30 PHEASANTS FOB COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



" ' Item, Fbssatjntis for my Lordes owne Meas to be hadde 

 at Principalle Feistis and to be xijd. a pece.' * 



"In the year 1536, Henry YIII. issued a proclamation ia 

 order to preserve the partridges, pheasants, and herons. 

 ' from his palace at Westminster to St. Griles-in-the-Fields, 

 and from thence to Islington, Hampstead, Highgate, and 

 Hornsey Park/ Any person, of whatever rank, who should 

 presume to kill, or in any wise molest these birds, was to be 

 thrown into prison, and visited by such other punishments as- 

 to the King should soon seem meet. 



" Some interesting particulars in regard to pheasants are 



* " As a 6opy of the ' Northumberland Household Book' is not readily 

 accessible, we give the following' interesting extract, showing the price 

 at that date, of various birds for the table : 



' Capons at iid. a pece leyn (lean). Pettryges at iid. a pece. 



Chickeyns at 4d. a pece. Redeshanks i^d. 



Hennys at iid. a pece. Bytters {i.e. Bitterns) xiid. 



Swannys (no price stated). Fesauntes xiid. 



Geysse iiid. or iiiid. at the moste. Beys (i.e. Buffs and Reeves) iid.. 



Pluvers id. or i^d. at moste. a pece. 



Cranys xvid. a pece. Sholardes vid. a pece. 



Hearonsewys (i.e. Heronshaws or Kyrlewes xiid. a pece. 



Herons) xiid. a pece. Pacokes xiid. a pece. 



MaUardes iid. a pece, See-Pyes (no price). 



Woodcokes id. or IJd. at the Wegione at i^d. the pece. 



moste. Knottes id. a pece. 



Teylles id. a pece. Dottrells id. a pece. 



Wypes (i.e. Lapwings) id. a pece. Bustardes (no price). 



SeeguUes id. or i|d. at the moste. Ternes after iii. a id. 



Styntes after vi. a id. Gfreat byrdes after iiii. a id. 



Quaylles iid. a pece at moste. Small byrdes after xii. for iid. 



Snypes after iii. a id, Larkys after xii. for iid.' 



" This extract is especially interesting as throwing light incidentally on 

 the condition of the country ; the unreclaimed state of the land is shown 

 by the abundance and cheapness of the wading birds. Woodcocks at a 

 penny, and snipes at three a penny, contrast strongly with partridges at 

 twopence and pheasants and peacocks at twelvepence each. Nor is the 

 change in the degree of estimation in which the birds are now held less 

 remarkable. Curlews, herons, and bitterns, which are now scarcely valued 

 as edible, ranked equal to pheasants and peacocks, and were three or four- 

 times the value of a grouse, whilst a fishy searguU was worth two or three, 

 chicken or one woodcock. 



