18 



have it oa record that Storks were not considered a dainty 

 amongst the Romans. We may wonder at many things 

 at which our ancestors adorned their repasts. Thus in a 

 great feast given within a year or two of our Corpus Christi 

 feast at the enthronization of George Nevill, Archbishop of 

 York and Chancellor of England, we find as recorded by 

 Battely, in his History of Canterbury (Appendix, p. 29), 

 amongst other edibles there were provided 400 swans, 104 

 peacocks, 1000 egrits, 204 cranes (very like Storks these P) 

 4000 heronshaws, and 12 porpoises or seals. By way of 

 digesting the latter, there were supplied also 4000 cold 

 tarts baked, 3000 plain dishes of jelly, 600 stags and roes, 

 to say nothing of pigeons, woodcocks, conies, oxen, quaUs, 

 wild bulls, spices, " sugared delicates," and wafers. 



A Lord Mayor's bill of fare is nothing to this. The feast 

 stood open doubtless to all comers. Amongst the grosser 

 supplies were 300 quarters of wheat, 300 tuns of ale, and 

 100 tuns of wine. There were 1000 officers and servants, 

 and 62 cooks in the kitchen, the latter a moderate contin- 

 gent, and not too many to spoil the broth.* 



I shall conclude with a description of the black Stork — 

 Cicouia Nigra. It is smaller than the white species, but not 

 less elegant. It is said to be easily tamed by one authority, 

 although Buffon describes it as unsocial. Its colour for the 

 most part is black, that is its upper plumage, a black going 

 off in the living specimen to a violet and golden green and 

 azure. These shades contrast beautifully with the 

 under portion of its body. The beak and naked skin 

 around the eyes is red, the bill and legs a 

 crimson red. On the authority of Sir William Jardine, 

 well authenticated accounts exist of its being taken in the 



* Note.— A.D. 1601.— The Sheriff of Devon provided the 

 judges with an excellent supper during the whole time they 

 were at Exeter, fhe Tuesdays' evening was as follow : — " A 

 quarter of mutton, a breast of veale, one joynt, a capon, two 

 chickens, two ducks, two rabbits, 1 qr lamb, one tarte, one 

 gull.— Foss's Judges, Vol. 6, p. 191. 



