LAWS AFFECTING WILD-FOWL. 337 



feathered, had, by certain nets and other eng-ines and policies, yearly 

 taken great numbers of the same fowl, in such wise that the breed 

 of wild-fowl was thereby almost wasted and consumed, and was 

 likely daily to become more Avasted and consumed if remedy was 

 not therefore provided. By section 2 it was enacted that it should 

 not be lawful for any person, at any time between the last day of 

 May and the last day of Aug-ust, to take wild-fowl with nets or other 

 engines, upon pain of one year's imprisonment, and a forfeit for every 

 fowl so taken of the sum of four-pence. Section 3 gave power to 

 justices to hear and determine offences. Section 4 provided that it 

 should be lawful for any gentleman, or any other person who had 

 a 40s. freehold, to hunt and take wild-fowl with a spaniel, but 

 without using' any net or other engine for the same, except a long- 

 bow. Section 5 prohibited the taking of the eggs of wild-fowl, by day 

 or night, between the 1st of March and the last day of June, under 

 pain of one year's imprisonment, and the penalties of twenty-pence 

 for every egg of any crane or bustard, eight-pence for every egg of 

 any bittern, heron, or shoveller, and one penny for every egg of any 

 mallard, teal, or other wild-fowl. 



It appears, however, that this statute was found to be oppressive ; 

 and a part of it was repealed by the 3rd and 4th Ed. VI., cap. 7, in 

 the preamble of which it is stated (after briefly reciting the former 

 statute) that, forasmuch as the occasion for passing the previous 

 statute appeared to have ainsen out of a private case, and that no 

 manner of common commodity was perceived to have grown of the 

 same, it being proved by daily experience that there had since been 

 less fowl brought into the markets than there was before the making 

 of the said act ; which was taken to come of the punishment of God, 

 whose benefit was thereby taken away from the poor people, that 

 were wont to live by their skill in taking the said fowl, whereby 

 they were wont at that time to sustain themselves and their poor 

 households, to the great saving of other kinds of victual ; of which 

 aid they were then destitute, to their great and extreme impoverish- 

 ing, especially of such as had their habitations near the fens ; there- 

 fore the whole of the former statute was repealed, except the sec- 

 tion which prohibited any person from destroying or taking away 

 the eggs of wild-fowl. 



By 2nd Jas. I., cap. 27*, in the preamble, herons, mallards, and 



* Eepealed by 1st and 2nd Wm. IV., cap. 32. 



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