VEN 
pieces brought down to their proper thick- 
ness, with several planes for the purpose, 
they are glued down on a ground or block, 
with good strong glue. The pieces being 
thus jointed and glued, the work, if small, 
is put in a press ; if large, it is laid on a 
bench covered with a board, and pressed 
down with poles or pieces of wood, one 
end of which reaches to the ceiling ot the 
room, and the other bears on the board. 
Wlicn the glue is thoroughly dry, it is taken 
out of the press and finished ; first with lit- 
tle planes, then with divers scrapers, some 
\ of which resemble rasps, which take off the 
dents, &c. left by the planes. After it has 
been sufficiently scraped, they polish it 
with the skin of a sea-dog, wax, and a brush, 
or polisher of shave-grass ; which is the last 
operation. 
VENTER, is used in the law for the 
children by a woman of one marriage. 
There is a first and second venter, &c. 
where a man hath children by several 
wives. 
VENTILAGO, in botany, a genus of the 
Pentandria Monogynia class and order. 
Essential character : calyx tubular; corolla 
scales protecting the stamens, which are in- 
serted into the calyx; samara winged at 
the top and one seeded, There is only one 
species, viz. V. maderaspatana. 
VENTILATOR, a machine by which 
the noxious air of any close place, as an hos- 
pital, gaol, ship, chamber, &c. may be 
changed for fresh air. 
VENTRE inspiciendo, a writ to search a 
woman tliat saith she is with child, and 
thereby withholds lands from the next heir. 
As if a man, having lands in fee-simple, die, 
and his widow soon after marry again, and 
eay she is with child by her former husband ; 
in this case, this writ de ventre inspiciendo 
lies for the heir against her ; by which writ 
the sheriff is commanded, that in presence 
of twelve men, and as many women, he 
cause examination to be made', whether tlie 
woman is with child or not ; and if with 
child, then about what time it will be born ; 
and that he certify the same to the justices 
of the assize, or at Westminster, under his 
seal, and under the seals of two of the men 
present. Cro. Elizabeth, 605, Tills writ 
is now granted, not only to an heir at law, 
but to a devisee, whetlier for life, in tail, 
or in fee. 
VENTRILOQUISM, an art of speak- 
ing, by means of which the human voice 
and other sounds are rendered audible, as 
if they proceeded from various different 
VEN 
places ; though the ntterer does not change 
his place, and in many instances does not 
appear to speak. It has been supposed to 
be a natural peculiarity, because few, if any, 
persons have learned it by being taught ; 
and we have had no rules laid down for ac- 
quiring it. It seems to have been in con- 
sequence of this notion that the name ven- 
tiiloquism has been applied to it, from a 
supposition that the voice proceeds from the 
thorax or chest. It has seldom been practised 
but by persons of the lower classes of so- 
ciety ; and as it does not seem to present 
any advantages beyond that of causing sur- 
prize and entertainment, and cannot be ex- 
hibited on an extended theatre, the proba- 
bility is that it will continue amongst tliem. 
Mr. Gough, in the Manchester Memoirs, 
and in various parts of Nicholson’s Journal, 
has entertained the opinion that the voice 
of ventriloquists is made to proceed, in 
appearance, from different parts of a room 
by the management of an echo. But the 
facts themselves do not support this hypo- 
tliesis, as a great and sudden variety and 
change of echoes would be required ; and 
his own judicious remarks, in the same 
work, on tiie facility with which we are de- 
ceived as to the direction of sound, are ad- 
verse to his theory. From numerous atten- 
tive observations, it appears manifest, that 
the art is not peculiar to pertain individuals, 
but may with facility be acquired by any 
person of accurate observation. It consists 
merely in an imitation of sounds, as they 
occur in nature, accompanied wdth appro- 
priate action of such a description as may 
best concur in leading the minds of the ob- 
servers to favour the deception. 
Any one who shall try, will be a little 
surprised to find how easy it is to imitate 
the noise made by a saw, or by a snuff- 
box when opened or shut, or by a large 
hand-bell, or a cork cutter’s knife, a watch 
while going, and numberless other inani- 
mate objects; or the voices of animals 
in their various situations and necessities, 
such as a cat, a dog, or an hen enraged, inti- 
midated, confined, &c. ; or to vary the cha- 
racter of the human voice by shrillness or 
depth of tone, rapidity or drawling of ex- 
ecution, and distinctness or imperfection of 
articulating, which may be instantly chang- 
ed by holding the mouth a little more open 
or more closed than usual, altering the posi- 
tion of the jaw, keeping the tongue in any 
determinate situation, &c. And every one 
of the imitations of the ventriloquists will 
be rendered more perfect by practising 
