Fill 
discipline, founded by G. Fox. They re- 
ceive approved applicants into their society 
by an act of monthly meeting, or particular 
congregation, and without subscription of 
articles. They disown in the same manner, 
after repeated admonition, not officially 
only, but actually extended, to offenders 
against morality, or their peculiar rules. 
FRIEZE, Freeze, or Frize, in archi- 
tecture, a large flat face, or member, sepa- 
rating the architrave from the corniche, 
being that part of the entablature between 
the architrave and corniche. See Archi- 
tecture. 
FRIGATE, among seamen, a ship of 
war, light built, and that is a good sailer. 
A frigate has commonly two decks, whence 
that called a light frigate is a frigate with 
only one deck. These vessels mount from 
20 to 44 guns, and make capital cruizers. 
Merchantmen are said to be frigate-built, 
when the disposition of the decks have a 
descent of four or five steps from the quar- 
ter-deck and forecastle into the waist, in 
contradistinction to those whose decks are 
on a continued line for the whole length of 
the ship, which are called galley-built. For- 
merly the name of frigate was only known 
in the Mediterranean, and applied to a kind 
of long vessels navigated in that sea with 
sails and oars. Our countrymen were the 
first who appeared in the ocean with those 
ships, and equipped them for war as well as 
commerce. 
FRINGILLA, the finch, in natural his- 
tory, a genus of birds of the order Passeres. 
Generic character: bill perfectly conic, 
slender towards the end, and extremely 
pointed. Many of this tribe are truly ad- 
mirable, both for the elegance of their 
plumage, and the vivacity and melody of 
their song. Latham enumerates 06 species, 
and Gmelin ill ; of which we shall notice 
the following : F. domestica, or the house 
sparrow, is never found remote from human 
habitations; but following the society of 
man, builds under the roofs of houses, and 
in the holes of walls, and will frequently 
expel the martin from its nest, to save itself 
the trouble of preparing one of its own. It 
breeds generally three times in a year. By 
the destruction of caterpillars, these birds 
are eminently serviceable ; but their favour- 
ite food is grain, to procure which they are 
constant attendants at the barn-door, and 
notwithstanding every effort to scare them, 
will dare every danger to partake of the 
repasts of the poultry and pigeons. They 
are particularly sagacious as well as daring, 
FRI 
and can, with great difficulty only, be de- 
coyed by traps. Their sounds are harsh 
and grating, their dispositions irascible, and 
their manners intrusive. F. coelebs, or the 
chaffinch, is found in this country throughout 
the year, and builds its nest with extreme 
care and neatness, lining it with hair, wool, 
and feathers. It is sprightly in its move- 
ments, and beautiful in its plumage; but 
can boast no peculiar powers of melody. 
The most singular circumstance attending 
this species of birds is, that, in some coun- 
tries, the males remain all the year round, 
while the females are migratory to the south, 
returning in the spring to their former ha- 
bitations and companions. Flocks com- 
posed only of females have occasionally 
been seen in Hampshire. This circumstance 
is not peculiar to these birds, but affects 
equally some other descriptions. It is in 
itself, however, not a little curious, and 
merits attention. F. carduelis, or goldfinch, 
is common in Europe, and to be found, 
though by no means so frequently, in Africa 
and Asia. It breeds twice a year, and feeds 
principally on seeds, and especially those of 
thisfles, near which it prefers building its 
nest, which is formed with great compact- 
ness and skill. It begins to sing in April, 
and continues its song till the period of 
breeding is past. In confinement, however, 
it will sing for the greater part of the year. 
These birds are universally admired for the 
brilliancy of their plumage, and the melody 
of their sounds ; and they possess, moreover, 
a docility which renders them particularly 
interesting, learning with ease a variety of 
ingenious movements and exercises. They 
are long lived, and have been known to 
survive the age of twenty years. Buffon 
mentions the case of a goldfinch which sud- 
denly became black, and after continuing 
so for eight months, resumed its former 
sprightly and elegant colouring : this revo- 
lution was repeated at two subsequent pe- 
riods. (See Aves, Plate VI. fig. 6.) F. 
Spinus, or the siskin, is found in various 
parts of Europe, generally migratory, but 
at irregular periods, and in very unequal 
numbers ; the larger flights being supposed 
by some naturalists to occur only once in 
several years. It hides its nest with parti- 
cular caution ; and though vast numbers 
are to be seen on the borders of the Danube, 
which have not lost their original feathers, 
their nests have been sought, it is said, in 
the neighbourhood with great assiduity, but 
in very few instances with success. It is 
nearly as tractable as the goldfinch, has 
