FELLTHAM. 5ls FELT. incorporated with the eighth edition of the FELO DE SE (311... traitor to himself). In criminal law, the technical description fur a self- murderer, a suicide. As defined by Blaekstone, "A felo de se, therefore, is he that deliberately puts an end to his own existence, or commits any unlawful act, the consequence of which is his own death" {Comm. iv. 189). For the legal con- sequence of self-murder, see Suicide. FELON (OF. felon, felun, fellon, Fr. felon, ML. felo, fello, wicked man. from OF. fel, It. fello, wicked, from Gael, feallan, Bret, falloni, treachery, Ir. feal, evil; connected with Lat. fal- len', to deceive, Gk. <r0dXeii<, sphallein, to fall. Skt. phal, to deceive, • OHG. fallan, Ger. fallen, Icel. falla, AS. feallan, Eng. fall), or Parony- chia. A whitlow; properly, a painful inflamma- tion (generally suppurative) around the nail, or at the matrix, or root, of the nail. Commonly, however, the term is applied to a suppurative cir- cumscribed inflammation anywhere on the fingers or hand. If superficial, the inflammatory process may undermine the epidermis only: if deep, it may burrow under the sheath of a tendon or under the periosteum. Pathologically, felon is a cellulitis, and it is due in people of reduced resis- tive power to an injury, such as a puncture, cut, or scratch, followed by infection of the wound with pus germs. Pain is a prominent symptom, with tenderness on pressure, heat, throbbing, and much tension. If amelioration does not appeal- before pus is present, under treatment with rest, elevation, and applications of hot water com- presses, incisions must be made so as to release the exudate. Pus generally appeals in forty- eight hours after infection. The incisions must generally be deep, and occasionally multiple. A joint of the finger has been lost through delay alter pus has appeared. To avoid contraction and stiffness as the cicatrix forms, the finger or hand must in some cases be supported "n a splint. FELONY. In the common-law classification of crimes, the second in atrocity and in impor- tance, the first being treason, and the one com- prehending all minor offenses being misdemewr, ors. Omitting treason (which, though sometimes classed as a felony, really slainls by ilself in our legal system) , the distinction b 'tween felonies and misdemeanors corresponds roughly to that be- tween grave offenses and such as are less hein- ous in character. But the distinction is a purely artificial one. Our law lias never i le a classi- fication of crimes which was based on their in herent nature, but ha- had reference in its divisions rather to the kind of punishment in- flicted. A felony was anj crime punishable by forfeiture of the criminal's lands, or goods, or both. Blaekstone adds that capital or other pun- ishment might lie superadded to the forfeiture, according to the degree of guilt, and in England, for a long time, mosl felonies were punishable by death Bu1 al common law forfeiture was al- ways otial part of tlie penalty, ami pun ishmenl in death was never the true criterion. In England important statutory changes in the laws ;,- to forfeiture (33 and :: l ict, c. 23, Istoi have taken away the practical utility of (he former.tesi of a felony, Hut those cri a nil held to be p lonies and misdemeanors H pectivelj which were so when the tesl was operative. Many crimes have been expressly de- clared felonies by the statutes creating them. Even in the aosence of such declaration all crimes for which by statute judgment of life or limb ma v be decreed are there held to be felonies. In some of the United States the distinction be- tween felonies and misdemeanors is practically discarded, the punishment for each particular crime being prescribed by statute, and the word felony, if used at all, being employed in a loose and indefinite sense. In other States the distinc- tion is retained by statute and made to depend on the kind of punishment. Thus, in a considerable number, statutes have declared that crimes pun ishable by death or by imprisonment in the Ma:, prison shall be felonious. In those States it is sufficient to constitute felony that those penalties may be imposed, though the court or jury may be given power to inflict a less severe punishment. See Crime; Infamous Crime. FELSING, fel'zing, Georg Jakob ( 1802-83 1 . A German engraver, born at Darmstadt. He studied under his father. Johann Konrad Felsing, and under Giuseppe Longhi at the Academy of .Mi- lan. He was noted for the accuracy with which he produced the peculiar characteristics of pain! ings which he engraved, particularly those of the Diisseldorf school of German art. Among his finest engravings may be mentioned : Correggio's "Marriage of Saint Catharine": Carlo Dolci's "Christ on the Mount of Olives;" Raphael's " i. lin Player;" Overbeek's "Holy Family;" "Sal- vator Mundi" (after da Vinci): "Hagar and lshmael" (after Kbhler) ; "Jeremiah on the Ruins of Jerusalem" (after Bendemann) : and 'Christ Taken Prisoner" (after Hofmann). FELSITE (from Ger. Fels, rock). A term now little used, but one which formerly was the equivalent of quartz porphyry (now likewise ob- solescent). Rocks formerly described as felsitea would now fall within the greater class of rhy- olites (q.v.). By German petrographers felsite is used to describe an ancient rhyolite, which contains few if any porphyritie crystals or phen- ocrysts. FELT (OHG. filz, Ger. File, OChurch Slav, plusti, felt ; probably connected with OHG. falz, Ger. Falz, fold). A fabric formed without weai ing by taking advantage of the natural tendency of the fibres of hair and wool to interlace with and cling to each other. As to the origin of the knowledge of felt-making, its beginnings antedate by many centuries the Christian Era, and the fabric is mentioned by the earliest writers. On account of the greater simplicity of its structure, ii is probable that it was made long before the hi of producing cloth by spinning and weaving had been discovered. I lie felting quality of fibres of hair or wool results from their structure. When examined by the microscope the hair of all animals is found te lie more or less jagged or notehed on its surface; in some animal- it is distinctly barbed; and llns structure is so directed thai the teeth or barbs all point toward (he tip of the hair. If a piece of human hair (in which (his structure is less iii iii ..I than in most animals) be held between (he linger and thumb, and rubbed in (he direction oi ii length, it will invariably move between the Angers in the direction of its root; for (he skin. while moving toward (he tip of I he hair, slides freelj upon ii. but moving in the other direction,
