62 LONDON PARKS & GARDENS 
it devoured fish ; and it is not surprising that he re¬ 
corded the strange fact that one of the two Balearian 
cranes had a wooden leg, made by a soldier, with a 
joint, so that the bird could “walk and use it as well 
as if it had been natural ” ; and he speaks with interest 
of a solan goose, a stork, a milk-white raven, and “ a 
curious sort of poultry,” besides “ deer of several 
countries,” antelopes, elk, “ Guinea goats, Arabian 
sheep, etc.” The duck decoy lay at the south-west end 
of the long canal, which formed part of the new French 
design. This “ duck island ” was rather a series of 
small islands, as it was intersected by canals and reed- 
covered channels for catching duck. This was a 
favourite resort of Charles II., who has often been de¬ 
scribed feeding his ducks in St. James’s Park. To be 
keeper of the ducks, or “ Governor of Duck Island,” 
was granted to St. Evremond, an excuse for bestowing 
a yearly salary on a favourite. The birds continued 
after the King, who had found in them a special recrea¬ 
tion, had passed away. In William III.’s time the 
Park is still described as “ full of very fine walkes and 
rowes of trees, ponds, and curious birds, Deer, and some 
fine Cows.” A Dutch traveller who was in England 
from 1693-96 notices the famous old white raven. By 
that time the ducks were no longer the fashion, and 
evidently there was an inclination to despise the former 
craze for wild fowl. A Frenchman, named M. de 
Sorbiere, visited England about this time, and wrote an 
account of his impressions. Some of his adverse criticisms 
of English people and institutions got him into trouble. 
A supposed translation of his book was published in 
1698, and until 1709 was held to be a correct version. 
In reality it was a clever skit, and not in the least like 
