Some of the tail-feathers of Mænura superba.

Mr. Bennett in his Wanderings in New South Wales,' &c., remarks that this Native Wood-Pheasant,' or 'Lyre Bird' of the colonists; the Béleck-Béleck' and 'Balangara' of the aboriginal tribes, is abundant about the mountain-ranges in all parts of the colony. The tail feathers are detached entire from the bird, and are sold in the shops at Sydney in pairs. Mr. Bennett observes that the price was formerly low; but now that the bird, from continued destruction, has become rare, their tails fetch from twenty to thirty shillings the pair. About the ranges however of the Tumat country, where they have been seldom destroyed, they are more frequently seen.

The same author states that it has its young in December, the season when all the wild animals in the colony are produced, and can be then procured with facility. It is,' says Mr. Bennett in continuation, a bird of heavy flight but swift of foot. On catching a glimpse of the sportsman it runs with rapidity, aided by the wings in getting over logs of wood, rocks, or any obstruction to its progress; it seldom flies into trees, except to roost, and then rises only from branch to branch: they build in old hollow trunks of trees which are lying upon the ground, or in the holes of rocks; the nest is formed merely of dried grass or dried leaves scraped together; the female lays from twelve to sixteen eggs of a white colour, with a few scattered blue spots; the young are difficult to catch, as they run with rapidity, concealing themselves among the rocks and bushes. The Lyre Pheasant, on descending from high trees, on which it perches, has been seen to fly some distance; it is more often observed during the early hours of the morning, and in the evenings, than during the heat of the day. Like all the gallinaceous tribe, it scratches about the ground and roots of trees, to pick up seeds, insects, &c. The aborigines decorate their greasy locks, in addition to the emu feathers, with the splendid tail feathers of this bird, when they can procure them.'

Mr. Bennett laments the rapid disappearance of the races of animals found in a new country, and which are pursued, whether useful or dangerous, even to extermination. He states that in the settled parts of the colony, the harmless

kangaroos and emus are rarely seen, when they might easily be domesticated about the habitations. The same remark," he adds, 'applies to the Lyre Pheasant. Why are they not domesticated, before, by extermination, they are lost to us for ever?'

We trust that this may meet the eye of some spirited individual who will not suffer the loss to take place, but bestir himself to import these magnificent birds. That they would live in this country, as well as the Emus and Kangaroos, with ordinary care, there can be little doubt; and they would form a striking addition to our aviaries,-perhaps even to our homesteads.

MÆOTIS, PALUS. [AZOFF, SEA OF.]

MÆRA, Dr. Leach's name for a genus of Amphipodous

crustaceans.

Example, Mæra grossimana, Leach (Cancer Gammarus grossimanus, Montagu). Linn. Trans.,' ix., tab. 4, fig. 5. Very common on the English coasts, where it is found under stones and rocks at low water.

MAESTLIN, MICHAEL, a German astronomer, born about the year 1542, probably at Tübingen, in Wirtemberg, at the university of which place he held the appointment of professor of mathematics. While resident in Italy he became acquainted with Galilei, whose conversion from the doctrine of Ptolemy to that of Copernicus is partly attributed by some authorities to the arguments adduced by Maestlin in favour of the latter. Upon his return to Germany he be came tutor to Kepler, to whom he behaved with marked liberality; for notwithstanding the great benefit which Kepler must have derived from his instruction, he declined accepting any pecuniary remuneration whatever; indeed Kepler does not appear to have been wanting in gratitude towards him, for both in his 'Mysterium Cosmographicum,' and in a letter prefixed to the Narrative of Rheticus,' he acknowledges the great encouragement he had invariably received from his tutor; and at a later period, when struggling with disappointment and poverty, he presented him with a handsome silver cup, bearing an appropriate inscription. Maestlin died at Tübingen, in 1590. His published works are: 1, 'De Stella nova.' 2, ‘Ephemerides, according to the Prutenic Tables by Erasmus Reinold,' 1551. 3, 'Thesis de Eclipsibus.' 4, Observatio et Demonstratio Cometæ anni 1577 et 1578,' Tübing., 1578, 4to. 5, Consideratio et Observatio Cometa,' 1580; Herdelb., 1581. 6, Alterum Examen Gregoriani Kalendarii,' Tübing., 1586, 4to. 7,'Epitome Astronomiæ, Tübing., 1597, 1610, &c.)

(Watt's Bibliotheca Brit.; Hutton's Mathematical Dietionary, &c.)

MAFFE'I, SCIPIO'NE, Marquis, born at Verona in 1675, of a noble family, was educated in the college of Parma, and showed an early aptitude for poetry and literature in general. When the war of the Spanish succession broke out, he entered as a volunteer the Bavarian service, in which his brother Alessandro Maffei held the rank of general. After passing some time in Germany he left the army for Italy with the view of devoting himself entirely to study. He wrote upon many and various subjects, and he generally wrote well. His principal works are-1, La Merope, a tragedy, the first written in Italian which de serves the name; it was received with great applause, and went through seventy editions in the author's lifetime. 2, Verona Illustrata,' which is the principal work of Maffei, and full of antiquarian and historical learning. The first part contains a history of Verona from its foundation to the time of Charlemagne; the second is a literary history of Verona, with biographical notices of the native writers; the third is a stranger's guide to all the remarkable objects in Verona and its neighbourhood; in the fourth the author illustrates the Roman amphitheatre in that city, which is one of the best preserved remains of the kind. The whole work is written in a spirit of sound criticism, and exhibits the various features of the social, political, and intellectual state of that part of Italy during a long course of ages. 3

Della Scienza chiamata Cavalleresca libri tré,' dedicated to Pope Clement XI., in which he combats the absurdity of duelling. 4, Three treatises against the belief, then still prevalent, in magic: Arte Magica dileguata,' 1749; ⚫ Arte Magica distrutta,' 1750; Arte Magica annichilata,* 1754 Maffei was charged by one Tartarotti with being almost an infidel because he did not believe in sorcery. 5, Trattato dei Teatri antichi e moderni,' in which he took up the defence of theatrical performers against the denunciations of

Father Concina, a Dominican, who attributed to them all the corruption of the age. Pope Benedict XIV., in a brief dated the 5th of October, 1750, addressed to Maffei, testified his full approbation of this defence, saying that theatres ought not to be suppressed, but that the performances ought to be as much as possible honest and decorous.' Maffei had a controversy with the Jansenists on account of something which he wrote concerning the bull Unigenitus [JANSENISTS]; and also because he maintained, against two priests of Verona named Ballerini, that it was lawful to receive a moderate interest on a loan of money, Impiego del Danaro.' The Jansenist party, which was powerful in North Italy, prevailed on the Venetian senate to exile Maffei, who was then seventy years of age. But the senate soon perceived their error, and Maffei was honourably recalled after four months, and re-entered Verona in triumph. Maffei, in union with Vallisnieri and Zeno, originated the first literary Journal which appeared in Italy, Giornale dei Letterati, begun in 1710, and which was continued till 1730. After the discontinuance of that journal he wrote a sort of continuation of it under the name of Osservazioni Letterarie,' of which he published six volumes.

In 1733 Maffei visited France, where he collected the materials for his work, Gallia Antiquitates,' which he afterwards published. He was numbered among the members of the Academy of Inscriptions. From France he visited England, and was well received at the court of George II., especially by the Prince of Wales, who was very fond of Italian literature. He was made a member of the Royal Society, and the university of Oxford, which he also visited, conferred on him the degree of LL.D. He travelled through Holland and Germany, and returned to Italy after an absence of four years.

Maffei died at Verona in the year 1755, being eighty years of age, with the well merited reputation of one of the first Italian scholars of the eighteenth century.

(Corniani, Secoli della Letteratura Italiana; J. Pindemonte, Elogio di Scipione Maffei.)

There is another but much older writer of the same name, Giovanni Maffei, who wrote a History of the East Indies,' in Latin, in 16 books, of which an Italian translation was published at Florence in 1589.

MAFRA is the name of a vast and magnificent pile of buildings, which contain a church, royal palace, and convent, situated in a bleak solitary country about 20 miles northwest of Lisbon, and about three miles from the sea-coast. It was founded by King John V. in the year 1717, in imitation of the Escurial of Spain. The plan of the edifice forms a quadrangle, measuring from east to west 760 feet, and from north to south 670 feet. In the centre of the west front is a sort of Ionic hexastyle portico, which leads to the church; and at each side is a pavilion, one for the accommodation of the royal family, the other for the patriarch of Lisbon and mitred canons. Another part of the building is the monastery, which contains 300 cells, a college, and a library, said to consist of between 40,000 and 50,000 volumes. The church is adorned with numerous columns of Carrara marble, and six very fine columns of red marble, besides large pannels and tables of perfectly black marble, highly polished. The number of apartments in the whole building is reckoned at 866, and the doors and windows at 5200. The whole of this building is vaulted and covered over with flags, forming a vast terrace. The gardens attached to the building are very extensive, and enclosed by a wall; they are well stored with a variety of exotics, imported from Asia, Africa, and America. Father Joam de Prado published a full description of Mafra in 1751. The small town of Mafra has grown up round the monastery. (Kinsey, Portugal Illustrated; Murphy, Travels in Portugal.)

MAGADOXO, or MUKDEESHA, a town on the eastern shores of Africa, on the coast of Ajan. The town is situated about 2° 30′ N. lat. and 45° E. long., and is the only important place on the whole coast. The harbour is formed by a long coral reef, and the town is divided into two parts, Umarween and Chamgany; the latter consists entirely of tombs. Umarween contains nearly one hundred and fifty stone houses, built in the Spanish style. It carries on some commerce with Arabia. Its exports are ivory, gum, and a particular kind of cloth; it imports sugar, dates, salt-fish, arms, and slaves. Its sovereign is dependent on the Iman of Muscat in Arabia. (Owen's Voyages to explore the Shores of Africa, Arabia, and Madagascar.)

MAGALHAENS, FERNANDO, commonly but incor

rectly called Magellan was one of the most distinguished sea-officers of his time, and as a navigator and discoverer only inferior to Columbus. He was born about 1470, in some place in Alemtejo, and entered the Portuguese navy at an early age. He was afterwards sent to the East Indies, where he served for five years under Alfonso Albuquerque, and distinguished himself at the conquest of the town of Malacca in 1511. He afterwards returned to Europe, either from discontent, because the recompense which he thought due to his services, and which he had demanded, had been refused, or through fear of punishment for having embezzled some money intrusted to him. Being desirous to distinguish himself by some great enterprise, and finding that the numerous voyages to America had made it evident that this continent extended to a great distance towards the south, and being at the same time aware that the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, discovered a few years before, were situated much farther to the west, he revived the idea of Columbus of sailing to Asia by a westerly course. According to some authorities he proposed the enterprise to King Emanuel, who rejected it; but others assert that he made the proposal in the first instance to the court of Spain, where it was favourably received by Cardinal Ximenes, the regent, and afterwards approved by the emperor Charles V. A squadron of five vessels, with 236 men on board, was fitted out for that purpose, and Magalhaens left S. Lucar de Barameda on the 20th September, 1519. His object being to discover a strait or open sea, which would take him to the Moluccas, he directed his course with great judgment to the southern shores of Brazil, and entered the La Plata river, but he was soon convinced that it was not a strait. He then sailed southward, along the eastern coast of America, and was obliged to pass the winter in the harbour of S. Julian (near 50° S. lat.), where a conspiracy was formed against him. In detecting and putting down this conspiracy he showed great sagacity, prudence, and resolution. He discovered and entered the strait, which bears his name, about the end of October, 1520, and reached its western extremity on the 27th of Nov., when he entered the Pacific Ocean. He navigated the Pacific for 3 months and 20 days without finding an island, but during this course he enjoyed continuous fair weather, with such favourable winds, that he bestowed on this ocean the name of Pacific, which it still bears. The length of the voyage however reduced the crew to the greatest distress for want of food, and they began to suffer also from the scurvy. So great were their hardships, that Pigafetta, who wrote an account of this voyage, is firmly persuaded that an expedition round the world would never be undertaken again; and indeed more than fifty years elapsed between the voyage of Magalhaens and that of Drake (1577). On the 6th of March, 1521, Magalhaens arrived at a group of islands, which he called Los Ladrones, from the inclination to theft which the inhabitants displayed. After having refreshed his crew, he continued his course westward, and discovered the extensive group of the Philippines, which he called the archipelago of S. Lazaro. He induced a chieftain of the island of Zeba to acknowledge the sovereignty of the king of Spain, promising to assist him in subduing his enemies. With this view he undertook an expedition against the chieftain of the small island of Matan, but he was courageously resisted by the inhabitants, and killed in the contest. The command of his vessels devolved on Juan Sebastian del Cano, who conducted them to the Moluccas, and thence to Spain.

MAGALHAENS, STRAITS OF, commonly called the Straits of Magellan, is the most extensive known strait on the surface of the globe. Its length in a straight line is above 200 miles; but if the three great bends are taken into the account, it is rather more than 300 miles. It divides the continent of South America from the South American Archipelago, commonly called Tierra del Fuego. The eastern entrance is formed by Cape de las Virgines on the continent and by Cape del Espiritu Santo, or Queen Catherine's Foreland, which is on King Charles's Southland, the largest of the islands composing Tierra del Fuego. At its western entrance are Cape Pillar on the south, on the island of South Desolation, and Cape Victory on the north, on a small island belonging to Queen Adelaide's Archipelago. The most northern bend of the Strait approaches 53° 10' S. lat., and the most southern inlet, called Admiralty Sound, 55° S. latitude. The eastern extremity of the strait is situated in about 68° 20′ W. long., and the western in about 74° 40′.

The central portion of the strait, from Cape Negro to Cape Froward, lies north and south, and is the widest part, extending in two large inlets, called the Useless Bay and Admiralty Sound, deep into King Charles's Southland. This part of the strait is the easiest to navigate, being free from islands and cliffs, except the large island of Dawson. The country on both sides rises into high mountains, especially in the neighbourhood of Cape Froward and on the opposite coast of King Charles's Southland. Some of the peaks are above the snow-line, which here occurs at about 3500 feet above the sea-level. Mount Sarmiento on Tierra del Fuego attains the height of 6000 feet. Between the mountains there are valleys of some extent, which, as well as the lower part of the mountains themselves, are covered with a heavy growth of timber-trees.

The western part of the strait extends from Cape Froward to Cape Pillar, in a direction nearly south-east and northwest. This part is very difficult to navigate on account of its narrowness, the width varying between 5 and 25 miles, and also by reason of the numberless cliffs and islets, with which the shores, especially on the north side, are lined. To these disadvantages must be added the north-western gales, which sweep with incredible force along the channel of the strait. The mountains on each side are not so high as along the central portion, and rarely attain the snowline; but their huge masses approach so close to the shores that in many places it is difficult to find as much level ground as is required to place a boat upon. Land-locked basins of moderate extent however occur in several places, and afford safe harbours. The mountains, which consist mostly of granite and greenstone, are irregularly heaped together; most of them for two-thirds of their height are covered with trees of a stunted growth. Two large inland salt-water lakes are united with this portion of the strait. Nearly opposite the south-eastern extremity of the large island of South Desolation [FUEGO] a channel opens eastward into the continent. This strait, called Jerome Channel, leads to Otway Water, a large inland sea 50 miles long, trending to the north-east, and separated from the eastern portion of the strait only by a narrow isthmus. From this lake another channel, called Fitzroy Channel, 12 miles long, leads in a north-west direction to another inland lake, called Skyring Water, which is about 34 miles long and 12 wide. The country bordering these lakes on the south and west is high, rocky, and mostly covered with trees; whilst that which encloses them on the east and north is a low, undulating, grassy plain, without trees.

The Strait of Magalhaens was discovered by Fernando Magalhaens in 1520. The Spanish government caused a settlement to be made on the northern shore, in the central part of the strait, by that skilful navigator Sarmiento, in 1583 or 1584. The settlement was called San Felipe, and was visited in 1587 by Cavendish, who found the settlers perishing with cold, hunger, and disease. From that time the place was called Port de Hambre or Port Famine, and was soon after abandoned.

The strait was formerly much navigated by vessels bound for the harbours on the western coast of America; but the navigation was always dangerous and tedious. Magalhaens had the good fortune to traverse it in less than thirty days, but his successors have frequently employed double or triple

(Cordova's Voyage of Discovery to the Strait of Magellan; Capt. Phillip Parker King's Observations upon the Geography of the Southern Extremity of South America, &c., in the London Geogr. Journal, vol. i.; The Chart of the Strait of Magalhaens, surveyed by Captain P. P. King, R. N., 1826, 1830.) MAGAS. [BRANCHIOPODA, vol. v., p. 313.]

MAGAZINE, a strong building, constructed generally of brick or stone within a fortified place, or in the neigh bourhood of a military or naval station, in order to conta in security the gunpowder or other warlike stores which may be necessary for the defence of the place, or for the use of the troops who are to perform military duty in the province or district.

On account of the liability of gunpowder to become deteriorated by humidity and by variations in the state of the air, the buildings in which it is contained are constructed with every precaution necessary to ensure dryness, and, as nearly as possible, a uniformity of temperature within them. They are generally in places remote from other buildings; they are furnished with metallic conductors, in order to avert danger from lightning; and, for security against the attempts of ill-disposed persons, they are surrounded by a wall and ditch. When in situations where they may become the objects of hostile measures, they are made shellproof.

A magazine within the walls of a fortress is usually formed on an esplanade; and, if small, it may be in the interior of some bastion remote from the front against which an attack of the enemy is likely to be directed. But it would be preferable that such buildings should be in some work beyond the main rampart of the place, that an accident may be attended with as little detriment as possible.

The powder required for the immediate service of the works on the front attacked is taken from the general magazine, and placed in what are called expense mag -zines; that is, in temporary bomb-proof buildings, or in casemates formed in the rampart along that front, from whence it is conveyed to the batteries. These casemates c souterreins should be as well ventilated as possible, by having doors and windows in the interior side of the ram part, and loop-holes or small perforations on the side nex; to the main ditch. They sometimes constitute the only bomb proofs belonging to a fortress; and then they become of the utmost importance, serving as well for the abode of the troops, when not on duty, as for the preservation of the powder and stores. [BOMB-PROOF; CASEMATE] In such situations however, as magazines, they are subject to some disadvantages from which isolated buildings are free; t besides the humidity, which the means they possess fer ventilation are not sufficient entirely to remove, the blowing up of any one by an accident would evidently destroy the rampart, and expose the place to the risk of an immediate assault. And when the vault springs from the back of the wall which constitutes the exterior revêtment of the rampart on any face of the work, its lateral pressure would facilitate the formation of a breach by overturning the wall as soon as the latter became weakened by the fire from the enemy's battering artillery.

The dimensions of magazines are necessarily dependent on the quantity of powder which they may be required to contain. Vauban, in his Traité sur la Défense des Places, speaking of such as are made in the ramparts of fortresses, recommends them to be from eight to twelve feet wide. with semicircular-headed vaults; and he proposes that the barrels of powder should be placed in them in two rows with a passage from three to four feet wide along the middle. The great magazines which have been constructed an