The Birds of Shakespeare 
father as to the attentions paid to her by 
Hamlet, answers how the Prince 
Hath given countenance to his speech 
With almost all the holy vows of heaven ; 
whereupon Polonius abruptly breaks in 
with the unfeeling comment : 
Ay, springes to catch woodcocks ; I do know.! 
Again, in the tricking of Malvolio, as 
the steward picks up the letter, Fabian, 
from the lurking-place where Sir Toby 
and he are watching every movement, 
exclaims 
Now is the woodcock near the gin.” 
The PHEASANT is only once mentioned 
by Shakespeare, and in a ludicrous way. 
When the Shepherd and the Clown in 
The Winter's Tale are accosted by Autoly- 
cus on their (errand: /to’, the kine; ine 
following conversation ensues : 
Aut. I command thee to open thy affair. 
Shep. My business, sir, is to the king. 
Aut. What advocate hast thou to him? 
1 Hamlet, 1. ili. 115. 2 Twelfth Night, ii. v. 77. 
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