No default and writing to root

I'm just getting this going, if you can believe that...

Two problems I have are:

1)  There doesn't seem to be a default mailbox where mail not matching any  
recipe can go.  I've tried adding a DEFAULT=$MAILDIR/dir but that doesn't  
matter.  The tail of the .rc has this:

:0:
* ^FROM_MAILER
$ADMIN
    :0e:
    $DEFAULT
        :0e:
        $FAILDROP

:0:
$INBOX
    :0e:
    $DEFAULT
        :0e:
        $FAILDROP

...which came from an example and probably isn't very functional (duh).

Problem #2 is that mail not specifically matching the recipes gets dumped to  
files IN THE ROOT, like this latest log entry:

> From procmail-request(_at_)Informatik(_dot_)RWTH-Aachen(_dot_)DE  Mon Aug 26 
> 15:17:25 1996
 Subject: procmail and news
  Folder: /msg.mD                                                          1298

Uh...writing to the root?  And, hey, procmail's list has an entry in my .rc,  
why isn't that mail going to my mailmgr box?

Probably all terribly basic things, but I have to blush a little and ask for  
help anyway.  Thanks.


Carl