the more fure and firm upon its bafis.
When the Muffle is thus made, wet your hand, and rub it carefully all over, that the fmall and perhaps invifible cracks and chinks in the plates may be clofely joined, and the whole matter of it applied perfectly clofe to the furface of the mould.
When the Muffle has been fome time expofed to the air, and is fomewhat dried, and hardened on the mould, cut out two or three hemifpherical pieces on each fide, to make the holes before defcribed, at the bafis and back, and then draw away the mould from within it ; for if the Muffle is fuffered to dry perfectly on the mould, it always cracks. When the whole is perfectly dry, let it be baked in a potter's kiln, or in the affayers oven ; but without great care in the latter method, and lighting the fire at top firft, it is apt to crack; fo that the potters kiln, where at hand, is much the better way of baking it. See Tab. of Chemiftry, N°. i. 2.
If there be adapted to the formerly defcribed convex mould, another concave one nearly fitting it, only leaving room for the thicknefs of the Muffle between, and the clay be placed between them, and formed by this means into its exact fhape, by a ftrong and every way equal prefture, this will make Muffles not only with much lefs trouble, but they will be much ftronger, lefs apt to crack, and more capable of refill- ing the fire, than thofe made by the hand in the other way. The only cautions neeeflary for the making thefe, are, that the clay be a little drier than when it is to be worked by the hand ; that the fides, both' of the inner or convex mould, and of the outer concave one, be thoroughly oiled or greafed, and the preflure on the furface of the outer or concave mould, be as- ftrong and as equal as may be. There is no clay better for the making thefe Muffles than the Wind/or loam, an earth well known among the cbemifts and glafsmen, and always to be fold in London ; and the rubbing the infides of the mould with black lead in fine powder, very well fupplies the place of greafing them, to prevent the matter from flicking to them. Thefe are the Muffles ordinarily ufed in affaying ; but when very large tcfts are to be covered, they ufe large fpheroidal Muffles, made of caft iron, or fome times of the fame clay, and wrought in the fame manner, only made upon propor- tionably larger moulds. The clay is ufually, for thefe large ones only, laid in a lump on the top of the mould, and with wet hands fpread all over it to the bottom, and by this means a Muffle is made with little trouble. Cramer's Art Afl". p. 62. MUGGENT, in zoology, the name of a fpecies of frefh water wild duck, called by many authors the mufcaria, from its catching flies that play on the furface of the waters. It is about the fize of the common tame duck. The beak is fliort and broad, and is of a faffron colour. It is all over of a mottled colour, like that of the partridge, made up of black, white, brown and grey, fo oddly mixed together, as to fhew neither feparate. The crown of the head is black, and the feet are yellow. Gefner de Avib.
Mr. Ray fufpects this not to be different from our common wild duck. MUGWORT, Artemifta, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe ; The flower is of the flofculous kind, being compofed of feveral flofcules, divided into many fegments at their ends, Handing on the embryo feeds, and contained in a fcaly cup. Among the flowers there alfo appear many naked embryos, which terminate in ajine fmall filament, bifid at the end. Thefe, as well as the em- bryos of the flowers, finally become feeds, in fhape refembling thofe of wormwood.
The fpecies of Artemlfia, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe: 1. The common Artemifta, with a purple ftalk, and purple flowers. 2. The larger Artemifta, with greenifh- white ftalks. 3. The Artemlfia with leaves variegated with yellow. 4. The red fea Artemlfia. Tourn. Inft. p. 460. Mugwort has long been famous as an uterine and antifpafmo- dic, and a medicine of great efficacy in all difeafes of the nerves. It is evidently aperient and abftergent ; it promotes the menfes, and cleanfes the womb. It is given in decoction,
or much more agreeably in a light infufion, in the manner of tea. The mid wives ufe it alfo externally, boiling it, and applying it to the belly, to promote the menftrual difcharges, or the expulfion of the fecundines. It is by fome much recom- mended as a cure for the fciatlca ; and it is to be taken for this purpofe, either in powder, two drams for a dofe, or the ex- prefled juice drank an ounce or two twice a day for fome months. There ufed to be a diftilled water, a fyrup, a con- ferve, and an extract of Mugwort in the fhops, and the fait was made as that of wormwood ; but at prefent thefe are dif- ufed, and the dried herb only is kept there, as an ingredient ia fome of the compound waters. Hill, Hift. Mat. Med. p. 342, feq.
MUGIL, the Mullet, in fome degree refembles the dace or dare in fhape. The nofe is fharp ; the belly a little bowed ; the head plain and flatted. Its fcales are very large, and cover not only the body, but the membranes of the gills, and a great part of the head. The back is of a dufky bluifh or greenifh brown ; the belly white, and the fides are variegated with longitudinal black and white lines running from the head to the tail. It has no teeth ; but the tongue is fomewhat rough. It is fuppofed to feed wholly on weeds, and the like; and feems indeed to eat no fifh. It is moft frequently caught at fea ; but at times comes up into rivers. Willughby's Hift. fife p. 275.
The Mullet is a very well tafled fifh ; and of its fpawn is made what we call botargo. See the article Botargo. Rondeletius, and other authors, have defcribed three or four different fpecies of Mugil; but they feem rather varieties of the fame fifh, owing to age, place, and other accidents. In the Artedian fyftem of ichthyology, the characters of the Mugil are thefe : The branchioftege membrane on each fide contains fix crooked bones j the upper one being the broadeft,, and being hid under the covering of the gills, fo that only five are difcernible. The fcales are large, and they cover the head ; and the opercula of the gills, as well as the body of the fifh. The head is of a deprefled figure in its anterior part;, and the body is oblong and compreffed. According to thefe diftinctions, there is only one known fpecies of Mugil; this is the Mugil of Ovid and the antients. It refembles the thy- mallus in its external figure. Its jaws are tender and thin, and have no teeth in them. The tail is forked. ArUdi Gen. Pifc. p. 26.
Mugil Alatus, the winged Mullet, a name given by fome au- thors to the hirundo pifcis, or fwallow-fifh, as, excepting its, wing-fins, it very much refembles the Mullet in fhape. Gef- ner de Pifc. See the article Hirundo Pifcis.
Mugil Niger, the black t Mullet, a name given by authors to a fifh of the Mullet kind, butj; all over black, more ufually known by the name of the fortius pifcis. Ray's IchthyoL p. 276.
MUL/E, a word ufed by fome medical writers to exprefs pu- ftules on the fkin, which are owing to extreme heats, or t& cold.
Mula Herba, in botany, a name ufed by fome for the cete- rach, or fmooth fpleenwort. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2.
MULBERRY, Morns, in botany, &c. See the article Mo-
RUS.
The common Mulberry-tree is to be propagated either by fowing the feeds, or by laying down the tender branches,, which in two years will be well rooted, and may be cut oft from the tree, and tranfplanted into the places where they are to remain. But thofe plants which are propagated from feeds, are ufually the moft vigorous, and grow the moft regularly, and with the ftraiter ftems ; but then there is a great difad- vantage attending this propagation, which is, that the trees are frequently altogether male, producing only catkins, and no fruit ; fo that it is better to do it by layers from a tree,. which is known to produce plenty of good fruit; the ftraiteffc fhoots fhould be always chofen for layets ; and when they are tranfplanted, they fhould be tied up to flakes to keep them? ftrait. This tree fhould not be often pruned ; but only fuch branches are to be cut off as crofs and bruife one another. The Mulberry-tree thrives belt in a light foil, which fhould not be too wet, nor over dry ; and it fhould always have an open expofure ; for if planted too near trees or buildings, fo as to be fhaded thereby, the fruit feldoms ripens well ; though it will be to great advantage to have them defended from the weft and fouth-wefl winds, by trees or buildings at a diilance.
The foil under the Mulberry-tree fhould always be well dug up every year, and manured, which proves of very great fer- vice to the fruit.
The white Mulberry is cultivated in France and Italy for the fake of its leaves, as there is an opinion, that the filk- worms fhould be fed only with thefe ; but it is affirmed by perfons who feem to know befl, that the Perfians feed their worms only with the leaves of the black kind.
The trees intended for feeding filk-worms fhould not be fuf- fered to grow tall, but kept in a fort of hedge ; and infread of pulling off" the leaves fingly, they fhould be cut off with fheers together with the young branches ; this is not only much fooner and more cafily done, but it is lefs injurious to
the
