202 COMMON r.RTTISH ANTMAT-S 



(1) The beasts for li anting — the hare^ the hart, 

 the wolf, and the wikl boar. 



(2) Beasts of the chase — the buck, the doe, the 

 fox, the marten, and the roe. 



' The Book of St. Albans ' here adds that all 

 other kinds of beasts subject to hunting are to be 

 called " Raskall," derived from an old French term 

 of the chase, meaning the common herd, the scum or 

 scrapings of the beasts. 



(3) We find three animals in the third class, 

 which are said to afford '^ greate d^^sporte ^^ in the 

 pursuit, and they are denominated the grey or badger, 

 the wild cat, and the otter. 



Strutt saj^s that most of the authorities agree 

 about the animals to be placed in the first class, but 

 the beasts placed in the second and third classes 

 vary considerabh^ 



By some the beasts of the chase are divided into 

 two classes : 



(1) Those of sweet flight — the buck, the doe, the 

 bear, the reindeer, the elk, the espytard (hart said 

 to be 100 3^ears old). 



(2) Those of stinking flight — the fulimart, the 

 fitchat, or fitch, the cat, the grey, the fox, the 

 weasel, the marten, the squirrel, the white rat, the 

 otter, the stoat, and the pole- cat. 



And thus w^e see that the boar w^as of first class 

 rank as a beast of sport and no '' raskall." Manwood, 

 in his ' Forest Laws,^ tells us that he was hunted 

 from the Nativity to the Purification of Our Lady, 

 i. e. from Christmas to Candlemas. 



Those who would hunt the wild boar needed 



