Foot-joint, n. Junction of toes collectively with the metatarsus. (100.) See Podarthrum.
Fora´men, n.; pl. foram´ina. Hole; opening; perforation. Foramen magnum, the large hole in the occipital bone transmitting the neural axis. Foramen lacerum, irregular vacuity between certain bones at base of skull. The foramen rotundum transmits the optic nerve; foramen ovale, the trigeminal nerve; the latter is also a name of the opening between right and left sides of the heart.
Fore´head, n. Front of head from bill to crown. (34.) See Frons.
Fore-neck, a. Whole front of collum, from chin to breast; whole throat. (51.) See Guttur.
For´ficate, a. Deeply forked.
Forked (tail), a. Having the outer feathers longest, the rest gradually successively shortened to the middle pair; when these are again lengthened somewhat, the tail is said to be doubly forked.
Fos´sa, n.; pl. fossæ. Ditch; excavated place. Used chiefly in the plural to denote the pits or grooves in which most birds’ nostrils open.
Fos´sil, a. or n. Dug out of the ground. Particularly, any organized body, or remains, trace, or mould of such body, naturally buried in past time by geologic agencies. The Archæopteryx macrurus, of the Jurassic formation of Solenhofen, a mesozoic bird, is the oldest known ornithic fossil.
Fosso´rial, a. Digging into the earth for a habitation.
Fos´ter. This word and its various compounds are used in their common senses in treating of the relations of young cowbirds and young cuckoos with the birds upon which they are parasitic.