The boohe of Hunting 237 



The proper termes for the companies of 

 all beafts, when they are more than 

 one togither 



TO beginne with the termes that are proper for the compa- Compamet 

 nies of beafts : you fliall vnderftand that Huntefmen vfe to "f ^e*^'- 

 faye, An Heard of Harts and Hindes^ Bucket and Does : and A 

 Trippe of Gates and Geates. A Beaute of Roives. A Sounder of 

 Sijuine. And a Rowte ofWolues. I haue not readde any thing of 

 the Raynedeare in this refpe6t, and I could not heare any thyng 

 bycaufe in deede they are not in this Realme as farre as euer I 

 coulde learne. But in my iudgement it fhoulde alfo be called 

 An Heard of Raynedeare. Tryftram addeth, A Richejfe of Mar- 

 ternes^ and a Sloivth of Beares. As for Hares ^ if they be two togi- 

 thers, we fay, a brafe of Hares ^ and a Leafe when there are three : 

 as alio a brafe of Harts or Hindes, Buckes or Does, is very pro- 

 perly fpoken : but more than two or three Hares, you flial feldom 

 fee togither at once. Twoo Conies are called a couple, and three 

 are called a couple and a halfe of Conies. If they be many feeding 

 out togethers, we fay it is a fayre game of Conies. As for Fox, 

 Badgerd and other fuche vermine, you fliall feldome fee more than 

 one of them at once, vnlefle it be when they engendre : and then 

 their encreafe is called A lytter. This is afmuche as I thinke 

 requifite to fay of the termes for the companies of Beaftes : Sa- 

 uing that .xx. is the leaft number which maketh an Hearde of a- 

 ny Deare fauing the Rowe: but fixe Rowes make an hearde. 

 And of Swyne twelue is the leaft number, which may be called a 

 Sounder : as alfo the fame number ferueth for a route ofWolues. 



The termes of the Ages of all beafts of Venerie 

 and Chace : and firft of the Harte 



AN Hart is called the firfte yeare a Calfe, the feconde a ^gt. 

 jTXBrocket, the thirde a Spayde, the fourth a Staggerd, the 

 fifth a Stagge, and (as TryBrams booke teacheth) the lixth yeare 

 he fliuld be called an Hart. But I am rather of opinion y* he 



is 



