THE PRICE OF LIVE STOCK. 343 



the price of ducks. But the proportion, z\d. in the first 140 

 years to ^\d. in the last forty-two, closely corresponds to that 

 of other such fowls. I infer that there was no such con- 

 siderable rise in the price of poultry as occurred in other kinds 

 of farm produce. The fact is, they were generally kept by the 

 peasantry. 



Geese are at about the price of capons during the early 

 period, or are slightly dearer. They are not so much affected 

 by the purchases of great people and by expensive entertain- 

 ments as capons are, and therefore do not exhibit so con- 

 siderable an increase during the latter part of the first 140 

 years. The average in the first part is 4!^., in the last lod. 

 This relation is again identical, or nearly so, with that found 

 in other kinds of poultry. They w,re even more extensively 

 kept by the peasants than capons and other such fowls. 



During the early period, there is a considerable amount of 

 information as to the price of pigeons, reckoned generally by 

 the dozen. They are sold also from many manors, the practice 

 of keeping a dovecot being one of the most cherished, and also 

 the most vexatious of feudal rights. They are on an average 

 worth $\d. the dozen up to 1.540, one entry alluded to already 

 for the Windsor feast exalting the average in 1521-30, and are 

 worth \s. id. the dozen during the subsequent period. 



The entries of swans and cygnets are so numerous that they 

 enable me to give averages for the whole period, only one 

 decade being unrepresented. The price, however, varies ex- 

 ceedingly ; one entry in 1429 is as high as 6s. %d. In 1414, 

 1430-31, 1515, the swan or cygnet is bought for 5.$-. or a little 

 more. In 1555, two swans are purchased for the Oxford city 

 feast on Jan. i at los. apiece, and in 1577, two swans are 

 bought at Kirling for an entertainment at 6s. %d. It is pro- 

 bable that the lower-priced birds are bought for stock, the more 

 highly-priced for the table, having been previously fatted in 

 coops, as they still are in the Eastern counties. Sometimes 

 we are expressly told that they are bought for stock, and to be 

 kept on rivers. 



