138 OTTER HUNTING, FALCONRY, SHOOTING 



Perhaps a word or two should be said about disease 

 and medicine. 



The croaks is a kind of cough : bruised peppercorn 

 may be given in the castings. 



Inflammation of the crop. The food is thrown up. 

 Give a little powdered rhubarb in the morning ; but there 

 is little chance of recovery. 



Worms. River-sand with the meat and occasionally 

 rhubarb. 



I wonder if our ancestors did better than this with 

 their wonderful remedies ! 



The following is from the Gentleman s Recreation^ 

 A.D. 1677 : 



" Take germander, pelamountain, basil, grummel-seed, 

 and broom-flowers, of each half an ounce ; hyssop, 

 sassafras, polypodium, and horse-mints, of each a quarter 

 of an ounce, and the like of nutmegs ; cubebs, borage, 

 mummy, mugwort, sage, and the four kinds of mirobolans, 

 of each halt an ounce ; of aloes succotrine the fifth part 

 of an ounce, and of saffron one whole ounce." This is 

 to be " put into a hen's gut, tied at both ends." 1 

 hope it may be found agreeable. 



Moulting. This occurs once a year. The seventh 

 feather in the wing is generally dropped first, and that 

 not long after the middle or end of March. During 

 moult the birds must be kept fat, or the new feathers will 

 be poor ones. They are not flown at quarry, but should 

 have some exercise. Moult is not over till the autumn. 



