FASCIOLA, in natural history, gourd worm, a genus of the Vermes Intestina class and order. Body flattish, with an aperture or pore at the head, and generally another at a distance beneath, seldom a single one. About fifty species have been described. They are divided into different sections, viz. those infesting mammalia, birds, reptiles, fish, and worms: among the first is F. hepatica, which is found in the liver of sheep, and is often vomited in brooks, and is generally found fixed by a pore at the extremity, and another in the middle of the abdomen, and occasions dropsy, and the disorder which is called the rot. The body of this animal is about an inch long, broader on the fore-part, and terminated by a tube; the back marked with about eight longitudinal furrows in two series. FAT, an oleaginous or butyraceous matter, secreted from the blood, and filling up the cavity of the adipose cells. See ANA TOMY. FATA morgana, a very remarkable aerial phenomenon, which is sometimes observed from the harbour of Messina and adjacent places, at a certain height in the atmosphere. The name, which signifies the fairy morgana, is derived from an opinion of the superstitious Sicilians, that the whole spectacle is produced by fairies, or such-like visionary invisible beings. The populace are delighted whenever it appears, and run about the streets shouting for joy, calling every body out to partake of the glorious sight. This singular meteor has been described by various authors; but the first who mentioned it with any degree of precision was father Angelucci, whose account is thus quoted by Mr. Swinburne in his tour through Sicily: "On the 15th of August, 1643, as I stood at my window I was surprised with a most wonderful delectable vision; the sea that washes the Sicilian shore swelled up, and became for ten miles in length like a chain of dark mountains; while the waters near our Calabrian coast grew quite smooth, and in an instant appeared as one clear polished mirror reclining against the ridge. On this glass was depicted, in chiaro-scuro, a string of several thousand of pilasters, all equal in altitude, distance, and degree of light and shade. In a moment they lost half their height, and bent into arcades, like Roman aqueducts. A long cornice was next formed on the top, and above it rose castles innumerable, all perfectly alike. These soon split into towers, which were shortly after lost in colonnades, then windows, and at last ended in pines, cypresses, and other trees, even and similar. This is the fata morgana, which for twenty-six years I had thought a mere fable." To produce this pleasing deception, many circumstances must concur which are not known to exist, at least to the same extent, in any other situation. The spectator must stand with his back to the east, in some elevated place behind the city, that he may command a view of the whole bay; beyond which the mountains of Messina rise like a wall, and darken the back-ground of the picture. The winds must be hushed, the surface quite smooth, and the tide at its height. All these events coinciding, as soon as the sun surmounts the eastern hills behind Reggio, and rises high enough to form an angle of forty-five degrees on the water before the city, every object existing or moving at Reggio will be repeated a thousand-fold, as if in a lookingglass composed of facets or planes inclined to each other. Each image will pass rapidly off in succession, as the day advances, and the stream appears to carry down the face upon which it appeared. Thus the parts of this moving picture will vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Sometimes the air is at the same moment so loaded with vapours, and undisturbed by winds, as to reflect objects in a kind of aerial screen, rising about thirty feet above the level of the sea. In cloudy heavy weather they are drawn on the surface of the water, bordered with fine prismatic colours. Father Antonio Menasi published an express treatise at Rome, in 1773, entitled "Dissertazione prima sopra un fenomeno volgaremente detto Fata Morgana," of which a short abridgement is given in Nicholson's Journal, 4to. yol. i. p. 225, with a large engraving. This author does not appear to have philosophized successfully upon the appearances, which are, indeed, very far from having been at all explained. The reader, who may wish to consider the facts, is referred to Huygens, "De Coromis et Parhelus;" Priestley's "Optics for Atmospheric Phenomena," Huddart in the Phil. Trans. 1797; Vince, in the same work for 1799; and Wollaston for 1800; which three last are in the journal last quoted. The fata morgana seems to depend upon the general principles of looming, which Wollaston has very successfully displayed, together with the reflection from particles of water floating in the air. These particles doubtless assume prismatic figures by coagulation; and it is, perhaps, a mistake to suppose them to be spherical, even at their primary condensation, in the fluid state of minute floating particles. FATHOM, a long measure containing six feet, chiefly used at sea for measuring the length of cables and cordage. FEATHER, in physiology, a general name for the covering of birds; it being common to all the animals of this class to have their whole body, or at least the greatest part of it, covered with feathers or plumage. There are two sorts of feathers found on birds, viz. the strong and hard kind, called quills, found in the wings and tail; and the other plumage, or soft feathers, serving for the defence and ornament of the whole body. All birds, so far as yet known, moult the feathers of their whole body yearly. The feathers of birds make a considerable article of commerce, particularly those of the ostrich, heron, swan, peacock, goose, aud other poultry; for plumes, ornaments of the head, filling of beds, and writing pens. There are scarcely any birds but what bed-feathers may be procured from, particularly those of the domestic kind; yet swans, geese, and ducks, are those that furnish most, and the best. Geese are plucked three times a year, towards the end of May, about Midsummer, and at the latter end of August; but chiefly when the feathers are ripe, that is, when they are perceived to fall off of themselves. The feathers of dead birds are in the least esteem, upon account of the blood imbibed by the quill, which putrifying, communicates an offensive smell to the feather, and takes some time to evaporate; for which reason live birds should not be stripped till their feathers are ripe. They are imported in this country from Poland and Germany. They are divided in white, half grey, and grey, and valued accordingly. The best feathers should be white, downy, void of large stems, fresh, and sweet. Care should be taken that no sand be intermixed, which is frequently practised to encrease the weight. Ostrich feathers are dyed and dressed by the feather-dressers, to serve as ornaments, They are a very costly article, brought to us from Africa, and particularly the coast of Barbary. See Down. FEATHER edged, among carpenters, an appellation given to planks or boards, which have one side thicker than the other. FEATHER, prince's, a plant otherwise called amaranth. See AMARANTHUS. FECES. The excrementitious matter of animals, evacuated per anum, consists of all that food which cannot be employed for purposes of nutrition, considerably altered, at least in part, and mixed or united with various bodies employed during digestion from the nutritious. An accurate examito separate the useless part of the food nation of these matters has long been wished for by physiologists, as likely to throw much new light on the process of digestion; but it must be admitted that our knowledge on this subject is still very imperfect. Some of the older chemists have turned their attention to the excrements of animals; (Van Helmont's Custos Errans, sect. 6; Opera Helmont, p. 247; Neumann's Works, P. 585.) but no discovery of importance rewarded them for their disagreeable labour.. Vauquelin has ascertained some curious facts respecting the excrementitious matter of fowls; and in the summer of 1806, a laborious set of experiments on hudertaken, as he informs us, chiefly with a man feces was published by Berzelius, unview to elucidate the function of digestion. (Gehlen's Jour. VI. 509). About two years before, Thaer and Einhof had published a similar set of experiments on the excrements of cattle, made chiefly to discover, if possible, how they act so powerful as manure. (Ibid III. 276). very curious consequences may be deduced. He found that a hen devoured in ten days 11111.843 grains troy of oats; these contained 136.509 grains phosphate of lime ments must be repeated frequently, and we must be absolutely certain that the hen has no access to any calcareous earth, and that she is not diminished in weight; because, in that case, some of the calcareous earth of which part of the body is composed, may have been employed. This rigour is the more necessary, as it seems pretty evident from experiments made long ago, that some birds, at least, cannot produce eggs unless they have access to calcareous earth. Dr. Fordyce found, that if the canary bird was not supplied with lime at the time of her laying, she frequently died, from her eggs not coming forward properly. (On Digestion). He divided a number of these birds, at the time of their laying eggs, into two parties: to the one he gave a piece of mortar, which the little animals swallowed greedily; they laid their eggs as usual, and 274.305 grains phosphate of lime all of them lived; whereas many of the other 511.911 carbonate of lime 185.266 silica During these ten days she laid four eggs, the shells of which contained 98.776 grains phosphate of lime, and 453.417 grains carbonate of lime; the excrements emitted during these ten days contained 175.529 grains of phosphate of lime, 58.494 grains of carbonate of lime, and 185.266 grains of silica; consequently, the fixed parts thrown out of the system during these ten days, amounted to consequently, there must have been formed by digestion in the fowl, no less than 137.796 grains of phosphate of lime, besides 511.911 grains of carbonate; consequently, lime (and perhaps also phosphorus) is not a simple substance, but a compound, formed of ingredients which exist in oat-seed,water and air, the only substances to which the fowl had access: silica may enter into its composition, as part of the silica had disappeared; but if so, it must be combined with a great quantity of some other substance. (Ann. de Chim. xxix. 61). These consequences,' as Dr. Thompson observes, whom, we follow in this article, are too important to be admitted without a very rigorous examination. The experi party, which were supplied with no lime, died." Vauquelin also ascertained, according to Fourcroy, that pigeon's dung contained an acid of a peculiar nature, which encreased when the matter is diluted with water; but gradually gives place to ammonia, which is at last exhaled in abundance. (Fourcroy, i. 70). FEE, in law, feudum, beneficium, all land in England is in the nature of a fend or fee, and subject to the original conditions of the grant, which is supposed to come from the crown; but now that distinction is very immaterial. FEE simple, is an estate to a man and his heirs, and is the largest estate which one can have; it descends to heirs of all kinds, and may be granted or devised at pleasure. When it is created by deed, it must be expressly stated to be to the grantee and his heirs; for an estate to A, for ever, is only good for life: in a will, however, this strictness is not required; any words which shew the intent of the testator will be sufficient. In a deed, a man cannot give a feesimple to one, and then afterwards, in case he dies without heirs, to another. In a will, words which import this, are often constru ed only to give the first taker an estate tail. It may be forfeited for treason or felony. Upon an exchange, a fee may pass without expressing the word heir; so also ou a fine or recovery. A grant to the King, or a corporation, sole for ever, necessarily gives a fee, because they never die. FEELERS, in natural history, a name used by some for the horns of insects. FEELING, one of the five external senses, by which we obtain the ideas of solid, hard, soft, rough, hot, cold, wet, dry, and other tangible qualities. This sense is the coarsest, but at the same time, the surest of all others; it is besides the most universal. We see and hear with small portions of our body, but we feel with all. Nature has bestowed that general sensation wherever there are nerves, and they are every where, where there is life. Were it otherwise, the parts divested of it might be destroyed without our knowledge. It seems that upon this account, nature has provided that this sensation should not require a particular organization. The structure of the nervous papillæ is not absolutely necessary to it. The lips of a fresh wound, the periosteum, and the tendons, when uncovered, are extremely sensible without them. These nervous extremities serve only to the perfection of feeling, and to diversify sensation. Feeling is the basis of all other sensations. FELAPTON, in logic, one of the six moods of the third figure of syllogisms, wherein the first proposition is an universal negative, the second an universal affirmative, and the third a particular negative. FELIS, the cat, in natural history, a genus of Mammalia of the order Feræ. Generic character: six foreteeth, intermediate ones equal, three grinders on each side; tongue prickly backwards; claws retractile. Animals of this comprehensive class never unite in companies for mutual defence, but accomplish their ferocious and bloody purposes with solitary energy. They are swift and strong, have many of them, a peculiar facility in climbing trees, and falling from any considerable height, alight on their feet. They spring on their prey with the sudden ness of lightning, and suck its blood before they devour it. They will eat vegetables, only when other food is not within their reach. They are principally distinguished by their large and pointed claws, which are lodged in a sheath, and protruded or withdrawn at pleasure. The numerous species of this genus differ extremely in size and in colour, but in form and character, possess a family resemblance, and are crafty, fierce, and sanguinary. There are twentythree species, of which we shall notice those which follow: F. leo, or the lion. This is the largest species of the Felis genus, and has occasionally been known to measure eight fest in length, exclusively of its tail, which is about three or four. Its colour is of a pale tawny, and the male possesses an extremely full and flowing mane. The female is destitute of this, and is considerably smaller than the male. It has been known to live in a state of confinement, to the age of sixty-three, or seventy years, though from a philosophical examination of its general structure, it would be concluded that its average duration would not exceed twentyfive. The parental affection of the lioness is extreme: in support of her young she braves the most formidable dangers, and is wrought up to a pitch of agitation and exertion, which render her in such circumstances, a more terrible adversary than the lion himself. She produces her young in the most remote and sequestered situations, and to provide for their wants, engages in the most rapid excursions, and most daring attacks, returning to her cabs with the fruit of her toils and dangers, with the most impatient impetuosity, and feeding them with the yet convulsed members of her prey. It is reported, by some authors, that she endeavours, occasionally, to obscure the track to her den by brushing out the marks of it with her tail, aud when suspicions of particular danger to her young, will remove them in her mouth to a place of greater security, with looks of unutterable menace and antipathy at any creature, however formidable, which may shew the slightest disposition to impede her progress. She produces but one litter, consisting of four or five in number, in the year. These are at first extremely small, little exceeding the size of a half grown kitten, and they are five years in attaining their full growth. The lion is found in the warmer regions of Asia, but attains his highest perfection in the interior of Africa. His strength is such, that with a single stroke of his paw he has broken the back of a horse, and he has been known, not unfrequently, to carry off a young buffalo between his teeth. He rarely engages in full daylight in the pursuit of prey, but on the approach of night quits his habitation, and with a roar which can be resembled only to a peal of thunder, and overwhelms the other inhabitants of the wilderness or forest with consternation, commerces his career of havock. His sense of smell is far from being acute, and he depends in the chase only upon actual sight or probable inference. He frequently consumes at one repast sufficient to satisfy him for two or three days; he breaks the bones of the buffalo with perfect ease and frequently swallows them; and the reversed prickles on his tongue are of extraordinary strength and extension. After a full repast, he returns to his den and enjoys a state of slumber and repose, till the calls of hunger rouse him to fresh activity, and impel him to recommence the work of blood. The lion, in the exertion of his full energies, must present one of the most impressive images that can be conceived. The general majesty of his countenance, surrounded by his full mane intensely erected, and lighted up by the glaring indignation of his eye, connected with the thunder of his voice, and all the apparatus of destruction in his mouth and paws, has in every age, caused him to be considered as furnishing admirable materials for sublime and terrific imagery. At the Cape of Good Hope, it is by no means uncommon to hunt the lion, and in an open and spacions plain, in which he finds it impossible to escape his pursuers by flight, he checks his progress, and fronts his adversaries awaiting their attack. Several of the dogs which first dare to assault him, generally fall under his stroke, but in a few moments he is overwhelmed by numbers, and literally torn to pieces. The negroes of the Cape are reported to eat his flesh; and his skin, which was formerly deemed a mantle for a hero, is now more frequently employed for the bed of a Hot tentot. It is imagined that lions are inexpres sibly less numerous in Africa now than formerly, and it is stated by Shaw, that all Libya could at this time scarcely supply that number, which was sometimes exported to Rome, even in a single year. In proportion as population has extended, and national intercourse has advanced, their range has necessarily become more limited, and their acquaintance with man seems to have considerably checked that daring, which was supposed by many incapable of being daunted. The lion's valour diminishes in proportion as he resides near the habitations of men, whose ingenuity and resources he seems well aware must always secure them a superiority in the conflict with other animals, and whose appearance, therefore, he shuns as that of his most formidable adversary. In the neighbourhood of the small towns of Africa, even women and children have not unfrequently driven lions from their lurking places. When taken young, they can be taught to sustain confinement without difficulty, and will not only manifest tranquillity and contentment, but occasionally engage in sports and gambols with smaller animals, among which they have been led to associate. They are susceptible of attachment and gratitude, will caress their keepers, display a magnanimous forbearance with respect to the offensive freedom and petulant insults of weaker creatures, and after having once, as it were, pledged themselves for the security of any which, by an act of wantonness, may have been thrown as victims into their den, will endure extreme hunger before they can permit themselves to destroy them. The natural excitability of these animals, however, is so great, that all the discipline of education is frequently insufficient effectually to repress their passions within secure limits, and in some unlucky coincidence of circumstances, those familiarities with them which had been permitted without the slightest resistance, or reluctance, have proved fatal to the persons who engaged in them. Though the lion frequently attacks his prey in open chase, he generally adopts the system of ambuscade, and will lurk on his belly in some thicket, frequently near the water, awaiting the approach of any animal which its evil destiny may impel near it, on which he will spring with a sudden bound, rarely failing of success, and sometimes reaching to the distance of twenty feet. When this leap is unsuccessful, the object is permitted to escape without pursuit, and he retraces his steps slowly to the thicket, as it were abashed by his failure, and anticipating the consequences of greater adroitness in his ensuing effort. Lions have in various countries been employed as emblems of state, and insignia of sovereignty. In Persia, two large lions with fetters of gold are stationed on days of peculiar ceremony and splendour, on each side of the hall of audience; and in Rome, Anthony was drawn through the streets by lions harnessed to his chariot. To furnish entertainment for the inhabitants of that splendid and luxurious city, lions were conveyed in vast numbers from the interior of Africa, to exhibit at the public festivals, at which they fought with each other, with other animals, and even at length with men. This diversion was first exhibited by Quintus Scævola, but was af terwards carried to far greater extent. Sylla displayed in the Arena, a hundred lions during his pretorship. Julius Cæsar, to conciliate the people, entertained them |