The Collaborative International Dictionary
Mygale \Myg"a*le\, prop. n. [L., a field mouse, Gr. ?.] (Zo["o]l.) A genus of very large hairy spiders of the family Ctenizidae, having four lungs and only four spinnerets. They do not spin webs, but usually construct tubes in the earth, which are often furnished with a trapdoor. The South American bird spider ( Mygale avicularia), and the crab spider, or matoutou ( Mygale cancerides) are among the largest species. They are also called trapdoor spiders. Some of the species are erroneously called tarantulas, as the Texas tarantula ( Mygale Hentzii).
Bird \Bird\ (b[~e]rd), n. [OE. brid, bred, bird, young bird, bird, AS. bridd young bird. [root]92.]
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Orig., a chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling; and hence, a feathered flying animal (see 2).
That ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird.
--Shak.The brydds [birds] of the aier have nestes.
--Tyndale (Matt. viii. 20). (Zo["o]l.) A warm-blooded, feathered vertebrate provided with wings. See Aves.
Specifically, among sportsmen, a game bird.
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Fig.: A girl; a maiden.
And by my word! the bonny bird In danger shall not tarry.
--Campbell.Arabian bird, the phenix.
Bird of Jove, the eagle.
Bird of Juno, the peacock.
Bird louse (Zo["o]l.), a wingless insect of the group Mallophaga, of which the genera and species are very numerous and mostly parasitic upon birds. -- Bird mite (Zo["o]l.), a small mite (genera Dermanyssus, Dermaleichus and allies) parasitic upon birds. The species are numerous.
Bird of passage, a migratory bird.
Bird spider (Zo["o]l.), a very large South American spider ( Mygale avicularia). It is said sometimes to capture and kill small birds.
Bird tick (Zo["o]l.), a dipterous insect parasitic upon birds (genus Ornithomyia, and allies), usually winged.