ANIMALS. 



ANIMAL MANURES. 



be committed. (1 Hale, 511; 1 Hmvk. c. 33, 

 s. 39.) Swans, it is said, if lawfully marked, 

 are the subject of larceny at common law, al- 

 though at large in a public river (Dalt. Jusf. 

 c. 156); or whether marked or not if they 

 be m a private river or pond. (/&.) So, 

 all valuable domestic animals, as horses, and 

 all animals Homitxnaturse, which serve for food, 

 as swine, sheep, poultry, and the like, and the 

 product of any of them, as eggs, milk from the 

 cow while at pasture (Foster, !)!>), wool pulled 

 from the sheep's back feloniously (It. v. Murtin, 

 1 Leach, 171), and the flesh of such as are 

 ftrx nritune, may be the subject of larceny. 

 (1 Ha/f, 511.) But as to all other animals 

 which do not serve for food, such as dogs, fer- 

 rets though tame and saleable (R. v. Spearing, 

 R. & R. 250), and other creatures kept for 

 whim and pleasure, stealing these does not 

 amount to larceny at common law. (1 Hale, 

 512.) But now, to course, hunt, snare, or carry 

 away, or kill or wound, or attempt to kill or 

 wound, any deer kept or being in the enclosed 

 part of any forest, chase, or purlieu, or in any 

 enclosed land wherein deer are usually kept, is 

 felony, punishable as simple larceny; and if 

 committed in the unenclosed part of any forest, 

 chase, or purlieu, the first offence is punishable 

 upon summary conviction by fine not exceed- 

 ing 50/., and the second after a previous con- 

 viction is felony, and punishable as simple lar- 

 ceny. (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 29, s. 27.) Summary 

 punishment may also be imposed by fine, not 

 exceeding 20/., upon any person who shall have 

 in his possession, or upon his premises, with 

 his knowledge, any deer, or the head, skin, or 

 other part thereof, or any snare or engine for 

 the taking of deer, without satisfactorily ac- 

 counting for such possession (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 

 29, s. 27) ; or who shall set or use any snare 

 or engine whatsoever for the purpose of taking 

 or killing deer in any part of any forest, chase, 

 or purlieu, whether enclosed or not, or in any 

 fence or bank dividing the same from any land 

 adjoining, or in any enclosed land where deer 

 are usually kept, or shall destroy any part of 

 the fence of any land where deer are then kept. 

 (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 29, s. 28.) To take or kill hares 

 or coneys in the night-time, in any warren or 

 ground lawfully used for the breeding or keep- 

 ing of the same is a misdemeanor; and to 

 take and kill them in any warren or ground in 

 the day-time, or at any time to set any snare 

 or engine for the taking of them, is punisha- 

 ble upon summary conviction by fine. (7 & 

 3 G. 4, c. 29, s. 30.) Stealing dogs, or any 

 beast or bird ordinarily kept in a state of con- 

 finement, not being the subject of larceny at 

 common law (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 29, s. 31) ; know- 

 ingly being in possession thereof, or of the 

 skin or plumage thereof (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 29, 

 s. 32); killing, wounding, or taking any dove- 

 house pigeon, under such circumstances as 

 shall not amount to larceny at common law 

 (see R. v. Brooke, 4 C. & P. 131 ; 7 & 8 G. 4, 



t29, s. 33), is punishable upon summary con- 

 etion by fine, imprisonment, and whipping, 

 cording to the nature of the offence. So, to 

 take, or destroy any fish in any water which 

 shall run through, or be in any land adjoining 

 or belonging to the dwelling-house of any per- 



f son, being the owner of such water, and having 

 a ri^ht <>f fishery therein, is , a misdemeanor ; 

 and to take au4 destroy fish in any other water, 

 being private proMerty, or in which there shall 

 lie any private right of fishery; and to destroy 

 fish by angling, in the day-time, in either de- 

 j scription of water is punishable upon sunima- 

 ! ry conviction by fine, varying areonling to the 

 j nature of the offence. (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 29, s. 34.) 

 ' And, lastly, to steal any oyster or oyster brood 

 from any oyster bed, laying, or fisui-ry. In ing 

 the property of another, and sullioieutly marked 

 nit or known as such, is larceny; and to use 

 any dredge or any net, instrument or engine 

 whatsoever within the limits of such oyster 

 fishery for the purpose of taking oysters or 

 oyster brood, although none be taken, or to 

 drag upon the soil of any such fishery with 

 any net, instrument, or engine, is a misde- 

 meanor. (7 & 8 G. 4, c. 29, s. 3G.) 



ANIMAL CHEMISTRY. See CHEMISTRY. 



ANIMAL MANURES. For the information 

 I have to furnish with regard to animal ma- 

 nures, I must refer the farmer to other heads 

 of this, work, such as FARM-YARD MAVT;KI.;, 

 NIGHT-SOIL, BOXES, Lj<u'in MANURE, FISH, 

 &c. A very elaborate paper by Dr. C. Spren- 

 gel, translated by Mr. Hudson, will be found 

 in the Journal of the Roy. Ag. Soc. of En^., vol. 

 i. p. 455, and to that I am indebted for most of 

 the general observations on animal manures 

 in this article. The excrements of animals 

 vary with the age of the animal, its food, &c. 

 That of young animals is poorer than that of 

 the aged, for the young and growing animal 

 requires, for its nourishment and increase in 

 size, a greater proportion of the phosphate of 

 lime, and other solid ingredients of its food, 

 than the more aged animal, because the excre- 

 ments or refuse matters of the vegetables con- 

 sumed are proportionately diminished in quan- 

 tity and in richness. The richer the food, too, 

 the better is the quality of the manure. That 

 from animals fed upon oil-cake is the richest ; 

 then that from corn-fed animals ; then that 

 from green crops, hay ; and, lastly, that from 

 straw-yard cattle is decidedly the poorest. 

 Then again the water consumed by animals to 

 some extent influences the quantity of their 

 manure. In the water usually drank by an 

 ox, amounting daily to about 80 Ibs., is often 

 found from half an ounce to an ounce of sa- 

 line matter. These consist of gypsum, com- 

 mon salt, carbonate of lime, and carbonate of 

 magnesia, " It may be always regarded," as 

 is observed by M. Sprengel, *'as an indication 

 that the excrements of animals contain many 

 powerfully manuring substances when they 

 pass quickly into the putrefactive state, and 

 develope a large quantity of the offensive gases, 

 ammonia; for in such cases they contain not 

 only much sulphur, phosphorus, and nitrogen, 

 but an abundance also of chlorine, soda, pot- 

 ash, lime, and magnesia, the whole of which 

 are so much the more important in vegetation, 

 as the soil manured with the excrements is 

 deficient in these particular substances." 



The mode in which animal fertilizers ope- 

 rate, varies, however, according to their chemi- 

 al composition. Some are enriching from 

 possessing peculiar saline substances, which 



