PHEASANTS AND PEACOCKS. 99 



dry, but reserved for the sole use of the Pheasants, 

 or at least, the larger sort of fowls, as the lid, cover- 

 ing a trough containing the seed, op^ns and shuts 

 by the weight of the Pheasant hopping on or off a 

 perch connected with a crank. 



Pheasants have been considered, and with sonic 

 reason, foolish birds, easily taken by every variety of 

 snare; but, together with the Peacocks, they were, 

 nevertheless", probably on account of their beauty, 

 not only highly-esteemed in ancient times, but 

 viewed with a sort of superstitious respect; so much 

 so, that by the heathen Romans, those who first 

 served them up at entertainments were deemed 

 guilty of a sort of impiety to their idol-gods ; and 

 even when they were afterwards introduced as food, 

 they were never us"ed, even by the emperors, except 

 on the most solemn occasions. In after-times, the 

 Christians, who too often adopted the customs of 

 their heathenish predecessors, paid an almost equal 

 respect to these birds. Thus we find so serious a 

 writer as St. Jerome, giving directions for boiling a 

 Pheasant, so that the form of the bird might be 

 completely preserved. From the table, Pheasants 

 and Peacocks became most fashionable and honoured 

 additions to the toilet; historians telling us, that the 

 most splendid present one of the Popes sent to 

 Pepin, one of the earliest kings of France, was a 

 mantle, embroidered with the feathers of the latter; 

 and the richest furniture in the apartments of the 

 nobles in the middle ages, was painted or inlaid in 

 such a manner as to represent a Peacock's tail, 

 spread out and studded with eyes. 



At table, they were never introduced, except on 



ii 2 



