FEL 



FER 



displacement of the strata is owing to 

 the upheaving on the one side, or to sub- 

 sidence on the other side, of the fault. 



FAUNA {Fauni, the rural divinities). 

 A term denoting the animals peculiar to 

 any particular country. 



FAUX. The throat ; the orifice of the 

 tube of a gamopetalous corolla. 



FAVOSE {favus, a honey-comb). Ho- 

 ney-combed ; excavated like a honey- 

 comb, as the receptacle of onopordum, 

 the seeds of poppy, &c. 



FE'CULA [fcex, the grounds or settle- 

 ment of any liquor). Originally, any sub- 

 stance derived by spontaneous subsidence 

 from a liquid ; the terra was afterwards 

 applied to starch, which was thus depo- 

 sited by agitating the flour of wheat in 

 water ; and lastly, it denoted a peculiar 

 vegetable principle, which, like starch, is 

 insoluble in cold, but completely soluble 

 in boiling water, with which it forms a 

 gelatinous solution. 



FECUNDATION {fecundo, to make 

 fruitful). Impregnation. The effect of 

 the vivifying fluid upon the germ or 

 ovum, which is then called the embryo. 



FE'LIDiE (felis, a cat). The Cat tribe ; 

 a family of carnivorous Vertebrata, cha- 

 racterized by their short powerful jaws, 

 retractile claws, and the peculiar adapt- 

 ation of their teeth for cutting. They 

 are, among the quadrupeds, what the 

 FalconidcB are among Birds. 



FELLOWSHIP. A rule in arithmetic, 

 by which profit or loss is divided between 

 two or more partners, in proportion to 

 the principal of each in joint stock. The 

 rule is applicable to cases in which the 

 investments are made for the same time, 

 and to cases in which the partners em- 

 ploved their principal at diflferent times : 

 the former belong to the rule oi fellow- 

 ship without time ; the latter, to that of 

 fellowship with time. 



FE'LS PAR. A simple mineral which, 

 next to quartz, constitutes the chief ma- 

 terial of rocks. The white angular por- 

 tions of granite consist of felspar. This 

 mineral always contains some alkali in 

 its composition: in common felspar the 

 alkali is potash; in the variety called 

 Albite or Cleavlandite, it is soda. The 

 term glassy felspar denotes that the crys- 

 tals have a high degree of transparency. 

 Compact felspar appears to contain both 

 potash and soda. See Adularia. 



Felspar-porphyry. A felspathic rock, 

 in which crystals of felspar are mixed 

 ■with hornblende, mica, or quartz. 

 FELSPA'THIC ROCKS. Rocks of 

 135 



which felspar is the chief constituent, 

 comprising granite, gneiss, claystone, 

 lava, and other varieties. 



FENE'STRATE {fenestra, a window). 

 Windowed ; a term applied to the incom- 

 plete dissepiment sometimes occurring 

 in the siliqua of cruciferous plants. 



FE'RGUSONITE. A crystallized min- 

 eral, occurring principally as a columbate 

 of yttria. It has been found only in 

 Greenland, near Cape Farewell, imbedded 

 in quartz. 



FE'RMENT {fermentum, quasi fervi- 

 mentum, from ferveo, to work). A sub- 

 stance which possesses the power of 

 commencing fermentation. It is either 

 naturally present, as in the grape, or is 

 added, as in the case of yeast. 



FERMENTATION. Certain changes 

 of animal or vegetable substances, re 

 duced to the moist or liquid state by 

 water. There are several kinds : — 



1. The Saccharine ; when the change 

 terminates in sugar, as that of starch. 

 / The Panary ; as that of flour 



„ I forming bread : — or 



I The Vinous ; as that of the grape. 

 ^ &c., forming wine ; — 

 evolving alcohol. 



3. The Acetous; when the result is 

 acetic acid, or vinegar. 



4. The Putrefactive ; generally of ani- 

 mal substances, evolving ammonia. 



5. The Lactic; when no alcohol is 

 evolved, but the liquid becomes mucila- 

 ginous and thick, with the production of 

 mannite and lactic acid. 



FE'RRIC OXIDE {ferrum, iron). Per- 

 oxide of iron ; a mineral occurring abun- 

 dantly in nature, as oligistic or specular 

 iron, forming the celebrated Elba ore ; as 

 red hematite, which is cut, and forms the 

 burnishers of bloodstone ; and in combi- 

 nation with water, as brown hematite, 

 employed in most of the iron furnaces of 

 France. 



1. Ferroso- ferric Oxide. The black 

 oxide, magnetic oxide of iron, or martial 

 ethiops. It occurs in the mineral king- 

 dom, under the name of magnetic iron- 

 ore, the massive form of which is called 

 native loadstone. 



2. Ferroso-ferrie Sulphate. The name 

 given by Berzelius to a combination of 

 the proto- and per-sulphates of iron. 



FERRI'FEROUS ROCKS {ferrum, 

 iron, fero, to bear). Rocks in which iron- 

 ore is abundantly distributed, comprising 

 clay iron-ore and iron pyrites. 



FERROCYA'NIC ACID. Ferrocya- 

 nide of Hydrogen. A compound of cyano- 



