BAT-FOWLING. 1 59 



them down with the same and so take them. Thus you 

 may spend as much of the night as is darke, for longer is 

 not conuenient, and doubtlesse you shall find much pastime, 

 and take great store of birds, and in this you shall obserue 

 all the obseruations formerly treated of in the Low-bell , 

 especially that of silence, until your lights be kindled, but 

 then you may use your pleasure, for the noyse and the 

 light when they are heard and seene afarre of, they make 

 the byrdes sit the faster and surer. 



" The byrdes which are commonly taken by this labour 

 or exercise are, for the most part, the rookes, ring-doues, 

 blackbirdes, throstles, feldyfares, linnets, bulfinches, and 

 all other byrdes whatsouer that pearch or sit vpon small 

 boughes or bushes." 



The term " bat-fowling," however, had another significa- 

 tion in Shakespeare's day, and it may have been in this 

 secondary sense that it is used in the last quotation. 

 It was a slang word for a particular mode of cheating, 

 just as other modes, in the same age, were known as 

 " gull-groping," "sheep-shearing," " lime-twigging " " spoon- 

 dropping," " stone-carrying," &c. 



" Bat-fowling " was practised about dusk, when the rogue 

 pretended to have dropped a ring or a jewel at the door 

 of some well-furnished shop, and, going in, asked the 

 apprentice of the house to light his candle to look for it. 

 After some peering about, the bat-fowler would drop the 

 candle, as if by accident. 



