Bill straight and perfectly conical, short, hard, and sharp at the
point; the ridge of the upper mandible rounded, and frequently advancing
in an angle upon the forehead, the cutting edges of the under mandible
bending a little inwards. Nostrils situated behind the horny bulging
base of the hill, round, and hidden by the small frontal feathers. Wings
short, having the third or fourth quill-feather the longest. Legs with
the shank as short as, or shorter than, the middle toe, and with the
toes divided.—_Montagu._
FROG, _s._ A small animal with four feet, of the amphibious kind;
the hollow part of the horse’s hoof. _Vide_ FEET.
FROST, _s._ The last effect of cold, the power or act of
congelation.
FROSTBITTEN, _a._ Nipped or withered by the frost.
This effect of frost upon birds, took place in February, 1809, when a
boy in the service of Mr. W. Newman, miller, at Legbourne, near Malling,
went into a field, called the Forty Acres, and saw a number of rooks on
the ground, very close together. He made a noise to drive them away, but
they did not appear alarmed; he threw snow-balls to make them rise,
still they remained. Surprised at this apparent indifference, he went in
among them, and actually picked up twenty-seven rooks, and also in
several parts of the same field, ninety larks, a pheasant, and a buzzard
hawk. The cause of the inactivity of the birds, was a thing of rare
occurrence in this climate; a heavy rain fell on Thursday afternoon,
which, freezing as it came down, so completely glazed over the bodies of
the birds, that they were fettered in a coat of ice, and completely
deprived of the power of motion. Several of the larks were dead, having
perished from the intenseness of the cold. The buzzard hawk being
strong, struggled hard for his liberty, broke his icy fetters, and
effected his escape.
FROSTNAIL, _s._ A nail with a prominent head driven into the horse’s
shoes, that it may pierce the ice.
FRY, _s._ The swarm of little fishes just produced from the spawn;
any swarm of animals.