142 Bird-Life in Early Scottish Literature. [Sess. 



shaken Scotland and brought the monastic system to an end. 

 Suppose we choose as the source of our information the 

 records of the Abbey of Coupar- Angus, in the county of 

 Perth. These records furnish us with a wonderful amount 

 of instruction as to the game which graced the Abbey table 

 and tickled the palate of the monks. They had quite a 

 number of employees, whose service consisted in catering 

 to their wants, — millers who ground their wheat and barley 

 and oats, bakers who baked their bread, "browsters" who 

 brewed their ale, and cellarers who collected and dealt out 

 their stores. But the most interesting figure, from our 

 point of view, was the fowler or cuningar. 



Plantations of broom were formed for a double purpose, — 

 to supply the Abbey fires with fuel and the rabbit-warrens 

 with cover. These warrens were under the care of the 

 cuningar, who preserved them for the use of the monastery. 

 But the monks loved good eating, and were not averse to 

 variety; and so the cuningar was instructed to hunt afield, 

 that wild game might be brought to the Abbey table. A 

 lease from the rental-book here provides the needful inform- 

 ation. In 1541 a certain John Soutar and his spouse, 

 Isabel Pilmour, obtain a nineteen years' tack of the half 

 of the Abbey mill and lands at Mylnehorn. They are to 

 pay as rent " 3 punds of gude and usual money at Whit- 

 sunday and Mertymes, 18 capons of poultry, and ilk tway 

 yeris ane fed boar gude and sufficient upon 3 monthis 

 warnin." In addition, the said John Soutar is "to hunt 

 and use the craft of fowlarie at all times at his power, and 

 what fowls happens to be slain by him or be anie utheris at 

 be his pairtis man with they sail present the same to our 

 said place, to the cellarer or stewarit for the time, upon the 

 prices efter following, that is to say, — Ilk wild guiss^ tway 

 shillings. Ilk cran^ and swan five shillings, Pluffar,^ dot-role,* 

 quhape,^ reid schank,^ schot-quhaip,'' and tele ^ and duik ^ and 

 all uther sic smale fowlis, ilk piece, 4 pennies. Petrik,-^^ ilk 

 piece 8 pennies." 



This is an interesting list, well deserving of some consider- 



1 Goose. 2 Crane. ^ piover (golden). ^ Dotterel. ^ Curlew. 



« Redshank. ^ Lapwing. « Teal. ^ Duck. 



^° Partridge, each one 8 pennies. 



