FOR 
tlie hand ; yet thereby lie becomes capable 
of purchasing other goods. But, on burn- 
in:: in the hand, he ought to be immediate- 
ly-restored to the possession of lus lands. 
The forfeiture upon an attainder of treason 
or felony shall have relation to the time 
of the, offence, for the avoiding all sub- 
sequent alienation of the lands ; but to the 
time of conviction, on fugam fecit found, 
&c. only, as to chattels, unless the party 
were killed in flying from, or resisting those 
who had arrested him : in which case, it is 
said that the forfeiture shall relate to the 
time of the offence. 
FORFICULA, in natural history, the 
earwig, a genus of insects of the order Cole- 
optera. Antennae setaceous; feelers un- 
equal, filiform ; shells halt as long as the 
abdomen ; wings folded up under the shells ; 
tail armed with' a forceps. There are eigh- 
teen species enumerated by Gmelin, two ot 
which are natives of this country, viz. F. au- 
ricularia and F. minor. The former is too 
well known to stand in need of any parti- 
cular description: it flies only by night, 
and can scarcely be made to expand its 
wings by day. The female deposits her 
eggs, which are rather large, white, and 
oval, under stones, in any damp situation, 
where they may be secure from too great 
heat or drought. From the eggs are 
hatched the larvae, which are small, but 
possessing the general aspect of the parent 
animal, except being of a white colour. 
The parent insect, it is said, broods over 
'her young, as the hen over her chickens. 
They change their skin at certain intervals 
during the earlier stages of their growth, 
and thus gradually acquire a darker colour, 
till at length the wing-sheaths and wings 
are formed, and. the animals may be consi- 
dered as perfect. The usual food of the. 
earwig consists of decayed fruit: it will, 
however, if kept without food, attack and 
devour its own species. Gmelin seems, to 
agree with the vulgar notion ot its creeping 
into the ears of such as sleep in the open 
air ; but Dr. Shaw regards it as an ancient, 
though generally received error. Others 
have” however, taken for granted, that 
such accidents may happen ; and observe, 
that when this or any other insect falls into 
the ear, a little oil poured in will imme- 
diately kill it, after which it may be picked 
out, or discharged with a syringe of warm 
water. 
FORGE, properly signifies a little fur- 
nace, wherein smiths and other artificers 
of iron or steel, &c. beat, their raetqls 
FOR 
red hot, in order to soften and render 
them more malleable and manageable on 
the anvil. An ordinary forge is nothing 
but a pair of bellows, the nozzle of which is 
directed upon a smooth area, on which 
coal3 are placed. The nozzle may also be 
directed to the bottom of any furnace, to 
excite the combustion of the coals placed 
there, by which a kind of forge is formed. 
In laboratories there is generally a small fur- 
nace consisting of a cylindrical piece, open 
at top, which has at its lower side a hole 
for receiving the nozzle ot a double bellows. 
This kind of forge furnace is very conve- 
nient for fusions, as the operation is quickly 
performed, and with few coals. In its 
lower part, a little above the hole for re- 
ceiving the nozzle of the bellows, may be 
placed an iron plate of the same diame- 
ter, supported upon two horizontal bars, 
and pierced near its circumference with 
four holes diametrically opposite to each 
other. By this disposition the wind of the 
bellows, pushed forcibly under this plate, 
enters at these holes ; and thus the heat ot 
the fire is equally distributed, and the cru- 
cible in the furnace is equally surrounded 
by it. As the wind of bellows strongly and 
rapidly excites the action of the fire, a forge 
is very convenient when a great heat is 
required. The forge, or blast-bellows, is 
used to fuse salts, metals, ores, &c. It is 
much used also in works which require 
strong heat, without much management; 
and chiefly in the smelting of ores, and 
fusion of metallic matters. 
Forge, in the train of artillery, is ge- 
nerally called a travelling forge, and may 
not be improperly called a portable smith’s 
shop : at this forge all manner of smith’s 
work is made, and it can be used upon a 
march, as well as in camp. 
Forge is also used for a large furnace, 
wherein iron-ore, taken out of the mine, 
is melted down; or it is more properly 
applied to another kind of furnace, where- 
in the iron-ore, melted down and separated 
in a former furnace, and then cast into sows 
and pigs, is heated and fused over again, 
and beaten afterwards with large hammers, 
and thus rendered more soft, pure, ductile, 
and fit for use. 
FORGERY, is where a person counter- 
feits the signature of another, with intent to 
defraud ; which by the law of England is 
made a capital felony. This law is now ex- 
tended by statute to the counterfeiting of al- 
most every written instrument which is ei- 
ther a security for money of a public do- 
