Felidæ, or Feline

pl. [Lat. felis, cat.] The Cat tribe, a family of carnivorous quadrupeds, including the domestic cat, lions, tigers, panthers, leopards, and lynxes. In these animals the destructive organs reach the highest perfection. The head is short and almost rounded in its form. The principal instruments of their destructive energy are the teeth and claws, their strong, sharp retractile talons, with which all the four feet are armed, and the corresponding destructive nature of the dentary organs constituting the e ential characteristics of the family. They have six small incisors in each jaw, the exterior ones larger than the rest; two canine teeth in each jaw, long, sharp, conical, slightly incurved; eight præmolars in the upper jaw, and four in the lower, furnished with two roots, compre ed, pointed, and serrated; and generally four flesh-teeth, or true molars, in the upper jaw, and two in the lower, very large, sharp-edged, and terminated by two or three points. In addition to this formidable apparatus of cutting-teeth, the tongue is covered with small recurved prickles by which they can clean from the bones of their prey every particle of flesh IMG:content-0138.png:[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed] Fig . 997.- CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE FELIDE. 1, tiger's head; 2, showing the dentition; 3, portion of tongue: 4, right fore-paw, showing claws; 5, claw, showing tendon. The palate is soft, and that part of the tongue which corresponds with it is smooth; as it advances forward, it is covered with large soft papillæ directed backwards; then there are four large fe ulate papillæ, anterior to which the simple conical papillæ continue increasing in size to near the tip of the tongue. These papillæ are armed with the strong spines before mentioned. There are no quadrupeds in which the muscles of the jaws and limbs are more fully developed. The skeleton presents a light but well-built mechanism; the bones, though slender, are extremely compact; the trunk, having to contain the simple digestive apparatus requisite for the a imilation of highly organized animal food, is comparatively slender, and flattened at the sides. The muscular forces are thus enabled to carry the light body along by extensive bounds, and thus it is that the larger felines generally make their attack. The five toes of the fore-feet and the four toes of the hind-feet of cats are armed with very strong, hooked, sub compre ed, sharp claws, which are preserved from being blunted by a peculiar arrangement of the phalanges. For this purpose the claw-joint of each toe is drawn back by ligaments attached to the penultimate joint, until it a umes a perpendicular position, when the claw which it supports is completely retracted within a sort of sheath, and is entirely concealed by the fur. When, however, the animal springs upon its prey, the tendons of the flexor muscles of the toes, overcoming the elasticity of the retractile ligaments, push forward the claws, and they are ready to be buried in the flesh of the victim. The lower surface of the foot is furnished with thick ball-like pads of the epidermis, upon which the animal walks; this gives them the noisele tread peculiar to this family. It will be seen, on reference to any members of the cat tribe, that their mode of walking is different from that of man, monkeys, or bats. The weight of the body rests only on the toes, and not on the entire foot. This manner of walking is termed "digitigrade," from the Lat. digit us , a finger, and gradus , a step. Cats hunt in the gloom, and, consequently, while escaping observation, require every ray of light that can be made available. (See CAT.) The pupil is a long, vertical fi ure; but this only obtains among the smaller genera; in all the F. above the ocelot in size, the pupil a umes again the rounded form. On the top of the skull there runs a tolerably high bony crest, which reaches its greatest elevation at the very back of the head. This bone ridge is intended for the attachment of the powerful muscles which raise the head and enable the animal to perform its prodigious feats of strength. The first two vertebra partake of a similar enlargement to that which has already been observed on the back of the skull. The vertebra which is nearest to the head, and is called the "atlas," is broad and strong, and spreads laterally; while the second, or " axis," is long, and is developed upwards into a very powerful crest. The ribs are beautifully formed, and placed rather widely apart, giving plenty of room for the heart and lungs to perform their duties effectually. The vertebræ that fill the space between the ribs and the hip-bones are very large, and so exquisitely jointed together that they unite a graceful flexibility of movement with great muscular power. With regard to the digestive organs of the F. , the salivary glands are small, as might be expected when it can hardly be said that mastication is exercised. In the case of the lion, the stomach is divided, by a slight contraction in its middle, into two portions. As in most of the family, its muscular coats are very strong. In the carnivora, the stomach, which is of a cylindrical form, has no culs-de-sac; the œsophagus opens at its anterior extremity, and the intestine commences from the pos terior; so that everything favors a quick pa age of the food, which receives no mastication, and is retained Feline, a. [Fr. félin , Lat. felinus , from felis , a cat.] Like a cat; pertaining to the cat tribe; as, feline ra- pacity. Felipe, (San.) See SAN FELIPE. Felis, n. [Lat., a cat.] ( Zool .) The true Cat, a gen. of ferocious animals, family Felidæ . The species are de- scribed separately under CAT, LEOPARD, LION, OCELOT, PANTHER, TIGER, and YAGUARUNDI. Felix, CLAUDIUS OF ANTONIUS, a Roman procurator of Judea, before whom Paul so "reasoned of righteousne , temperance, and judgment to come," that he trembled, saying, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a con- venient season I will call for thee." - Felix rose from slavery, having been manumitted by Claudius Cæsar. To what qualifications he was indebted for his advance- ment may be surmised from the historian Suet on i us, calling him "the husband of three queens or royal ladies." His rule in Judea, notwithstanding its severity, or rather in consequence of it, was marked by constant disorders and disaffection; and, but for the interest of his brother (the notorious freedman Pallas) with Nero, the charges carried up against him to Rome would have been his ruin. Drusilla, "the Jewe ," his second wife, had been seduced by him from her husband Azizus, king of Emesa. Tacitus paints Felix in the darkest colors, a character confirmed by what is related of him in the New Testament, that he had expected a bribe from Paul, and that, disappointed in this, he left him bound, " to show the Jews a pleasure." -Acts xxiii., xxiv. Felix I., pope and saint, succeeded Dionysius, 269. He suffered martyrdom in the persecution of Aurelian Fell-mon'ger, n . [See FELL.] A dealer in sheepskins; | Felsobanyte, n. ( Min .) A hydrous sulphate of alu one who separates the wool from the hide. Fell'ne , n . [See FELL, cruel.] Cruelty; barbarity; Fellow, n. [A. S. felaw , from fylgan , to follow; Icel. felagi , a partnership in goods, from fe , money, and lag , a compact.] A companion with whom we consort; one united in the same affair; an a ociate; a sharer; as, "each on his fellow for a istance calls." ( Dryden .) - One of the same kind; a thing suited to another; one of a pair; a thing like or equal to another; as, "this knave hath not his fellow ." ( Shaks .)-An ignoble, mean, ill-bred, or worthle man. "Worth makes the man, the want of it the fellow ." - Shaks. -A familiar appellation, usually of contempt; as, "now, fellows , to your work." - A member of an English col- lege, or other incorporated society, sharing in its reve- nues. A trustee of a college. (U. S.) -In composition it indicates a ociation for a purpose, or equality; as, our fellow -members, my fellow -citizens. Fellow-com'moner, n. At an English university, one who has the same right of commons with the Fel- lows; a student who dines with the Fellows. Fellow-creature, n. One made by the same creator. Fel'low-heir, n. A co-heir; a joint-heir; one en- titled to the same inheritance. Fellow le , a . Matchle : peerle ; without equal. Fellowmen, n . pl . Men partaking of the same com- mon nature. Fellowship, n . Partnership; mutual a ociation of persons for their joint interest. - Familiar intercourse; mutual a ociation of persons on equal and friendly terms; companionship. - State of being together; con- federation; as, the fellowship of States. ( Arith .) A rule of considerable use in balancing ac- counts among partners in trade. Considered as an arith- metical proce , it is simply a method of dividing a num- ber into parts which shall have given proportions to each other. Fellowship is either simple or compound. To simple fellowship belongs a question of this sort: "A contribution of $20,000 is levied on three towns, and each is required to pay in proportion to the number of its inhabitants. Now the first contains 2,000 inhabitants, the second 3,000, and the third 5,000; what sum must each contribute?" This question is obviously the same as if it had been required to divide the number 20,000 into three parts, having the ratios of 2, 3, and 5, which is done by dividing 20,000 by the sum of 2, 3, and 5, that is by 10, and multiplying the quotient by each of those numbers separately; the several results are the sums required. - Compound F. is when the parts into which the given number is to be distributed are proportional to more than one set of numbers. This is usually called F. with time, because in distributing the profits of a mercantile transaction carried on by several partners, the share of each must be proportional, both to the amount of the capital which he contributed and to the time during which it was employed. It must therefore be proportional to the product of these two. Fellowship, v. a. To admit to fellowship. ment of Liberius, 355. In reply to a proposition for the Fellowship, in New Jersey , a P. O. of Burlington co. recall of Liberius, it was proposed by the emperor Con- Fellowsville, in West Va . , a post-village of Preston co. stantius that Liberius and Felix should reign conjointly; but the people exclaimed, "One God, one Christ, and nd one bishop!" Felix was exiled in 358, but became pope again the same year, and died in 359. FELIX III., succeeded Simplicius in 483. He had a violent dispute with the emperor Zeno in behalf of the Western church, and died in 492. FELIX IV., a native of Ben even to, ascended the chair after John I., in 526. He governed the church with zeal and piety, and died in 530. He introduced extreme unction. Felix, in Illinois , a township of Grundy co. Fe'lix, in low a , a township of Grundy co. Felix, in Mi ouri , a village of Moniteau co., abt. 38 m. W. of Jefferson city. Felix Harbor, of Boothia, in British N. America. See BOOTHIA FELIX. Fell, a. [A. S. felle; O. Fr. fel , from fal , feale , bad, wicked, fala , a grudge; allied to Lat. fallere , and Gr. sphallein, to deceive.] Cruel; barbarous; inhuman; savage; ravenous; bloody. Felly, adv . [From fell . See SUPRA.] Cruelly; fiercely; barbarously. Fel'ly, or FEL'LOE, n. [A. S. felg , felge , or fealga ; Dan felg; Ger. felge, a bending or turning; allied to Lat. volvere, to turn, and Sans. para , to turn around.] One of the circular pieces of wood, which, being joined to- gether, form the circular rim of a cart or carriage wheel. Felo-de-se', n. [Lat.] ( Law .) A felon of himself; a self-murderer; one who, by premeditation, puts an end to his life; one who loses his life, while engaged in the commi ion of an unlawful act. As the offender is be- yond the reach of human law, he cannot be punished. Fel'on, n. [Fr. félon ; felo , fello ; A.S. fel , cruel. See FELL, a.] A cruel, bloodthirsty, and wicked person; one who has been guilty of a capital crime. (Med.) A whitlow; an inflammation in the joints of the fingers, or toes. -a. Malignant; malicious; disloyal; i uing from a de- praved heart; as, with felon intent. Felonious, a . Wicked; traitorous; malignant; vil- lanous; perfidious; destructive; proceeding from a cor- rupt heart; as, “a felonious thief." - Shaks . Feloniously, adv . ( Law .) In a felonious manner. This word is nece arily used in all indictments for felo- nies, to describe the manner and intent. Feloniousne , n . Wickedne of heart; perfidi- ousne ; villany. Fel'onry, n. The whole body of culprits convicted of capital crimes. - The convicts who remain in the penal colonies, after expiration of sentence. (England.) Fel'ony, n. (Law.) F. in its general sense comprises every species of crime that occasioned, at common law, the forfeiture of lands and goods. This commonly was acce ory to those crimes for which capital punishment either is, or was, liable to be inflicted. Hence, all of- fences now capital are in some degree or other felony, as well as many others that are not capital, as suicide, homicide, larceny, ., all of which are, strictly speaking, felonies, as they subjected the committers of them to forfeitures. The most probable derivation of the word is from the Teutonic or German fee, fief , or feud , and lion , price or value; felony being thus the pretium , feud i the consideration for which a man gives up his fief. In the U. States the word has no clearly defined mean- ing at common law, but includes offences of considerable gravity. It is, however, clearly and fully defined by statute in many of the States. IMG:content-0139.png:[graphic] Fel'tre, n. A kind of cuira made of wool. Felts, in N. Car., a P. O. of Wilkes co. Felt's Mills, in New York , a post- village of Jefferson co., abt. 160 m. N.W. of Albany. Felucca, n. [Span. faluca ; Ital. feluca .] A small ve el used chiefly in the Medi- terrane an and adja- cent waters for coast- ing voyages. It has a low, graceful, and Fig . 999. FELUCCA. buoyant hull, with a high stem and raking stern, three masts, lateen sails, a jib set on a small bowsprit, and long, powerful oars to a ist their progre during calms. Before the introduction of steam they were often used as gunboats.