NORWEGIAN HAWKS. 175 



by which a person finding a falcon, tercelet, laner, laneret, 

 or any other species of hawk, that had been lost by its 

 owner, was commanded to carry the same to the sheriff 

 of the county wherein it was found. The duty of the 

 sheriff was to cause a proclamation to be made in all the 

 principal towns of the county, that he had such a hawk 

 in his custody, and that the nobleman to whom it 

 belonged, or his falconer, might ascertain the same to be 

 his property, and have it restored to him, he first pa}'ing 

 the costs incurred by the sheriff: if in the space of four 

 months no claimant appeared, it became the property of 

 the finder ; if he was a person of rank, upon his paying 

 the costs to the sheriff ; on the contrary, if he was an 

 unqualified man, the hawk belonged to the sheriff: the 

 person who found it was to be rewarded for his trouble. 

 If the person who found the hawk concealed the same 

 from the owner or his falconer, he was liable on discovery 

 to pay the price of the bird to the owner, and to suffer 

 two years' imprisonment ; and if unable to pay his fine, 

 his imprisonment was extended to a longer term. In the 

 same year the Bishop of Ely excommvmicated certain 

 persons for stealing a hawk that was sitting upon her 

 perch in the cloisters of Bermondse}^, in Southwark ; but 

 this piece of sacrilege was committed during divine 

 service, and the hawk was the property of the Bishop. 



The Norwegian breed of hawks were in old times in 

 high estimation in England. They were bribes worthy 

 a king. Greoffrey Fitzpierce gave two good Norway 

 hawks to King John * to obtain for his friend, Walter 



* King John was particiilarly attached to the sports of the field, 



and his partiality for fine horses, hounds, and hawks is evident from 



his frequently receiving such animals by way of payment instead of 



money for the renewal of grants and forfeitures belonging to the Crown. 



N 4 



