F LINT IMPLEMENTS. ?:;:; FLODDEN FIELD. primitive forms of flint implements at any point is no evidence of great antiquity. At the pres- eiii time tlii* class of artifacts excites unusual interest. The history "t prehistoric Europe is written chiefly in them; Egypl reveals an age ol chipped flint antedating al! the Pharaohs; from India come products of great beauty in this art , the occurrence of rude forms in western Europe, hut more especially in Quaternary deposits of America, is held to have thrown far hack the life of man on the globe. The literature of the subject is vast and almost hopelessly scattered. Fortu- nately, the Juiiiiml of tin A iilhlopulniiiiiil In- stitute, of London; the Bulletin de la sooiiti d'anthropologie, of Paris; the Zeitschrift fur Ethnologic, of Berlin; the Bureau of American Ethnology and the United States Museum in Washington have each issued a catalogue with up-lo-date index of the subject. The American Anthropologist has a bibliography in each num ber. Besides these institutional works, consult: Mortillet, Le prihistorique (Paris); Thomas, Introduction to the Study of North American Archwology (Cincinnati. 1S9S); and Fowke, Archaeological History of Ohio (Columbus, Ohio, 1902) . The older works of Evans. Baldwin, Short, are still useful. See Archaeology, American. FLINTLOCK. See Small Arms. FLINT RIVER. One of the principal rivers of Georgia, rising near Atlanta, and flowing in a general southwestern direction to the south- west corner of the State, where it joins the Chat- tahoochee, forming the Apalachicola (q.v.) (Map: Georgia, B 4 ) . Its length is about 300 miles ; it is navigable for small river craft as far as Al- bany, 150 miles above its junction with the Chattahoochee, and for heavier vessels to Bain- bridge, about 50 miles. It drains an area of more than 8000 square miles. FLINT'SHIRE. A maritime county of North Wales, bounded on the east by Cheshire and the river Dee, on the south and west by Denbigh- shire, and on the north by the Irish Sea (Map: Wales, C 3). Area. 256 square miles, of which one-seventh is arable. The coast, 20 miles long, is low and sandy, but on the Dee estuary, fer- tile. A hill-range, parallel to the Dee, runs through the length of the county, and rises in Garreg to 825 feet. Another range along the southwest border of the county rises in Moel Famma, 1845 feet. The chief rivers are the Dee, Alyn, and Clwyd. The mining industries are the most important. Coal, and ores of iron, lead, silver, copper, and zinc are the chief mineral products and exports. The chief towns are Flint, the county town ; Saint Asaph, Holvwell, and Hawarden. Population, in 1891. 77.300; in 1901, 81.700. FLINT'WINCH, Jeremiah. Servant to Mrs. Clennam in Dickens's Little Dorrit, who mal- treats his sickly wife. His secret intrigues form an element in the plot. FLIOMA, or FLIATJM. The orange rockfish (q.v.), one of the most abundant and marketable of that group of fishes in California. FLIPPAN'TA. An intriguing lady's-maid in the service of Clarissa, in Vanbrugh's Con- federacy. FLITE, Miss. Tn Dickens's Bleak Housr. a little old woman, half crazed by the delays in her suit in Chancery. FLIXWEED. See Hi m. 1 MuSTABD. FLOATS (AS. flota, Ieel. floti, OHG. ffo Floss, float, rati, from AS. flSolan, led ( 11 H ',. floa an, 1 ier. flossi a. in float . launcl He id with 1. 1 1 h. pluditi, io swim. I .at. plueri to lam, Gk. '/ : iv, ph in, lii sail, Ski. /,/,;. pin. In swim). Very finely ground mineral pho pha 1 used as a fertilizer. See Manubes and Manur- ing. FLOATING BATTERY. A vessel with very feeble motive power, or none at all. bill heavilj gunned, and usually well protected by armor, It is designed to operate in smooth water. See Armor Plate; Ship, Armoeed. FLOATING BEACONS. See Buoy; Light- hoi si. FLOATING HEART. See Vii.i.ahsia. FLOATING ISLAND. A mas, ,,f „,il and organic matter floating in placid water. l-'loal ing islands are formed eil her by the detachment of poll ions of the bank in which the network of roots is sufficiently strong to withstand the action of waves, or by aggregations of driftwood in rivers and bays of tropical regions. They may be covered with herbage and trees, and animals taken by surprise while roaming upon them may go on an unexpected journey when the mass stalls seaward. They have been found at long distances from land, and it is believed that they may have served to distribute organic forms over insulated regions, such as the islands of the South Pacific. Many lakes in Prussia, France, and England are noted for their floating islands; but the best examples, perhaps, are the gnat masses of vegetation which collect in the White Nile. These masses, called 'sudd' by the Egyp tians, must be broken up at regular intervals in order to keep the waters open to navigation. FLOATING MEADOW-GRASS. See Man na-Grass. FLOATING PLANT. See Hydrophyte. FLOBERGE, tl.Vbarzh'. The sword of Rena'ud de Montaubon, in the romance of that name. FLODDEN FIELD. A plain in Northumber- land, England, at the base of Flodden. the north- eastern spur of the Cheviot Hills. It is famous as the battlefield where James IV. of Scotland was defeated by an English army under the I ail of Surrey. September 9, 1513. Henry VIII. of England had declared war against Scotland's ancient ally, France. James IV. sent him -a peremptory demand to desist, and on Henry's refusal, gathered an army computed at 100,008 men, which, however, dwindled to 30,000 before crossing the border. James had taken up his position on Flodden Hill, when the Earl of Surrey with 32.000 men. by a skillful movement from the southeast, cut off his communications with Scotland. Observing that, the English were strengthening their position. .Tame- ordered an advance at four in the afternoon, and a desperate battle ensued. The right wing of the English army, led by Sir Edmund Howard, was defeated by the left wing of the Scotch army, led by the Earls of Huntlv and Home, wdio dill not follow up their success. A furious charge of the Scottish right on the English left was re- pulsed with great slaughter. Meanwhile a desperate resistance was being made by the Scot- tish centre, where the King fought on foot among
