VOL. xv.J REVIEW. IG7 



' Rooks Crows and Choughs do yearly destroy devour and consume 

 ' a wonderful and marvellous great Quantity of Corn and Crrain of 

 ' all Kinds, that is to wit, as well in the sowing of the same Corn and 

 ' Grain as also at the ripening and kcrnelling of the same and over that 

 ' a marvellous Destruction and Decay of the Covertures of thatched 

 ' Houses Barns Reeks Stacks and other such like : So that if the said 

 ' Crows Rooks and Choughs should be suffered to breed and continue, 

 ' as they have been in certain Years past, they will undoubtedly be the 

 ■ Cause of the great Destruction and Consumption of a great Part of the 

 ' Corn and Crrain which hereafter shall be sown throughout this 

 ' Realm, to the great Prejudice Damage and Undoing of the great 

 ' Number of all the Tillers Husbands and Sowers of the Earth within 

 ' the same. 



" Everyone shall do his best to destroy Crows etc. upon Pain of 

 ' Amerciament. Every Town Hamlet &c. shall provide and maintain 

 ' Crow-nets during Ten years. The Inhabitants shall during Ten 

 ' years assemble and Take Order to destroy Crows Rooks &c. The 

 ' Defaults shall be given in Charge in Leets &c. Any Man with 

 ' Licence of the Owner of the Ground may take Crows &c. The Taker 

 ' of Crows cl'c. shall have after the Rate of Two-pence the Dozen. None 

 ' under Pretence of this Act shall kill Pigeons upon the Pain limited 

 ' by the Laws and Customs of the Realm." 



And the gist of the two continuing Acts is thus quaintly set 

 out by WiUiam Lambard "of Lincolnes Inn, Gent." in his 

 Eirenaica or of the Office of the fiistices of Peace, London, 1594 : 



" The Office of the Distributers of the provision for the destrucion of noisome 

 fonle and V ermine, 8 El. cap 15, and 14 El. cap. 11. 



" These Distributers being so chosen, and having money (as is before 

 shewed in the eight Article of the Churchwardens Oiftce) shall give and 

 pay of the same money so to them delivered to every person that shall 

 bring to them any heades of old crowes, chouhges, pies, or rookes 

 taken within the severall Parishes, for the heades of every three of 

 them a penny ; and for the heads of every five^ young crowes, choughs, 

 pies or rookes taken, as is afore saide, a pennie, and for every five^ 

 egges of any of them unbroken, a pennie : and likewise for every 

 twelve stares- heades a pennie. All which said heades and egges, the 

 saide Distributers in some convenient place shall keepe, and shall 

 every moneth at the least bring forth the same before the sayde 

 Churchwardeins and Tarors^^ or three of them, and then and there 

 unto them shall make a true account in writing what money they 

 have payed foorth and payed for such heads aiid egges, and for the 

 heads of such other ravenous birds and vermine as are hereafter in 

 this Acte mencioned. That is to say, for everie head of merton^, 

 hawkes, fursekite, moldkite, buzzard, scag,* cormerant, or ringtaile, 

 two pence and for everie two egges of them, a pennie ; for every iron'' 



1 Five = in the Act " syxe." 



^ Stares = starlings. 



' Merton, hawkes — in the Act " Martyn Hawkes." This may 

 refer to the Hen-Harrier or Montagu's H. which is the " Buzard St. 

 Martin " of the French. Fr. M artin-chasseiir of. New Eng. Diet. 



* Scag = in the Act " schagge." 



* Iron, probably erne or eagle, cf. N.E. Diet. ; it certainly is not 

 Heron as suggested by Cox [Chnrehwardens' Accounts). 



