The New Gresham Encyclopedia Part 23

Feathers are of four chief kinds. (1) _Quill feathers_ of the wing (_remiges_) and tail (_rectrices_); the former are attached to the hand and forearm. (2) _Contour feathers_, which determine the external form and are attached to certain areas of the skin; those overlapping the quills are known as _wing-coverts_ and _tail-coverts_. (3) Small soft _down feathers_.

(4) _Hair-like feathers_ (_filoplumes_). The plumage of birds is of characteristic colours, due either to pigments or physical structure (metallic feathers), and commonly having a protective function by harmonizing with the surroundings (especially in females), or, when of bright kind, playing a part in courtship (especially in males). The feathers of birds are periodically changed, generally once, but in some species twice a year. This is called _moulting_. When feathers have reached their full growth they become dry, and only the tube, or the vascular substance which it contains, continues to absorb moisture or fat. When, therefore, part of a feather is cut off, it does not grow out again; and a bird whose wings have been clipped remains in that condition till the next moulting season, when the old stumps are shed and new feathers grow out.

If, however, the stumps are pulled out sooner (by which operation the bird suffers nothing), the feathers will be renewed in a few weeks or even days.

The feather is a very strong formation, not readily damaged, the arch of the shaft resisting pressure, while the web and fine fibres yield without suffering. Being a bad conductor of heat, it preserves the high temperature of the bird, while it is so light as to be easily carried in flight. It is rendered almost impervious to wet by the oily fluid which most birds secrete at the base of the tail. Feathers form a considerable article of commerce, particularly those of the ostrich, heron, swan, peac.o.c.k, and goose, for plumes, ornaments, filling of beds, pens, and other purposes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Feather-star holding on by its grasping threads and its larvae attached by stalks]

FEATHER-STAR, one of the stalkless echinoderms belonging to the Crinoidea.

A well-known type is the rosy feather-star (_Antedon rosacea_), not uncommon in British seas, and consisting of a central body or disc, from which proceed five radiating arms, each dividing into two secondary branches, so that ultimately there are ten slender rays. Each arm is furnished on both sides with lateral processes so as to a.s.sume a feather-like appearance. It is fixed when young by a short stalk, but exists in a free condition in its adult state.

FEATHERSTONE, an urban district or town in the W. Riding of Yorks, England, 2 miles west by south of Pontefract; inhabitants work chiefly in the collieries. Pop. 14,839.

FEB'RIFUGE is an agent used to lessen fever. Antipyrine, quinine, and salicylic acid, are well-known examples of drugs used as febrifuges, while cold baths and cold sponging are the most effective of other methods.

FEBRO'NIANISM, in Roman Catholic theology, a system of doctrines antagonistic to the admitted claims of the Pope, and a.s.serting the independence of national Churches, and the rights of bishops to unrestricted action in matters of discipline and Church government within their own dioceses. The term is derived from Justinus _Febronius_, _a nom de plume_ a.s.sumed by John Nicholas von Hontheim, Archbishop of Treves, in a work ent.i.tled _De Statu Ecclesiae et legitima Potestate Romani Pontificis_ (On the State of the Church and the Legitimate Power of the Roman Pontiff), published in 1763.

FEB'RUARY (from the Roman _Februa_, a festival of expiation or purification), the second month in the year, having twenty-eight days, except in leap-year, when it has twenty-nine. This latter number of days it had originally among the Romans, until the Senate decreed that the seventh month should bear the name of Augustus, when a day was taken from February and added to August to make it equal to July in number of days.

FeCAMP (f[=a]-ka[.n]; Lat. _Fiscanum_, derived from _Ficus Campus_, Fig Plain), a seaport of France, department of Seine-Inferieure, 23 miles north-east of Havre. It is one of the best ports in the Channel, and has many vessels employed in the cod, herring, and mackerel fisheries. Pop.

17,383.

FECHTER (fesh-t[=a]r), Charles Albert, French actor and dramatist, born in 1824, died in America in 1879. His first appearance on the stage was at the Salle Moliere, after which he made a short tour of Italy with a travelling French company. Returning to Paris, he appeared between 1844 and 1856 at different Parisian theatres, and in 1857 he was joint-director of the Odeon. In 1860 he came to London, and at once achieved great success as Ruy Blas and Hamlet at the Princess's Theatre, characters in which he departed widely from stage traditions. He subsequently leased the Lyceum, and afterwards the Adelphi, acting youthful and melodramatic parts with striking power. From 1870 to 1878 he lived in the United States, but his experiences as a manager in New York were not successful.

FED'ERAL, or FEDERALIST, an appellation in America given to those politicians who wanted to strengthen the central government, in opposition to those who wished to extend the separate authority of each individual state. Hence in the Civil Wars of 1861-5 the term _Federals_ was applied to the Northern party.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, government by the confederation of several united states, self-governing in local matters, but subject in matters of general polity to a central authority, as, for instance, the Swiss Republic, the United States of North America, Mexico, Argentine, Brazil, The Union of South Africa, and Russia since the revolution of 1917. The degree to which such states give up their individual rights as sovereign bodies may be very different.--BIBLIOGRAPHY: Viscount Bryce, _The American Commonwealth_; Burgess, _Political Science and Comparative Const.i.tutional Law_; Freeman, _History of Federal Government_.

FEE, or FIEF (A.S. _feoh_, cattle, property), in law, primarily meant a loan of land, an estate held in trust on condition of the grantee giving personal or other service to the prince or lord who granted it. Feudal estates, however, soon came to be regarded as inalienable heritages held on various tenures; hence the term fee came to be equivalent to an estate of inheritance, that is, an interest in land which pa.s.ses to heirs if the owner die intestate. The amplest estate or interest in land is that of a _fee-simple_, which is also called an absolute fee, in contradistinction to a fee limited or clogged with certain conditions. A fee-simple means the entire and absolute possession of land, with full power to alienate it by deed, gift, or will. It is the estate out of which other lesser estates are said to be carved; such as a _fee-tail_ (see _Entail_), which is limited to particular heirs, and subject to certain restrictions of use; and a _base fee_, which ceases with the existence of certain conditions.

FEE-FARM, in law, a kind of tenure of land without homage, fealty, or other service, except that mentioned in the feoffment, which is usually the full rent.

FEELING is properly a synonym for sensation, or that state of consciousness which results from the application of a stimulus to some sensory nerve. It is the most universal of the senses, existing wherever there are nerves; and they are distributed over all parts of the body, though most numerous in such parts as the finger-tips and the lines where skin and mucous membrane pa.s.s into each other. This universal distribution of feeling is necessary, otherwise parts of the body might be destroyed without our knowledge. The structures which thus apprehend the impressions of contact are papillae or conical elevations of the skin in which the nerves end, and which are richly supplied with blood-vessels. The term feeling is also used for a general sense of comfort or discomfort which cannot be localized, and it designates states of consciousness which are either agreeable or disagreeable. In a figurative sense the term is also applied to a mental emotion, or even to a moral conception; thus we may speak of a friendly feeling, a feeling of freedom. See _Emotion_.--BIBLIOGRAPHY: A. Bain, _The Emotions and the Will_; T. Ribot, _Psychology of the Emotions_.

FEGATELLA, a genus of Liverworts, family Marchantiales. _F. conica_ is common on moist banks.

FEIJOA, a genus of Myrtaceae, natives of Brazil. The flowers are pollinated by birds, which feed on the juicy petals, a very unusual method.

FEISUL, or FEISAL, Emir, King of Irak (Mesopotamia), born in 1887, the third surviving son of Hussein, King of Hejaz. Educated at Constantinople, Feisul held several posts under the Turkish Government, but took an active part in the revolutionary movement which resulted in the deposition of Sultan Abdul Hamid. He then returned to Arabia, where he commanded the Arabs against Ibn Saud, the head of a new religious sect, who threatened his father's emirate. During the European War Hussein sided with the Allies, and Feisul organized and commanded a regular Arab army, which formed Lord Allenby's right wing, and took part in the latter's operations in Palestine. As a reward for his services an independent, or semi-independent, state was established at Damascus under Feisul, and the prince was proclaimed King of Syria in March, 1920. Serious friction, however, arose between the French authorities and the Arabs, and hostilities broke out in July. The French, under General Gouraud, occupied Damascus, compelled the Arabs to recognize the French mandate for Syria, and deposed the new King of Syria. In August, 1921, Feisul became the first Arab king of the new state of Irak (Mesopotamia), set up by the British Government. He was crowned with great splendour at Bagdad on the 23rd of Aug., in the presence of a great gathering of his people and the representatives of the British Government. A personal message from King George V was handed to Feisul, and the British High Commissioner, Sir Percy c.o.x, formally announced the recognition by Great Britain of the new ruler of Irak.

FELANICHE (fel-[.a]-n[=e]'ch[=a]), a town in the Island of Majorca, a very ancient place with Moorish remains. Pop. (commune), 11,400.

FELEGYHAZA (f[=a]'led-ya-z[.a]), a town of Hungary, 66 miles S.E. of Budapest, with large cattle-markets and an extensive trade in corn, wine, and fruit. Pop. 34,924.

FELICU'DI, one of the Lipari Isles, off the north coast of Sicily, 10 miles west of Salina. It is about 9 miles in circuit. The soil is both fertile and well cultivated. Pop. 800.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Teeth of Felidae

Skull and Teeth of the Tiger. _a_, Canines or tearing teeth. _b_, Incisors or cutting teeth. _c_, True molars or grinding teeth. _d_, Carna.s.sial or sectorial teeth.]

FE'LIDae, animals of the cat kind, a family of Carnivora in which the predaceous instincts reach their highest development. They are among the quadrupeds what the Falconidae are among the birds. The teeth and claws are the princ.i.p.al instruments of the destructive energy in these animals. The incisor teeth are equal; the third tooth behind the large canine in either jaw is narrow and sharp, and these, the carna.s.sial or sectorial teeth, work against each other like scissors in cutting flesh; the claws are sheathed and retractile. They all approach their prey stealthily, seize it with a spring, and devour it fresh. The species are numerous in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, but none are found in Australia. The family comprehends the lion, tiger, leopard, lynx, jaguar, panther, cheetah, ounce, serval, ocelot, and cat.

FELIX, Antonius or Claudius, procurator of Judaea and freedman of the Emperor Claudius, is described by Tacitus as unscrupulous and profligate both in his public and private conduct. It was before this Felix that Paul's discourse (_Acts_, xxiv, 25) was spoken. He was recalled A.D. 62, and narrowly escaped condemnation at Rome, on charges which the Jews had lodged against him.

FELIX, Marcus Minucius, a distinguished Roman lawyer, who embraced Christianity, and wrote a defence of it in a dialogue ent.i.tled _Octavius_.

The period when he flourished is uncertain; but Jerome is probably right in placing him about A.D. 230.

FELIXSTOWE, a watering-place in England, on the Suffolk coast, 11 miles south-east of Ipswich, between the mouths of the Orwell and Deben. The steamers which ply between Ipswich and Harwich on the Orwell call at Felixstowe Pier, which is opposite Harwich. Pop. (urban district), 11,655.

FELLAH (pl. _fellahin_), an Arabian word meaning 'peasant', and used for the labouring cla.s.s in Egypt. The fellahs or _fellahin_ const.i.tute about three-fourths of the population of Egypt, and are mostly the direct descendants of the old Egyptians, although both their language and religion are now that of their Arabian conquerors. They live in rude huts by the banks of the Nile, and in past times have suffered much from over-taxation and oppressive rule at the hands of a succession of tyrants, and especially of the Turks before the British occupation of Egypt.

FELLA'TAH, FULBE, or FULAHS, a remarkable African race of the negro type, the original locality of which is unknown, but which is now widely diffused throughout the Sudan, where they are the predominant people in the states of Futa-Toro, Futa-Jalon, Bondu, and Sokoto. Though of the negro family, they have neither the deep jet colour, the crisped hair, flat nose, nor thick lips of the negro. In person they are decidedly handsome, and mostly of a light copper colour. They are shrewd, intelligent, and brave, and are mostly Mohammedans. Their influence is continually spreading.

FEL'LENBERG, Philip Emanuel von, Swiss educationalist, born in 1771, died in 1844. Having devoted himself to the social and intellectual improvement of the peasantry, he purchased the estate of Hofwyl, and established successively an inst.i.tution for instructing the children of the poorer cla.s.ses, a seminary for children in the higher grades of life, and a normal school. The pupils were all trained to work in the fields or at the bench, and the product of their labour was sufficient to cover the expenses of their education. Fellenberg's scheme was ultimately so successful as to attract the attention even of foreign Governments. The inst.i.tutions established by him still exist in a modified form.

FELLING, a populous locality in Durham, a little to the south-east of Newcastle, and adjoining Gateshead, consisting of the combined villages of High and Low Felling, and forming an urban district. It contains chemical and other industrial works. Pop. 26,152.

FEL'LOWS, Sir Charles, traveller and antiquarian, was born in 1799 at Nottingham, died in 1860. He first explored the valley of the Xanthus in Lycia, in 1838, and discovered the remains of the cities Xanthus and Teos.

Under the auspices of the trustees of the British Museum he made further explorations in 1839 and 1841, and succeeded in obtaining the marbles now in the Lycian saloon of the museum. He was knighted by the queen in 1845.

His princ.i.p.al works are: _The Xanthian Marbles: their Acquisition and Transmission to England_; _Travels and Researches in Asia Minor_; and _Coins of Ancient Lycia before the Reign of Alexander_.

FELLOWSHIP, a distinction conferred by some universities, especially those of Oxford and Cambridge, which ent.i.tles the holder, called a fellow, to an annual stipend for a certain period. Fellowships in the English colleges commonly range in value from about 150 to 250 or 300 a year, and they all confer upon their holders the right to apartments in the college, and certain privileges as to commons or meals. Formerly they were usually tenable for life or till the attainment of a certain position in the Church or at the Bar, or till marriage; but six or seven years is now a common period during which they may be held, though this may be prolonged in certain circ.u.mstances. At Dublin University senior fellows hold their office for life.

FELO DE SE (Lat., 'a felon in regard to himself'), in law, a person who, being of sound mind and of the age of discretion, deliberately causes his own death. Formerly, in England, the goods of such a person were forfeited to the Crown, and his body interred in an ignominious manner; that is, unless the coroner's jury gave a verdict of unsound mind; but these penalties have been abolished.

FEL'ONY, in law, includes generally all crimes below treason and of greater gravity than misdemeanours. Formerly it was applied to those crimes which entailed forfeiture of lands or goods as part of the punishment.

FELSITE, or FELSTONE, a hard, compact igneous rock of somewhat flinty appearance, composed usually of quartz and orthoclase felspar intimately mixed, but sometimes of less highly siliceous minerals.

FEL'SPAR, or FELDSPAR, a very important group of mineral silicates of aluminium, with pota.s.sium, sodium, or calcium, ranging from orthoclase, the pota.s.sium species, with 64.7 per cent of silica, to anorthite, the calcium species, with only 43.3. Albite, the sodium felspar, has 68.8 per cent of silica, and the species between this and anorthite are regarded as mixtures of albite and anorthite molecules. These molecules probably do not exist as such within the crystals; but the various characters of the species graduate into one another in agreement with the chemical const.i.tution, so that the felspars form an admirable example of the relation of chemical composition, specific gravity, and crystalline and optical features. At the same time orthoclase and microcline are both pota.s.sium felspars; yet the former crystallizes in the monoclinic, and the latter in the triclinic system. All the sodium, sodium-calcium, and calcium species are triclinic, except the rare monoclinic sodium felspar barbierite. The forms throughout the felspar series are closely similar, and the hardness is uniform, being just below that of quartz, and about that of a steel file. Felspar is one of the princ.i.p.al const.i.tuents of almost all igneous rocks, such as granite, diorite, and basalt. The alkali species yield kaolin by alteration, and are thus the source of china-clay.

_Printed and bound in Great Britain_

NOTES

[1] The use of gas, as already pointed out, had been forced on the British by its adoption by the Germans. Ultimately the methods invented by British chemists and physicists outga.s.sed the Germans.

[2] Portugal was drawn into the war on the side of the Allies on 19th March, 1916, when Germany declared war on her, ostensibly because she had requisitioned German merchant ships lying in her harbours, but in reality because an invasion of Mozambique was then becoming necessary to Germany's hard-pressed troops in East Africa.

[3] j.a.pan afterwards a.s.sisted the Allies with war supplies--particularly with heavy guns to Russia before the Bolshevik betrayal--subsequently helping to stem the tide of Bolshevism in the Far East, besides contributing with her ships to the defeat of the German submarine campaign in the Mediterranean.