PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



" ' Item, Fessaxtntis for mj Lordes owne Meas to be hadde 

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



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

 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. 



Chickeyus at ^d. a jjece. Redeslianks i^d. 



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



Swanuys (no price stated). Fesauutes xiid. 



Geysse iiid. or iiiid. at the moste. Reys {i.e. Ruffs and Reeves) iid. 



Pluvers id. or i^d. at moste. a pece. 



Cranys xvid. a pece. Sholardes vid. a pece. 



HearonseAvys {i.e. Heroushaws or Kyrlewes xiid. a pece. 



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



Mallardes iid. a pece. See-Pyes (no j)rice). 



Woodcokes id. or l§d. at the Wegious at iid. the pece. 



moste. Kuottes id. a pece. 



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



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



Seegulles id. or iid. at the moste. Ternes after iii. a id. 



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



Quay lies iid. a pece at moste. Small byi-des 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 

 ])y the abundance and cheapness of the wading bii'ds. Woodcocks at a 

 penny, and snipes at tlu'ce a x^enny, contrast strongly with partridges at 

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

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

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

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

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

 chicken or one woodcock. 



