Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/729

 FLA

The antient Greeks called this batos, when they fpoke of the male, and when of the female, batis. FLAKE, in gardening, a name given by the florifts to a fort of carnations, which are of two colours only, and have very large ftripes, all of them going quite thro' the leaves. Millar's Gar- dener's DIO:. FLAMBO, in natural hiftory, a name given by fome to a long anguilliform fifh, a fpecies of the taenia, called Cavagiro. Rondelet, dePifc. v. I. p. 96. See Cavagiro. FLAME (Cyd.) — It is evident to every curious obferver, that jlame dwells and plays only about the furface of fuel, having no- thing to do with its interior parts. If a lamp glafs be filled with fpirit of wine, another with oil of turpentine, and others ■with other liquors, and each let on fire, it will be eafily dif- tinguifhable thro* the fides of the glafs, that they all burn and jlame only on their furface, the Jlame continually finking low- er and lower in the glaffes as the liquors confume. The fame obfervation holds good in folid as well as liquid fuel, and ap- pears to be univerfal ; and hence we are directed to the choice of proper fuel on the different occafions we want it for. Shaw 1 Left. p. 33.

Flames of burning fubftances are of different colours, according to the fubftances which produce them. Thus the jlame of burning camphor is white, like the focus of a burning glafs. The James of fulphur, and of fpirit of. wine, are blue; the jlame of white wax, is white, inclining to blue; and that of tallow is white, a little inclining to yellow. From this difference of the colours of the fames, proceeds th< difference of the colours of bodies as viewed by day-light, can die-light, or any one of thefe fames ; and for making curious experiments of this kind, oil may be impregnated with copper, &c. Shawns Left, p. 176.

Fl ame from cold liquors. See the article Fire.

Flame heat, the fame with white heat. See Iron, Cyd.

FLAMEN {Cyd.) — Flamen dialis, the fovereign priefl of Jupiter, among the old Romans. He revived an antient pre- tention to a feat in the fenate, in right of his office; which by the indolence of his predeceflbrs, had not been claimed or enjoyed for many generations. The prastor rejected his claim, nor would Suffer him to fit in that affembly : but upon his ap- peal to the tribunes of the people, that is, to the people, his right was confirmed, and he was allowed to take his place as a fenator. Liv. 27. 8. Middlet. of Rom. Sen. p. 49.

FLAMETTE, in zoology, a name given by the French writers to a fpicies of chama or fhell-fifh of the bivalve kind, with its fhelk always more or lefs open; this fpecies is as hot as pep- per to ifae tafte.

FLAMINGO, in zoology, the name of a very beautyful and very remarkable bird ; it has long legs, and a long neck, yet has webb'd feet, and is remarkable for the fine bnght red of its wings. Ray's Ornitholog. p. 240. See the article Phoe

Nl CO PT EROS.

FLAMMA Jovis, a name given by many writers to a plant of the clcmatitis or virgin's bower kind, called by the greek wri- ters phlogium or phlogus. See Clematitis. Pliny very improperly ranks it among the violets, the only reafon for doing which, feems to have been the meeting with this plant and the violets in the fame part of the writings of Theophraftus, from whom he has translated the greater!: part of his account of plants. This author however is not to be accufed of mixing them together, as if of the fame nature, for they only follow one another in his works, as they both flower in the fpring feafon of the year. There is alfo another miftake in Pliny in this place, to which the plant owes its name famtna or fammula jovis ; for the Greek name expref- fes only fiamma, but Theophraftus having in the fame place, named another plant under the name of jovis flos, diofanthos ; Pliny feems to have confounded the two plants together in his memory; and to have formed this name for one of them out of the feparate names of both, and has wholly dropped the diofanthos.

FLAMMULA, in botany, a name given by fome authors to a particular fpecies of the crowfoot, commonly called the ra- nunculus flammeus. Chabraits, p. 470.

FlammuljE auri, in natural hiftory, a name given by Dr. Woodward, and others to thofe fmall pieces of gold found among the fands of rivers in fome places. They are fbmetimes found in roundifh pieces, but more ufually in their mining flakes, whence the name fammula feems to have been giv- en them, as being very bright and glofly. This fort of gold is pure and malleable, and lofes icarce any part of its weight in fufion.

The gold duft as it is called, which is brought from Guinea, is much of this kind ; its particles are ufually very fmall, though fometimes lumps of the iize of a pea or horfe- bean are found, and fometimes mafles of an irregular figure of three or four ounces weight; but thefe loofe the name of fammula: when they become fo thick and fulid, and fo large, and are called by the merchants rock-gold.

All the fammult? of gold found among the fands in the beds of rivers, are doubtlefs parts of a rich ore, lodged in fome neigh- bouring hills, and wafhed away by the impetuous rains, which Suppl. Vol.1.

FLA

Carry them down in the currents they form, and afterwanfe drop them in the places where the waters of the river they mix themfelves with, run more flowly. This appears plainly from thefe particles of gold being always found toward the the heads of the rivers; or near the mountainous countries where the torrents caufed by fudden rains, difcharge themfelves into them near their entrances into the fea ; and alfo by this, that the people always find the gold moft plentifully after Meat rains. Wooiw. Cat, Foff. v. 2. p. 30.

FLANEL (Cyd.) — It has been obferved that new flanel, af- ter fome time wearing, acquires the property of Aiming in the dark, but lofes it on being wafhed. lid. Phil. Tranf. N°. 483. Seft. 7. ^ ^

FLANKED tint af defence, in fortification. See Angle, 'Cyd.

FLANKING angle, in fortification. See Ancle, Cyd.

FLASK, in the artillery. See PowDERjiaJ,

FLAT ha/lion, in fortification. See Bastion, Cyd.

Flat -hemmed mat, in fortification. See Moat, Cyd.

FLAT-crewn, in architecture. See Corona, Cyd.

Flat third, in mufic, the third minor. See Interval.

FXATTING courfe, among brick makers. See Brick.

Flatting, aboard a fhip. To hale in the fore-fail by the flieet as near to the (hip's fides as may be, is called fatting in the fire- fail. This is done when a fhip will not fall off from a wind without it, though the fore-fheet was haled aft.

PLATULENCY, a word uled by medical writers to exprefs a diftempered ftate of the body, in which there is an uncom- mon and unnatural generation of flatufes or halituous and elas- tic matter of the nature of air, aiding from the humidity of the abdomen, and attended with feveral very bad fymptoms. Some authors mention flatufes of the uterus and of the bladder, but thefe are very rare cafes, tho' they do fometimes happen; and what is ufually underftood by the word flatulency, are fuch flatufes in the ffomach and bowels. Thefe are either tor- pid or impetuous. The torpid flatulencies of the bowels give the patient very little uneafinefs ; people of phlegmatic habits are much fubjea to them, and generally very little regard them. But the impetuous kind very often occafion the utmoft difor- ders, on the flighteft accidental occafions irritating them ; peo- ple of a fanguine and melancholic habit, are moft fubjea to them. Flatulencies differ alfo greatly in regard to their caufes ; for fome are only occafioned by a fimple languor, or fmall lots of tone in the inteftines, in which cafe the flatufes are gene- rally difcharged upwards in eructations, or downward without trouble. Other flatulencies have their origin from a tough vif- cid matter, which deftroys the intent of the periftaltic motion to this purpofe; and in this cafe the patient is fometimes troubled with fpaftic conftrifiions of the inteftines, fometimes with troublefome relaxations of them ; and finally fame flatu- lencies take their origin from a turbulent commotion of the blood about the vena portre, from the ramifications of this vef- fel having connections with the inteftines.

Signs of fiaiulencies. The moft obvious of thefe are the rumblings that are felt in the bow els, with noifes in them ; and in the place of thefe rumblings, there are fometimes plainly perceived fixed diftenfions of them in particular parts, with tenfion and ftraitneis of the abdomen. From the continuance of thefe fym- tomsarife pains which fometimes change place, and fometimes remain fixed, and feem to fwell the inteftines in fuch manner as to endanger burfting : and when commotions of the blood are the caufe of there, there are ufually pains felt attending them on the left fide, and about the region of the heart, and the patient complains of the ufual fymptoms of hypocondria- cal people.

An obftinate coftivenefs alfo ufually attends this diftemper, which always makes it more violent ; and a ftraitnefs of the breaft attended with anxieties and diffiulties of breathing are ufually the attendant fymptoms on it, when violent. The more the flatulency has been owing to crudities in the primal viae, the more will the patient be affeaed with vertiginous com- plaints, and other diforders of the head ; and when the caufe is a commotion of blood about the vena portas, the pains are al- ways very violent, and are often attended with bad confe- quences.

Perfons fubjeli to it. Flatulencies attack perfons of all ages, fexes and conftitutions, but efpccially the phlegmatic, whofe parts are of a weaker tone, and naturally more fubjea to ex- panfion ; after thefe, perfons of a fanguine habit are moft fub- jea to them, and thofe of choleric and melancholy habits, tho' naturally lefs fubjea to them, yet often fall into them after illnefles.

People who are particularly fenfible of the changes of the air from warmer to colder, are alfo more fubjea to them, than thofe of a more robuft and lefs delicate frame ; hence women are more fubjea to them than men, and thofe efpecially in the times of the menfesand lochia.

Caufes of them. Thefe are in general a relaxation of the periftaltic motion of the guts ; but this not extending to the whole canal, but only to fome one part, the tranfpiration of the halituous mat- ter being chiefly into this flacid part, which it diftends in a man- ner that it could not do by a part' that had its natural tone and motions. And the defea in one part is always attended 11 K w ,th