312 MEADOW SAFFRON MEAGHER beous below ; tail and feet dusky. Many oth- er species are described in vol. viii. of the re- port on the " Pacific Railroad Survey." The European species are called also campagnols and voles; the largest is the hypudceus am- C* 'bins (111.), which is aquatic, inhabiting the ks of streams and digging in the marshes for roots. The campagnol (H: arvaiis, 111.), of the size of a mouse, is yellowish gray above and whitish gray below ; it lives in holes dug in the ground, in which it collects food for the winter. The economic meadow mouse (H. ceconomus, 111.) lives in Siberia, laying up am- ple winter stores, and sometimes migrating in large troops like the lemmings. The meadow mice are spread over the northern hemisphere of America, Europe, and Asia, as yet not hav- ing been found in South America and Africa ; they are abundant in the mossy swamps in the vicinity of the arctic circle. Some are aquatic, having the antitragus of the ear so developed as to act as a valve under water ; others live in dry places and high lands, where they do mnch mischief by gnawing the bark of trees Campagnol (Hypudaeus arvalis). and destroying grain and fruit ; they do not climb, and are not dormant in winter, but re- treat at that time to their well stored bur- rows. They are very prolific, and hence are often the source of considerable loss to the farmer; in 1818 and 1819 most of the harvest of Holland, and in 1837 of that of an entire province of Italy, was destroyed by them ; in a German province in 1822, 1,500,000 were captured in 14 days. These animals in their turn furnish a supply of food to carnivorous mammals, birds, and reptiles. For an account of their habits, see Audubon and Bachman's " Quadrupeds of North America " EADOW SAFFRON. See COLOHIOTJM. MEADVILLE, a city and the capital of Craw- ford co., Pennsylvania, on the E. bank of French creek, and on the Atlantic and Great Western railroad at the junction of the Frank- lin branch, 82 m. N. by W. of Pittsburgh and 34 m. 8. of Erie ; pop. in 1850, 2,578 ; in 1860 8,702; in 1870, 7,103. It is situated in the midst of a fertile country, and has an exten- sive trade with the oil regions. Its manufac- tures are important, the chief establishments being machine works and woollen mills. There are also paper mills, an edge-tool factory, &c. The business portion is compactly built. In the suburbs is Greendale cemetery, well laid out. The city contains a handsome court house, a state arsenal, an opera house, two na- tional banks with a joint capital of $300,000, two savings banks, 19 graded public schools, including a high school, a public library with 2,500 volumes, a daily and three weekly news- papers, and 15 churches. Allegheny college occupies three buildings on a hill N. of the city. It was founded in 1815, and since 1833 has been under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal church. It is open to both sexes, and in 1873-'4 had 6 instructors, 40 prepara- tory and 64 collegiate students, and libraries containing 12,000 volumes. The Meadville theological school, under the control of the Unitarians, was established in 1844, and in 1873-'4 had 4 resident professors, 7 other in- structors, 21 students, and a library of 12,000 volumes. Meadville was founded in 1789. MEAGHER, a central county of Montana, bounded W. by the Missouri river; area, 7,650 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 1,387. It is drained by Mussel Shell river and other afflu- ents of the Missouri. There is some arable land, but gold mining is the chief industry. The 'census of 1870 returns 11 hydraulic and 93 placer mines as in operation. The chief productions were 26,771 bushels of wheat, 14,501 of oats, 11,324 of barley, 6,419 of po- tatoes, 19,594 lbs of butter, and 1,763 tons of hay. There were 237 horses, 1,008 milch cows, 1,960 other cattle, and 436 swine. Cap- ital, Diamond City. MEAGHER, Thomas Frauds, an Irish revolution- ist, born in Waterford, Aug. 3, 1823, drowned in the upper Missouri, near Fort Benton, Mon- tana, July 1, 1867. He was educated at Roman Catholic colleges in Ireland and England, and studied law in Dublin, where he became the leader of the Young Ireland party. In 1846 he assisted in organizing the Irish confederation. On the overthrow of Louis Philippe in 1848, Meagher was sent at the head of a delegation to Paris to congratulate the French republican leaders. Soon after his return he was arrest ed for sedition, and released on bail, but was rearrested on a charge of high treason, found guilty, and received a sentence of death, which was commuted to transportation for life to Tas- mania. From there he escaped, arrived in New York in May, 1852, and spent two years in lec- turing on Irish independence in the principal cities of the United States. In 1855 he was admitted to the bar in New York, and in 1856 edited the u Irish News." In 1861 he joined the 69th New York regiment, of which he was acting major at the first battle of Bull Run. After the close of its three months' term of service he returned to New York, organized the Irish brigade, was colonel of the first regiment, and on the acceptance of the brigade was
