VOL. XV.] BREEDING-PLACES IN SUSSEX. 9 



occupies a position between what is now " the Crumbles " and 

 Pevensey. 



In his paper on the Hurstmonceaux Account Book, Sir 

 T. Barrett Lennard gives very few details with respect to 

 the entries of " puets." They are, however, included in 

 the list he gives of game, etc., purchased for the table, where 

 they are priced at 6d. each, and from the sample page of a 

 week's accounts (August 19-26, 1643) printed and other 

 entries quoted, it is evident that they were purchased in lots 

 as opportunity occurred and kept in a pen for use as required. 

 Here they were fed meanwhile on bullock's liver, just as 

 appears to have been customary in other places where suppHes 

 of young Black-headed Gulls were available. Mr. Gurney 

 has shown {i.e., p. 189) that at this period they were commonly 

 caught, before they could fly, for the table, and from the 

 fact that they are entered as a source of revenue to the 

 manor of Eastbourne they must, considering their small value, 

 have been available in considerable quantities. The con- 

 clusion that one of the " great ponds " was a former breeding 

 place of the Black-headed Gull becomes therefore almost 

 irresistible and from it the young birds were no doubt sold 

 to Hurstmonceaux and other neighbouring manors. Inciden- 

 tally it becomes almost equally certain that it must have 

 been this same William Wilson who sold them to Lord Dacres. 

 Exactly the same arguments apply in the case of the Oyster- 

 catcher. " Sea pyes " are entered as a source of revenue to 

 the manor of Eastbourne, and we find " Olives " being pur- 

 chased at Hurstmonceaux at is. a piece. The old maps show 

 that even at that time there was a large accumulation of 

 shingle between Eastbourne and what was then the mouth 

 of Pevensey Haven, producing the type of ground that is 

 still to be found there and exactly the same as that of the 

 other former breeding-places of this bird already referred to. 

 Although there is no direct evidence of breeding, there can 

 hardly be any reasonable doubt about it if we take the cir- 

 cumstances of the entries into consideration in conjunction 

 with the character of the locality. 



