Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/139

 FEXNEL covered its true position, there can be no doubt that it belongs at the end of the canine family of digitigrade carnivora. From the enormous comparative size of the ears Illiger established the genus megalotis, which does not appear to differ much from v ulpes ; taking this well se- lected name of the genus, and the name of its first scientific describer for the species, it may properly be called M. Brucei (Griff.). Accord- ing to Bruce, the animal is 9 or 10 in. long, with a foxy snout, ears half as long as the body and broad in proportion ; tbe color white, mixed with gray and fawn color ; the tail yel- low, dark at the end, long, with soft and bushy hair like that of a fox ; the ears thin, and mar- gined with white hairs. The dentition, general appearance, and habits are canine ; the feet are four-toed, with the rudiment of a fifth, and the nails are not retractile as Desmarest at first supposed. It inhabits northern Afri- ca, particularly Abyssinia, Nubia, and Egypt. There seems to be a second species, nearly allied to but different from Bruce's fennec, the M. Lalandii (H. Smith) ; this is gray, with FENTON 131 ,^5V^3w- Fennec (Megalotis Brucei). the hairs of the dorsal line longer and blacker than the rest, and the tufted tail black with a gray base. Kiippell gives the discovery of the first species to Skioldebrand, a Swede, whom Bruce accuses of supplanting him by an un- worthy artifice ; he calls the fennec canis zerda (Zimm.), and makes it 23 in. long, including the tail, which is 8 in. It lives in holes which it digs in the sands of the desert, and not in trees as is supposed by Bruce ; it is shy, very quick in its motions, and solitary ; its food consists mainly of insects, especially locusts, eggs, dates, and other sweet fruits, and proba- bly small animals ; its bark resembles that of a dog, but is more shrill ; the internal orifice of the ear is said to be very small. It is sometimes called zerda. FENNEL (fc&niculum, Koel.), a genus of um- belliferous plants, to which the British species (F. Tiilgare, Willd.), found on chalky cliffs in the southern parts of England, belongs. It is cultivated for the sake of the pleasant aromat- c^qualities of its leaves. It is frequently met with both wild and in gardens in the United. States. Its leaves are singularly spread out into finely cut and almost hair-like teguments ; its flowers are yellow, and the stalks of the plant are glaucous. Once introduced into the garden, it propagates itself for years. A more attractive kind is ihejinochio or Azorean fen- nel (F. dulce), an annual cultivated in Italy as Fennel (Faeniculum vulgare). celery is with us. Several other species of fen- nel are known, some of which are admired for their pungency. Two kinds of fennel seed are found in the shops, one being sweeter than the other. It contains a volatile oil of agreea- ble odor, and is used in medicine as an aromatic. It yields its virtue to hot water and alcohol. The seeds of the shops are obtained partly from this country, but mostly from Germany. The odor of the seed and of the plant is fra- grant, and its taste agreeable to most people. The infusion, prepared by adding two or three drams of the seeds to boiling water, is the best form for administering it. It lessens the dis- agreeable taste of senna and rhubarb, and acts generally as a carminative. FENTON. I. Edward, an English navigator, born in Nottinghamshire about 1550, died at Deptford in 1603. He served for some time in the English army in Ireland, but joined in 1577 one of Frobisher's expeditions for the discov- ery of a northwest passage to Asia. The fleet being scattered by storms, Fenton returned to Bristol. Another expedition in which he took part ended disastrously. Early in 1582 he was placed in command of an expedition of four armed vessels, and sailed for Brazil with the ostensible purpose of passing the strait of Ma- gellan. He however put in at St. Vincent, where he destroyed the flag ship of a Spanish squadron. In 1588 he gained much credit as commander of a vessel against the Spanish ar- mada. II. Sir Geoffrey, an English author and statesman, elder brother of the preceding, died in Dublin, Oct. 19, 1608. He received a good education, and acquired literary distinction, especially by translating from the Italian Guic-