INTRODUCTION INTO BRITAIN. 31 



" ' Item, FESSAUNTIS for my Lordes owne Meas to be hadde 

 at Principalle Feistis and to be xijd. a pece.'* 



" In the year 1536, Henry VIII. issued a proclamation in 

 order to preserve the partridges, pheasants, and herons 

 ' from his palace at Westminster to St. Giles-in-the-Fields, 

 and from thence to Islington, Hampstead, Highgate, and 

 Hornsey Park/ Any person, of whatever rank, who should 

 presume to kill, or in any wise molest these birds, was to be 

 thrown into prison, and visited by such other punishments as 

 to the King should soon seem meet. 



" Some interesting particulars in regard to pheasants are 



* " As a copy of the ' Northumberland Household Book ' is not readily 

 accessible, we give the following interesting extract, showing the price, at 

 that date, of various birds for the table : 



' Capons at iid. a pece leyn (lean). Pettryges at iid. a pece. 



Chickeyns at d. a pece. Redeshanks id. 



Hennys at iid. a pece. Bytters (i.e. Bitterns) xiid. 



Swannys (no price stated). Fesauntes xiid. 



Geysse iiid. or iiiid. at the inoste. Beys (i.e. Ruffs and Reeves) iid. 



Pluvers id. or id. at moste. a pece. 



Cranys xvid. a pece. Sholardes (Spoonbills) viid. a pece. 



Hearonsewys (i.e. Heronshaws or Kyrlewes xiid. a pece. 



Herons) xiid. a pece. Pacokes xiid. a pece. 



Mallardes iid. a pece. Sea Pyes (no price). 



Woodcokes id. or l^d. at the Wigions at id. the pece. 



moste. Knottes id. a pece. 



Teylles id. a pece. Dottrells id. a pece. 



Wypes (i.e. Lapwings) id. a pece. Bustardes (no price). 



Seegulles id. or i|d. at the moste. Ternes after iiid. a id. 



Styntes after vi. a id. Great byrdes after iiii. a id. 



Quaylles iid. a pece at moste. Small byrdes after xii. for iid. 



Snypes after iii. a id. Larkys after xii. for iid.' 



" This extract is especially interesting as throwing light incidentally on 

 the condition of the country ; the unreclaimed state of the land is shown 

 by the abundance and cheapness of the wading birds. Woodcocks at a 

 penny, and snipes at three a penny, contrast strongly with partridges at 

 twopence and pheasants and peacocks at twelvepence each. Nor is the 

 change in the degree of estimation in which the birds are now held less 

 remarkable. Curlews, herons, and bitterns, which are now scarcely valued 

 as edible, ranked equal to pheasants and peacocks, and were three or four 

 times the value of a grouse, whilst a fishy sea-gull was worth two or three 

 chicken or one woodcock. 



