162 The Animal-Lore of Sliahspeare s Time. 
and not tarying the time to raise to gaine by the other: for hlacke 
conyes are kept partly for their skins, which have their season in 
winter; and Kent by the nearnesse to London, hath so quicke market 
of yong rabbets, that it killeth this game chiefly in summer.” 
Holinshed, dealing with England more generally, gives 
much the same account:— 
“ As for warrens of conies, I judge them almost innumerable and 
dailie like to increase, by reason that the blacke skins of those beasts 
are thought to countervaile the prices of their naked carcases, and this 
is the onelie cause whie the graie are lesse esteemed. Neere unto 
London their quickest merchandize is of the yong rabbets, wherefor 
the older conies are brought from further off, where is no such speedie 
utterance of rabbets and sucklings in their season, nor so great losse 
by their skins, sith they are suffered to grow up to their full greatnesse 
with their owners.” ( Chronicles , vol. i. p. 343, ed. 1807.) 
In this work (p. 57) we are told that in the group of 
islands known as the Channel Islands— 
11 is also the rocky Isle of Burhoo, but now the Isle of Rats, so called of 
the huge plentie of rats that are found there, though otherwise it is 
replenished with infinit store of conies, betweene whome and the rats 
as I conjecture, the same which we call Turkie conies are oftentimes 
produced among those few houses that are to be seene in this island.” 
Fynes Moryson also notices the abundance of these 
little rodents. “ England,” he says, “ hath infinite 
number of conies, whereof the skinnes especially black 
and silver haired are much prised, and in great quantities 
transported, especially into Turkey ” {Itinerary, p. 148). 
The rabbit, or cony, was considered to have but a 
scanty allowance of brains. The verb “ to cony-catch ” 
was often used when a simple-minded victim was deceived 
or entrapped. A French commentator on Du Bartas 
informs us that the cony is— 
“ a beast, which by reason of his feare, loseth all ordinarie remem¬ 
brance ; whence the French proverb commeth, Thou hast as much 
memory as a hare, or conny: thou hast lost it in running.” 
