FIE 
which the autumnal figs fall ; but the winter 
fruit, or cratitires, remain, as we have ob- 
served, till May, and enclose the eggs de- 
posited by the gnats when they pricked 
them. In May the third sort of fruit, called 
orni, begin to be produced by the wild 
fig-trees. This is much bigger than the 
other two ; and when it grows to a certain 
size, and its bud begins to open, it is pricked 
in that part by the cynips of the winter figs, 
which are strong enough to go from one 
fruit to another to deposit their eggs. It 
sometimes happens that the insects of the 
cratitires are slow to come forth in certain 
parts, while the orni in those very parts are 
ready to receive them. In this case the 
husbandman is obliged to look for the cra- 
titires in another part, and fix them at the 
ends of the branches of those fig trees whose 
orni are fit to be pricked by the insects. If 
they miss the opportunity, the orni fall, and 
the insects from the winter figs fly away. 
None but those who are well acquainted 
with the culture know the critical moment 
of doing this ; and in order to know it, 
their eye is perpetually fixed on the bud of 
the fig ; for that part not only indicates the 
time that the insects are to issue forth, but 
also when the fig is to be successfully 
pricked : if the bud is too close, the fly can- 
not deposit its eggs ; if, on the contrary, it 
is too open, the fruit falls to the ground. 
None of the wild figs are good to eat ; their 
chief use is to assist in ripening the domes- 
tic kind, and the manner in which this is ef- 
fected is as follows : during the months of 
June and July, the peasants take the orni 
at the time their insects are ready to break 
out, and carry them to the garden fig-trees ; 
if they miss the proper time, the orni fall, 
and the fruit of the domestic fig will incon- 
sequence prove barren, and fall also. The 
natives are so well acquainted with these 
precious moments, that, every morning, in 
making their inspection, they only transfer 
to their garden fig-trees such orni as are 
well conditioned, otherwise they lose their 
crop. In this case, however, they have 
one remedy, which is to strew over the garden 
fig-trees another plant, in whose fruit there 
is also a species of insect, which in some 
measure answers the purpose. The coun- 
trymen so well understand how to manage 
their orni, that the flies which proceed 
from them, ripen their domestic figs in the 
space of forty days. 
FIDDLE. See Violin. 
FIELD, in heraldry, is the whole surface 
of the shield, or the continent, so called be- 
FIF 
cause it containeth those atchievements an- 
ciently acquired in the field of battle. It is 
the ground on which the colours, bearings, 
metals, furs, charges, &c. are represented. 
Among the modem heralds, field is less fre- 
quently used in blazoning than shield or es- 
cutcheon. See Shield, &c. 
Field book, in surveying, that wherein 
the angles, stations, distances, &c. are set 
down. See Surveying. 
Field colours, in war, are small flags of 
about a foot and a half square, which are 
carried along with the quarter-master gene- 
raf, for marking out the ground for the 
squadrons and battalions. 
Field fare, in ornithology, the English 
name of the variegated turdus, with a hoary 
head. See Turdus. 
Field pieces, small cannons, from three 
to twelve pounders, carried along with an 
army in the field. See Cannon. 
Field staff, a weapon carried by the 
gunners, about the length of a halbert, 
with a spear at the end ; having on each 
side, ears screwed on, like the cock of a 
match lock, where the gunners screw in 
lighted matches, when they are upon com- 
mand ; and then the field-staffs are said to 
be armed. 
Field ivorks, in fortification, are those 
thrown up by an army in besieging a for- 
tress, or by the besieged to defend the place. 
Such are the fortifications of camps, high- 
ways, &c. 
FIFE, in music, is a sort of wind instru- 
ment, being a small pipe. 
FIFTEENTH, an ancient tribute or tax 
laid upon cities, boroughs, &c. through all 
England, and so termed because it amount- 
ed to a fifteenth part of what each city or 
town had been valued at ; or it w r as a 
fifteenth of every man’s personal estate 
according to a reasonable valuation. In 
doomsday-book, there are certain rates men- 
tioned for levying this tribute yearly; but 
since, any such tax cannot be levied but by 
parliament. 
FIFTH, in music, one of the harmonical 
intervals or concords. The fifth is the 
second in order of the concords, the ratio of 
the chord that affords it is 3 : 2. It is called 
a fifth, as containing five terms or sounds 
between its extremes, and four degrees, so 
that in the natural scale of music, it comes 
in the fifth place or order from the funda- 
mental. The ancients called this fifth 
diapente. The imperfect and defective 
fifth called by the ancients semi-diapente is 
less than the fifth by a lesser semitone. 
