Prices of Game. 81 



" In the year 1536, Henry VIII. issued a proclamation in 

 order to preserve the partridges, pheasants, and herons 

 ' from his palace at Westminster to St. Giles-in-the-Pields, 

 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 

 furnished by the ' Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry VIII.' 

 For example, under date xvj'" Nov. 1532, we have : 



" ' Itm the same daye paied to the fesaunt 



breder in rewarde ixs. iiijd.' 



"' Itm the XXV daye paied to the preste the 

 fesaunt breder at Eltham in rewarde ij 

 corons ixs, iiijd.' 



" And in December of the same year : 



"' Itm the xxijd. daye paied to the french 

 Preste the fesaunt breder for to bye 

 him a gowne and other necesarys ... xls.' 



" Prom these entries it would appear that even at this 

 date some trouble and expense were incurred in rearing 

 pheasants. No allusion, however, is made to their being 



Teylle3 id. a pace. Dottrells id. a peoe. 



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



Seegullas id. or ijd. at tha mosta. Tames after iii. a id. 



Styntes after vi. a id. Great byrdas after iiii. a id. 



Quaylles iid. a pace at mosta. Small byrdas 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 lass 

 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 saa-guU was worth two or three 

 chicken or one woodcock." 



