62 LONDON PARKS & GARDENS 



it devoured fish ; and it is not surprising that he re- 

 corded the strange fact that one of the two Balearian 

 cranes had a wooden leg, made by a soldier, with a 

 joint, so that the bird could "walk and use it as well 

 as if it had been natural " ; and he speaks with interest 

 of a solan goose, a stork, a milk-white raven, and " a 

 curious sort of poultry," besides " deer of several 

 countries," antelopes, elk, " Guinea goats, Arabian 

 sheep, etc." The duck decoy lay at the south-west end 

 of the long canal, which formed part of the new French 

 design. This " duck island " was rather a series of 

 small islands, as it was intersected by canals and reed- 

 covered channels for catching duck. This was a 

 favourite resort of Charles II, , who has often been de- 

 scribed feeding his ducks in St. James's Park. To be 

 keeper of the ducks, or " Governor of Duck Island," 

 was granted to St. Evremond, an excuse for bestowing 

 a yearly salary on a favourite. The birds continued 

 after the King, who had found in them a special recrea- 

 tion, had passed away. In William III.'s time the 

 Park is still described as " full of very fine walkes and 

 rowes of trees, ponds, and curious birds. Deer, and some 

 fine Cows." A Dutch traveller who was in England 

 from 1693-96 notices the famous old white raven. By 

 that time the ducks were no longer the fashion, and 

 evidently there was an inclination to despise the former 

 craze for wild fowl. A Frenchman, named M. de 

 Sorbiere, visited England about this time, and wrote an 

 account of his impressions. Some of his adverse criticisms 

 of English people and institutions got him into trouble. 

 A supposed translation of his book was published in 

 1698, and until 1709 was held to be a correct version. 

 In reality it was a clever skit, and not in the least like 



