FLESH FOOD FURNISHED BY THE FEATHERED TRIBES. 177 



Hudson's Bay Company's servants during the season, 

 and is reckoned equivalent to two snow geese, or three 

 ducks, or eight pounds of buifalo meat, or two pounds 

 of pemmican, or a pint of maize, and four ounces of 

 suet.* 



In favourable seasons there are as many as 6,000 or 

 7,000 killed and barrelled up for winter provision. 



Among the animals forbidden to be eaten by the Jews 

 (Levit. xi.) were the cormorant, swan, pelican, stork, 

 heron, and lapwing ; as well as the bat, lizard, snail, and 

 tortoise. Sir Robert Schomburgk assured me that 

 cormorants were very good eating after being skinned. 



The swan was fattened for the table by the Romans, 

 who first deprived it of sight. 



The cygnet used to be a dainty dish, though now held 

 in little esteem. They were fattened in London and 

 Norwich for the corporation banquets. In the Mayoralty 

 of Sir James Hawes (1575) we find in his tariff the 

 selling price of the cygnet in the metropolis at 6s, till 

 AUhallows Evetide, and 7s. from thence to Shrovetide. 

 The flesh of the old swans is hard and ill-tasted, but 

 among the items of consumption at the five days' open 

 house feast given by the Serjeants at Law at Ely House, 

 in November, 1531, twenty-four dozen of swans are 

 enumerated. 



There are a large number of swans on the Thames, 

 which belong to the Dyers', Vintners', and other Livery 

 Companies. These are all marked or nicked on each side 

 of the bill, and an annual excursion is made, called swan 

 upping, to nick or mark the young cygnets. 



An island, called Kalguyef , in the Petchora River, north 

 coast of Russia, is much resorted to by the fishermen, 

 who wage an easy and inglorious warfare against the 

 wild geese, swans, eider and other ducks which flock 

 thither in vast numbers in spring time. The fattest and 

 heaviest birds are driven into nets spread out to catch 

 them, and they then fall easy victims. Ten men, in the 



* Richardson's "Fauna Boreale Amtricaaa." 



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