another name for the ripe
hard seed of the <i>Queensland Bean</i>, <i>Entada
scandens</i>, Benth., <i>N.O. Leguminosae</i>. A tall climbing
plant. The seeds are used for match-boxes. See under
<i>Bean</i>.

<hw>Matipo</hw>, <i>n</i>. another Maori name for the New
Zealand trees called <i>Mapau</i> (q.v.).

1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand' (ed. 1886),
p. 94:

"The varieties of matapo, a beautiful shrub, each leaf a study,
with its delicate tracery of black veins on a yellow-green
ground."

1879. J. B. Armstrong, `Transactions of the New Zealand
Institute,' vol. xxi. art. xlix. p. 329:

"The tipau, or matipo (pittosporum tenuifolium), makes the best
ornamental hedge I know of."

1879. `Tourist,' `New Zealand Country Journal,' vol. iii.
p. 93:

"An undergrowth of beautiful shrubs, conspicuous amongst these
were the Pittosporum or Matipo, which are, however, local in
their distribution, unlike the veronicas, which abound
everywhere."

<hw>Meadow Rice-grass</hw>, <i>n</i>. See <i>Grass</i>.

<hw>Mealy-back</hw>, <i>n</i>. a local name for the
<i>Locust</i> (q.v.).

<hw>Medicine-tree</hw>, i.q. <i>Horse-radish Tree</i> (q.v.).

<hw>Megapode</hw>, <i>n</i>. scientific name for a genus of
Australian birds with large feet--the <i>Mound-birds</i>
(q.v.). From Greek <i>megas</i>, large, and <i>pous,
podos</i>, a foot. They are also called <i>Scrub fowls</i>.

<hw>Melitose</hw>, <i>n</i>. the name given by Berthelot to the
sugar obtained from the manna of <i>Eucalyptus mannifera</i>.
Chemically identical with the raffinose extracted from molasses
and the gossypose extracted from cotton-seeds.

1894. `The Australasian,' April 28, p. 732, col. 1:

[Statement as to origin of melitose by the Baron von Mueller.]
"Sir Frederick M'Coy has traced the production of mellitose
also to a smaller cicade."

<hw>Melon</hw>, <i>n</i>. Besides its botanical use,
the word is applied in Australia to a small kangaroo,
the <i>Paddy-melon</i> (q.v.).

<hw>Melon-hole</hw>, <i>n</i>. a kind of honey-combing of the
surface in the interior plains, dangerous to horsemen, ascribed
to the work of the <i>Paddy-melon</i>. See preceding word, and
compare the English <i>Rabbit-hole</i>. The name is often
given to any similar series of holes, such as are sometimes
produced by the growing of certain plants.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 9:

"The soil of the Bricklow scrub is a stiff clay, w