FECES. The excrementitious matter of animals, evacuated per anum, consists of all that food which cannot be employ ed for purposes of nutrition, considera bly altered, at least in part, and mixed or united with various bodies employed du ring digestion, to separate' the useless part of the food from the nutritious. An accurate examination of these matters has long been wished for by physiolo gists, as likely to throw much new light on the process of digestion ; but it must be admitted, that our knowledge on this subject is still very imperfect. Some of the older chemists have turned their atten tion to the excrements of animals ; (Van Helmont's Custos Errans, sect. 6 ; Opera Helmont, p. 247; Neumann's Works, p. 585.) but no discovery of importance re warded them for their disagreeable la lour. Vaurpielin has ascertained some curious facts respecting the excrementi tious matter of fowls ; and in the summer of 1806, a laborious set of experiments on human feces was published by Berzelius, undertaken, as he informs us, chiefly with a view to elucidate the function of diges tion. (Gehlen's Jour. VI. 509.) About two years before, Thaer and Einhof had published a similar set of experi ments on the excrements of cattle, made chiefly to discover, if possible, how they act so powerfully as manure. (Ibid HI. 276.) The human feces, according to the experiments of Berzelius, were found to contain Water 73 8 Vegetable and animal remains 7.0 Bile 0 9 Albumen 0 9 Peculiar extractive matter . 2.7 Salts 1 2 Slimy matter, consisting of resin of bile, peculiar 14.0 animal matter, and inso luble residue . . .
100.0 To Vauquelin we are indebted for an analysis of the fixed parts of the excre. ments of fowls, and a comparison of them with the fixed parts of the food ; from which some very curious consequence§ may be deduced.
He found that a hen devoured in ter days 11111.843 grains troy of oats ; these contained 136.509 grains phosphate of lime 219.548 silica 356.057 During these ten days she laid four eggs the shells of which contained 98.77t grains phosphate of lime, and 453.411 grains carbonate of lime ; the excrement; emitted during these ten days container 175.529 grains of phosphate of lime 58.494 grains of carbonate of lime, and 185.266 grains of silica ; consequently, the fixed parts thrown out of the system, during these ten days, amounted to 274.305 grains phosphate of lime 511.911 carbonate of lime 185.266 silica.
• Given out 971.482 Taken in 356.057 Surplus 615.425 consequently, the quantity of fixed mat ter given out of the system, in ten days, exceeded the quantity taken in by 615. 425 grains.
The silica taken in 2 219.548 grains amounted to That given out was 185.266 grains only Remains 34.282 consequently, there disappeared 34.282 grains of silica.
The phosphate o9 136.509 grains lime taken in was That given out was 274.305 grains 137.796 consequently, there must have been formed by digestion in the fowl, no less than 137.796 grains of phosphate of lime, besides 511.911 grains of carbonate ; con
sequently, lime (and perhaps also phos phorus) is not a simple substance, but a compound, formed of ingredients which exist in oat-seed, water and air, the only substances to which the fowl had access ; silica may enter into its composition, as part of the silica had disappeared ; but if so, it must be combined with a great quan tity of some other substance. (Ann. de Chim. xxix. 61.) "These consequences," as Dr. Thomp son observes, whom we follow in this ar ticle, " are too important to be admitted without a very rigorous examination. The experiments must be repeated frequent ly, and we must be absolutely certain that the hen has no access to any calcareous earth, and that she is not diminished in weight ; because, in that case, some of the calcareous earth, of which part of the body is composed, may have been em ployed. This rigour is the more neces sary, as it seems pretty evident, from ex periments made long ago, that some birds, at least, cannot produce eggs, un less they have access to calcareous earth. Dr. Fordyce found, that if the canary bird was not supplied with lime at the time of her laying, she frequently died, from her eggs not coming forward properly. (On Digestion.) He divided a number of these birds, at the time of their laying eggs, into two parties : to the one he gave a piece of mortar, which the little animals swallowed greedily ; they laid their eggs as usual, and all of them lived; whereas many of the other party, which were supplied with no lime, died.
Vauquelin also ascertained, according to Fourcroy, that pigeon's dung contain ed an acid of a peculiar nature, which in creased when the matter is diluted with water ; but gradually gives place to am monia, which is at last exhaled in abun dance. (Fourcroy, I. 70.) FEE, in law, feud:cm belie *him, all land in England is in the nature of a feud or fee, and subject to the original condi tions of the grant, which is supposed to come from the crown ; but now that dis tinction is very immaterial.
Faa simple, is an estate to a man and his heirs, and is the largest estate which one can have ; it descends to heirs of all kinds, and may be granted or devised at plea sure. When it is created by deed, it must be expressly stated to be to the gran tee and his heirs; for an estate to A, for ever, is only good for life : in a will, how ever, this strictness is not required ; any words which shew the intent of the tes tator will be sufficient. In a deed, a man cannot give a fee-simple to one, and then afterwards, in case he dies without heirs, to another. In a will, words which im port this are often construed only to give the first taker an estate tail. It may be forfeited for treason or felony. Upon an exchange, a fee may pass without ex pressing the word heir ; so also on a fine or recovery. A grant to the King, or a corporation, sole for ever, necessarily gives a fee, because they never die.