26 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



The hare has no business to be found in such a list, save 

 in the single warren of Somerton, within the bounds of the 

 Somersetshire forest of that name. In no other place is the 

 hare known to have been preserved by forest laws. 



Again, the inclusion by Manwood of the wolf among the 

 beasts of the forest is absolutely without warrant. 



As to beasts of the chase, a term without any legal signifi- 

 cance, it may be held to include, in addition to the deer, the 

 wolf, the boar, the hare, the fox, and other vermin, such as the 

 wild cat, martin, badger, otter, and even in some cases the 

 squirrel. All that can be meant by this term is, that these 

 animals were chased and hunted, though after very different 

 fashions. 



In charters of warren, a term already briefly discussed, the 

 hare was the principal beast. A decision of 1338 placed the 

 roe among the beasts of the warren ; but it was not a decision 

 of universal application. The fox, and more especially the 

 coney or rabbit, were also regarded as beasts of the warren 

 that is noxious beasts which were hunted or killed, but not 

 preserved. 



As to fowls of warren, they certainly could not be held to be 

 noxious. They included the pheasant, the partridge, and the 

 woodcock, as well as, in certain cases, such birds as the plover, 

 and even the lark, the capture of which was held to be a 

 warren trespass. Mr. Turner considers that it is probable that 

 all birds, taken by snares or hawks within a warren, were held 

 to be fowls of the warren, and that their capture constituted 

 a legal trespass. 



The one bird that has some claim to be considered a "fowl 

 of the forest " is the swan. 



The RED DEER (cervus elap/ias), the largest of the British 

 deer, was the chief beast of the forest, and remained so for 

 a long period in all the wilder districts, such as Dartmoor, 

 Exmoor, the Peak Forest, Sherwood, and the uplands of 

 Pickering. 



The FALLOW DEER (dama vulgaris), introduced at an early 

 date into Britain, was more commonly sheltered in parks within 

 forest bounds. In a few cases both red and fallow deer were 

 found in the same forest outside parks ; whilst other forests 

 only sheltered one species. Thus in Derbyshire, down to the 



