Melaones

Plants animals and natural materials · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. Flying beetles described through colour, smell, habitat and season.

In the book. Macha gives only a flying worm, whereas Lumbrici Nitri adds an earthy or muddy habitat and slipperiness.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 32; facsimile PDF page 360.

Historical Definition

Melaones, or Meloes, are flying beetles of a golden colour which give a sweet smell when rubbed; they are commonly found in meadows in May.

Meaning

This is one of the dictionary’s more descriptive animal entries. Its several marks belong together: flight, a golden colour, a smell released by rubbing, meadows and the month of May. Omitting the sensory or seasonal details would reduce the means of recognition supplied to the historical reader.

Use in the Book

Macha gives only a flying worm, whereas Lumbrici Nitri adds an earthy or muddy habitat and slipperiness. The contrast shows the varying amount of descriptive evidence behind the book’s animal names.

Places to Read

Macha. A creature defined by flight and the broad name worm.

Lumbrici Nitri. Earth- or mud-dwelling worms whose name is explained by slipperiness.

In This Edition

The historical description is preserved without assigning a modern species merely from the form Meloes.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 32; facsimile PDF page 360 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 360, Melaones

See also. Macha; Lumbrici Nitri