ENGLISH DOVECOTE 



and at little cost. 



With the introduction of "roots" and the re- 

 sulting possibility of winter-feeding stock, the 

 need for dovecotes naturally decreased ; while 

 there gradually arose a more positive reason 

 for their falling into desuetude. The peasant 

 agriculturistofNormandayshad seen, no doubt 

 with pain, but certainly with little thought of re- 

 monstrance, still less of rebellion, the pigeons 

 of the lord, the abbot, or the parson, battening 

 daily on his scanty crops. It was a privilege 

 which it would hardly occur to him to dispute; 

 he looked upon it as the natural course of things 

 that he should labour to raise crops from which 

 the birds of his superiors took a heavy toll, and 

 he was doubtless thankful for the little left for 

 his own use. 



But with the gradual disappearance of op- 

 pressive privileges these pacific sentiments 

 wouldno longer obtain. Thedovecote, whence 

 there issued with the dawn hundreds of birds 

 who found their living in the farmers', fields, 

 would be among those objects upon which re- 

 formers turned their eyes. Nor had they far to 

 look. We have it on the word of Samuel H art- 



35 



