222 



FLYING FO. 



birds, calling the largest tyranni ; the next, nutsci- \ 

 vvrce ; and the smallest, muscicapa. Cuvier, in lus 1 

 last edition, forms three subgenera, under the names ' 

 of tyrann'.m, muscipeta, and muscicapa, though he 

 also admits several genera and subgenera, as apper- 

 taining to this class. Temminck divides this great 

 genus into two, muscipeta, nearly resembling Cuvier's 

 sub-genus of the same name, and muscicapa. The 

 prince of Musigiiano adopts the genus muscicapa, 

 dividing it into larger species, including the tyranni 

 of authors, and smaller species, the muscicapce, mus- 

 civoree, and muscipetee of authors. These birds are 

 widely distributed over the globe, abounding where 

 insects are most numerous, and are of infinite use in 

 destroying those numerous swarms of noxious insects, 

 engendered by heat and moisture, which are continu- 

 ally on the wing. These, though weak and contempti- 

 ble when individually considered, are formidable by 

 their numbers, devouring the whole produce of vege- 

 tation, and inducing the accumulated ills of pestilence 

 and famine. The habits of these birds are taciturn, 

 solitary, and untamable. They perch on the highest 

 branches of trees, whence they watch for insects, and 

 take them on the wing with great quickness. 



FLYING ; the progressive motion of a bird, or 

 other winged animal, in the liquid air. The parts 

 of birds chiefly concerned in flying, are the wings, 

 by which they are sustained or wafted along. The 

 manner of flying is thus : The bird first bends his 

 legs, and springs with a violent leap from the ground, 

 then opens and expands the joints of its wings, so as 

 to make a right line perpendicular to the sides of his 

 body ; thus the wings, with all the feathers therein, 

 constitute one continued lamina. Being now raised 

 a little above the horizon, and vibrating the wings 

 with great force and velocity perpendicularly against 

 the subject air, that fluid resists those successions, 

 both from its natural inactivity and elasticity, by 

 means of which the whole body of the bird is pro- 

 truded. The resistance which the air makes to the 

 withdrawing of the wings, and, consequently, the 

 progress of the bird, will be so much the greater, as 

 the waft or stroke of the fan of the wing is longer. 



FLYING-FISH; the exocetus of naturalists; a 

 a fish which is enabled, by the vibration of its large 

 pectoral fins, to leave the water when alarmed or 

 pursued, and sustain itself for several seconds in the 

 air. In tropical seas, the flying-fish rise from the 

 water in flocks, or, more properly, shoals, of many 

 thousands at a time, when disturbed by the passing of 

 a ship, or pursued by their inveterate foes, the dol- 

 phin and albicore. They spring from the crest of a 

 wave, and, darting forward, plunge into another to 

 \ret the membrane of the fins, and in this manner 

 continue their flights for several hundred yards, 

 often pursued by marine birds in the element to 

 which they are driven for protection against the 

 tyrants of their own. In all the species belonging 

 to the genus exocetus, the pectoral fins are very much 

 developed, and the superior lobe of the caudal fin 

 shorter ; the head and body are invested with large 

 soft scales, and the body has a ridge or carina, 

 extending longitudinally along each side, which 

 gives it somewhat of an angular appearance. 

 Head, when viewed from the front, triangular ; eyes, 

 very large ; teeth, minute ; branchiostegous rays, 

 ten ; air-bladder, very large. Flying-fish are in- 

 habitants of every temperate sea, though abounding 

 in the vicinity of the equator. In length, they rarely 

 exceed thirteen inches, and are commonly found 

 about eight. The flesh is pleasant, and much re- 

 sembles that of the fresh water gudgeon. Several 

 species are described by naturalists, some of which 

 have very long, fleshy filaments, depending from the 

 lower jaw, the use of which is not known. The 



exocetus voltlans, or common flying-fish of the At- 

 lantic, bears some resemblance to the E. exilicnr, 

 which is found in the Mediterranean, but differs in 

 having small ventral fins inserted behind the centre 

 of the body. The rapidity and force with which these 

 fish move through the air by the aid of their pectoral 

 fins, are such, that, in coming on board ships, they 

 are generally killed by the violence with which they 

 strike, and, in some cases, the head is fractured, and 

 beaten to pieces. In the gulf of Mexico are found 

 several species with curious appendages or filaments 

 attached to the lower jaw, as we have observed 

 above ; the largest of these is the exocetus appendi- 

 culatus (Wood, in Journ. Acad. Nat. Sciences), 

 a very rare species, few specimens of which exist in 

 collections. 



FO, FOE, FOHI, is revered in China as the 

 founder of a religion, which was introduced into 

 China in the first century of the Christian era. The 

 circumstances are related as follows : The emperor 

 Ming-ti XV., of the Hang dynasty, bethought him- 

 self of the words of Confucius " In the West shall 

 be found the holy one" and sent two grandees of 

 the empire, Tsay and Tsing-King, in that direction, 

 with orders not to return till they had found the 

 holy one, and learned his precepts. They returned 

 with the religion of Fo, which they had found in 

 India. According to the traditions of his followers, 

 Fo was born in Cashmere about the year 1027 B. C. 

 His father, In-fan-wang, was king of that country ; 

 his mother's name was Moye. He was born from 

 her right side. While she was in travail, the stars 

 were darkened, and nine dragons descended from 

 heaven. Immediately after the birth, she died. 

 In the beginning of her pregnancy, she dreamed that 

 she had swallowed a white elephant, which is the 

 cause of the veneration paid these animals in India. 

 According to other accounts, the mother of Fo is 

 said to have been impregnated by a ray of light. At 

 the moment of his entrance into the world, he stood 

 upright on his feet, stepped forward seven steps, 

 and, pointing one hand to heaven, and the other to 

 the earth, spoke distinctly these words : " None in 

 heaven or on earth deserves adoration beside me." 

 At that time, he was called Xekias (She-Kia) or 

 Shaka. In his seventeenth year, he married three 

 wives, and became the father of a son ; but, in his 

 nineteenth year, he left his family, and went with 

 four wise men into the wilderness. At the asre of 

 thirty, he was suddenly filled with the holy spirit, 

 and became a Fo, or divine being. He continued his 

 doctrines by miracles, collected an immense number 

 of disciples around him, and spread his doctrines 

 throughout the East. His priests and disciples were 

 called in China, Seng ; in Tartary, Lamas ; in Siam, 

 Talapoins ; and in Europe, Bowzes. In the seventy- 

 ninth year of his age, the great Fo, perceiving that 

 his end was approaching, declared to his disciples 

 " that hitherto he had spoken only in enigmatical 

 and figurative language, but that now, being about 

 to take leave of them, he would unveil to them the 

 mysteries of his doctrine." "Know then," said he, 

 " that there is no otherprinciple of all things, but the 

 void and nothing that from nothing all things have 

 sprung, and to nothing all must return, and there all 

 our hopes must end." This final declaration of Fo 

 divided his disciples into three sects. Some founded 

 on it an atheistical sect ; the greater part adhered to 

 his earlier doctrines ; while others made a dis- 

 tinction between exoteric and an esoteric doctrine, 

 which they endeavoured to bring into harmony. 

 The exoteric doctrine of Fo contains his system of 

 morality. It distinguishes between good and evil ; 

 he who has done good during this life will be re- 

 warded after death ; and he who has done evil will 



