FOURCROY FOX. 



243 



palliation as those of Robespierre, who considered the 

 extermination of the aristocracy as a necessary evil. 



FOURCROY, ANTHONY FRANCIS DE, a celebrated 

 French chemist and natural philosopher, was a 

 native of Paris, and educated at the college of Har- 

 court. In his youth, he was fond of music and 

 poetry, and was even disposed to become an actor ; 

 but the ill-success of one of his friends deterred him. 

 Having adopted the profession of medicine, he 

 applied himself closely to the study of the sciences 

 connected with it, and especially to chemistry. He 

 published, in 1776, a translation of Ramazzini's trea- 

 tise on the Diseases of Artisans. In 1780, he took 

 the degree of M. D. ; in 1784, he was made pro- 

 fessor of chemistry, at the Jardin du Roi ; and the 

 next year he was chosen a member of the academy 

 of sciences. At this period, he became associated 

 with Lavoisier, Guyton-Morveau, and Berthollet, in 

 the researches which led to the vast improvements and 

 discoveries in chemistry, which have immortalized 

 their names ; and, in conjunction with those gentle- 

 men, he drew up the Methode de Nomenclature Chim- 

 ique, Paris, 1787, 8vo. He distinguished himselfless by 

 the discovery of unknown bodies than by the system- 

 atic arrangement of the principles of the science, and 

 by popular expositions in his lectures and publica- 

 tions. When the revolution took place, he engaged 

 in politics, and was chosen a deputy from Paris to 

 the national convention. He did not, however, take 

 his seat in that assembly till after the fall of Robes- 

 pierre. By his means, a plan lor a uniform system 

 of weights and measures was adopted. In Septem- 

 ber, 1794, he became a member of the committee of 

 public safety. His attention in this post was chiefly 

 directed to the formation of public schools, and the 

 establishment of institutions for the education of 

 youth. He organized the central school of public 

 works, out of which the polytechnic school afterwards 

 sprang, and co-operated in the establishment of the 

 normal schools. In September, 1795, he passed into 

 the council of ancients, and was nominated professor 

 of chemistry, and a member of the national institute. 

 He vacated his seat in the council in May, 1797, and 

 in December, 1799, Bonaparte gave him a place in 

 the council of state, in the section of the interior, in 

 which place he drew up a plan for a system of public 

 instruction, which, with some alteration, was adopted. 

 He died December 16, 1809, aged 55. His works 

 are numerous, among which the following are the 

 most important: Lemons Elementaires d'Histoire 

 Nuturelle et de Chimie, 5 vols. 8vo ; Systeme des 

 Connaissances Chimiques, et de leurs Applications 

 aux Phenomenes de la Nature et de I' Art, 5 vols. 

 4to ; Philosophic Chimique, 8vo ; all which have 

 been translated into English; and La Medicine 

 eclah ee par les Sciences Physiques, 4, vols. 8vo. He 

 also published many papers in the Memoirs of the 

 Academy of Sciences, and in the annals of Chem- 

 istry. 



FOURTEENTH, in music; the octave, or repli- 

 cate of the seventh ; a distance comprehending thir- 

 teen diatonic intervals. 



FOURTH, in music ; a distance comprising three 

 diatonic intervals, or two tones and a half. 



FOX. This well-known animal is a native of 

 almost every quarter of the globe, and has been 

 esteemed the most sagacious and crafty of all beasts 

 of prey. The former quality he demonstrates in his 

 mode of providing himself an asylum, and the latter 

 in his schemes for catching his prey. The fox 

 belongs to the genus canis of naturalists, and has 

 been formed into a sub-genus, on account of its longer 

 and more bushy tail, more pointed muzzle, nocturnal 

 pupils, less slanting superior incisive teeth, fetid 

 odour, and habit of burrowing. All the species are 



equally wily and voracious, greedily devouring birds 

 and small quadrupeds, disliked and betrayed by most 

 ol those animals who have a dread of his attacks, and 

 extremely difficult to be tamed, even when caught 

 very young. The fox, like the wolf, is the constant 

 object of persecution, from the ravages he commits, 

 not only on domestic animals, but also on some fruits. 

 He has been the destroyer of grapes from the ear- 

 liest records. He devours honey, sucks eggs, carries 

 off poultry, and, in feet, commits mischief in every 

 possible form. 



The common fox of Europe (C. vulpes) exhibits a 

 great degree of cunning in digging young rabbits out 

 of their burrows. He does not enter the hole, as, in 

 such case, he would be obliged to dig several feet 

 along the ground under the surface ; but he follows 

 their scent above, till he comes to the end where 

 they lie, and then, scratching up the earth, descends 

 immediately upon, and devours them. The. den of 

 this fox is so contrived as to afford the best possible 

 security to the inhabitant, being situated under hard 

 ground, the roots of trees, &o., and furnished with 

 proper outlets for the purpose of escape, if necessary. 

 He is one of those animals that are made the objects 

 of diversion in the chase. When he finds himself 

 pursued, he usually makes for his hole, and, pene- 

 trating to the bottom, lies quiet till a terrier is sent 

 in to him. If his den is under a rock or the roots of 

 trees, which is often the case, he is safe, for the ter- 

 rier is no match for him there, and he cannot-be dug 

 out. When, as is generally practised, the retreat to 

 his den is cut off, his stratagems and shifts to escape 

 are various. He always seeks the most woody parts 

 of the country, and prefers such paths as are most 

 embarrassed by thorns and briers. He runs in a 

 direct line before the hounds, and at no great distance 

 from them. When overtaken, he fights very obstin- 

 ately. He possesses astonishing acuteness -of smell. 

 During winter he makes a continual yelping, but in 

 summer he is usually silent. In Japan, the natives 

 believe him to be animated by the devil ; and their 

 writings are full of strange accounts respecting him. 



Arctic fox (C. lagopus). This is smaller than the 

 common fox, with a sharp nose, and short, rounded 

 ears, almost hid in its fur ; its hair is long, soft, and 

 somewhat woolly. Its legs are short, having the 

 toes covered with fur, like those of the hare ; hence 

 its specific name. It inhabits the countries border- 

 ing on the Frozen ocean in both continents. In Oc- 

 tober and November, like the common fox, it is the 

 most sleek, and has the best coat of hair, which, 

 later in the season, becomes too thick and ragged. 

 As the winter commences, it grows perfectly white, 

 changing colour last on the ridge of the back and tip 

 of the tail. In April and May, it begins to shed its 

 coat. In June, it drops its cubs, from three to five 

 in a litter. This fox preys upon various small quad- 

 rupeds, such as hares, marmots, &c., as well as upon 

 partridges and other birds, the carcasses of fish left on 

 shore ; and, driven by necessity, it will eat indis- 

 criminately whatever may promise to allay its hunger. 

 We are informed by Mr Crantz, that it exerts an 

 extraordinary degree of cunning in taking fish. It 

 goes into the water, and makes a splash with its feet 

 in order to attract them, and, when they come up, 

 immediately seizes them. It is taken with great 

 facility in traps, and it is a singular circumstance, that 

 these animals will prey on each other, when they 

 find individuals killed, wounded, or caught, as readily 

 as upon any other food. Their skins are not of any 

 great value. 



Black fox (C. argentatus). This species is strik- 

 ingly similar to the common fox, and is only distin- 

 guishable by its copious and beautiful fur, which is of a 

 rich and shining black colour, having a small quantity 

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