The Blossoming Rod

d consequently the necessity for breeding and rearing game artificially did not exist. Nature's liberal supply sufficed to satisfy the moderate demand, and the sports

idges, "with grey gos-hawk in hand," as Chauc

eare's day, for the old-fashioned "birding-piece" was then in use, as we have already noticed.118 But, partly in consequence of its inferiority and cost, and partly because its use was so little understood, the majority of folks preferred to carr

PHEA

-known in Shakespeare's day, the poet has only once made mention of this bi

business, sir,

t advocate has

know not, an

d). Advocate's the court-word fo

r; I have no pheas

ssed are we that a

UCTION INT

enterprise of the Romans. The earliest record, we believe, of the occurrence of the pheasant in this country will be found in the tract "De inventione Sanct? Crucis nostr? in Monte Acuto et de ductione ejusdem apud Waltham,"

is usque ad caput jejunii, aut xii. merul?, aut ii. agause?, aut ii. p

"Monasticon Anglicanum" to the effect that the Abbot of Amesbury obtained a

evell, Archbishop of York, in the reign of Edward IV., tells us that, among

VALUE

h of York," under date "the xiiijth day

yndfeld for bringing a present of fesaunte

h Earl of Northumberland, which was commence

y Lordes own Mees at Principall F

Meas to be hadde at Principalle Fei

PRESE

o St. Giles-in-the-Fields, and from thence to Islington, Hampstead, Highgate, and Hornsey Park." Any person, of whatever rank, who should presum

furnished by the "Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry V

ed to the fesaunt brede

reste the fesaunt breder at Elthm

mber of the

ch Preste the fesaunt breder for to bye

rearing pheasants. No allusion, however, is made to their being shot. They must have been taken i

nt kylled wit

s and two Partridges

as being "brought in," the bearer r

an of the pultry, bringing to hir gc?e t

ptrich taker bringing a cowple of Phe

o my lady Carow's s'u?t bri

, s'u?te of Hertford bringing a phe

in 1539, mention is made of a "game" of sixteen pheasants in the

E-L

), there was in Ireland "such plenty of pheasa

periods, as shown by the laws fixing penalties for th

7, "No person should kill or take any pheasant, partridge, (&c.), or take or destroy the eggs of pheasants, partridges, (&c.), in pain of 20s., or imprisonment for every fowl or egg, and to find sureties in ￡20 not to offend in the like kind." Under the same statute, no person was permitted "to buy or sell any pheasant or partridge, upon pain to forfeit 20s. for every pheasant, and 10s. for every partridge." By 7 Jac. I. c. 11, "every person having hawked at or destroyed any pheasant or p

not be killed by any one with impunity, no penalty should attach for killing such birds as crows, kites, an

PART

e find the Partridge (Perdix cinerea) appropriate

partridge in th

ine how the

te soar with un

art II. Act

scovered dead in his bed, with marks of violence upon his features, and grave suspicion fell upon the Duke of Suffolk, who "had him in protecti

DGE-HA

te pastime, and is still, to a certain extent, with those few who still maintain the practice of falconry. For this sport either the peregrine or the goshawk may be used. Aubrey has recorded a curious event which happened when he was a freshman at Oxford in 1642. He frequently supped with Charles I., who then resided at the University; and on one of these occasions he heard the King say that-"As he was

o hawk, took their birds by springe and net; and partridge-net

DGE-NE

made to the partridge by Beatrice, who, ref

laughed at, strikes him into melancholy; and then there's a partridge wing saved,

" of partridges, so we

ore of the

Act v.

QU

the presence of the Athenian youths, in order to inflame their courage, and the Romans held quail-fighting in still higher estimation. A

less alluding to this

enough, and one that loves quails.

ace them opposite to each other at the end of a long table, throwing between them a few grains of millet-seed to make them quarrel. At first they merely threaten, lowering the head

ra (Act ii. Sc. 3), A

win the battle

to nought; and

inhoop'd

-FIGH

assertion, we may gather from the foll

ortune; and therefore he counselled him utterly to leave his company, and get him as farre from him as he coulde. Howsoever it was, the event ensuing proved the Egyptian's words true; for it is said that as often as they drew lots for pastime, who should have anything, or whether they played at dice, A

e note of this bird is thu

Bi-ke-bik

ID

curiosity to visit the London markets in the spring of the year, will see large boxes

LAPW

espeare chiefly on account of a peculiar trait in its character, with which most naturalists are very familiar. Like the partridge and some other birds, it has a curious habit of

nest the lapwi

Errors, Ac

nfrequent in our older poets. Lil

ing, who crieth most w

second part of his "C

our priggers,

the lapwing farth

son's Underwoo

knows will like

nest, and so

ich occurs in Measure for Measure, Act i.

Beatrice, like

ound, to hear o

ii. S

cry, we believe to be of some antiquity. Nor has he referred to it by another name, which must have been commonly applied to it in h

pes126 be hade for my Lordes own m

run almost as soon as hatched, and Shakes

s away with the s

Act v.

and in the present chapter this bird deserves more particular atten

e pastime," and in all the published treatises upon falconry, m

e incurred for taking the eggs,127 and no one was permitted to shoot w

HERN

know a hawk from a heron when he saw it, and Hamlet evidently considered

the wind is southerly, I know a hawk

s not know a hawk from a hernshaw," that is, a heron; but the wo

N-HA

they labour both especially for this one thing-that one may ascend and be above the other. Now, if the hawk getteth the upper place, he overthroweth and vanquisheth the heron with a marvellous earnest flight." This old passage contrasts quaintly with the animated description of heron-hawking in Fr

y near together, but, seeing the prey beginning to mount, they separate, each their own way, now taking a long turn down wind, and then breasting the wind again. 'De Ruyter' makes the best rings, and after having gone a mile, there is a shout-'Now "De Ruyter" is above him!' and the hawk is seen poising herself for a stoop; down she comes, with closed wings, like a bullet, and hits the heron; it is too high to see where, but the scream the quarry gives is tremendous. Hurrah! there's a stoop for you! Both hawk and heron have descended some yards; the former, from the impetus of her stoop, much beneath the heron, but she shoots up again to a level. In fact, it was a perfect stoop. Though so near the heron, she does not attempt a little stoop, but again heads the wind so that the heron appears to be flying the hawk. 'Sultan' is now above both, and makes her stoop, but not so good as her partner's. However, she makes two quickly, and is within an ace of catching; but the good heron will not give an inch, and 'Sultan' will have to give another ring for another stoop. But where is 'De Ruyter' all this time? She has made a long ring, and is now a long way above them. She makes anothe

eing now hot, the herons move more by night than by

hemselves about half a mile apart, to intercept the h

he sees them directly, and proceeds to mount. 'Now, good hawks, you will have some work to do before you overtake him!' The knowing riders are down wind as hard as they can go. Ring after ring is made, and yet the hawks seem to gain but little on him. Still they are flying like swallows: 'De Ruyter' makes a tremendous ring, but still fails to get above him. Again and again they ring, and have attained a great height. A scream of delight is heard: they are above him; 'De Ruyter' is at him! A fine stoop, but the heron dodg

day's sport as any o

paid for this bird was xijd. Of late years the heron has dropped out of the bill of fare, and no longer forms a fashionable dish. One of the last records of its appearance at table which we have met with, is in connection with the feast which was given by the Executors of Thomas Sutton, the f

WOOD

eceived almost as much attention in Shakespeare's day as they do at the present time-with this difference,

dcocks in

r's Lost, Ac

have no brains, and the name of this bird became a synonym

t find a wo

ut Nothing,

ai

cock! what a

he Shrew, A

E FOR WO

ions to the capture of thi

ges to catc

Act i.

MAKE A

describes a springe with which he used to take both snip

k. C. Forked stick with one end passed through the ot

and this keeps it all in place. But on a bird stepping on the forked stick C, the weight of the bird loosens it

hakespeare

ge hold, the

Tale, Act

lar trap, and his description is so animated, while at the same time so inst

his beak, were very numerous. Here my companion halted, and pulling out his knife, cut down a tall willow ro

e end of which was formed into a large running noose; while, about half way down, another piece of stick, about six inches long, was tied by its middle. The flexible wand was then bent forcibly downwards, one end of the little stick overhead was passed under the arch, while it was retained in this position, and at the same time the bow prevented from springing upwards, by the other extremity being placed against a notch at the end of the stick which had been fastened to the peg on the

aught the

ll, Act

E

this bird was with a st

woodcock n

ight, Act

a-days for rats, is probably too we

he woodcock w

art III. Ac

ODCOCK

ude to the opinion of Pythagoras on the transmigration of souls, and to the discussio

possess the soul of thy grandam. Fare t

ree sorts of tobacco, and their lights by them, handing matches on the point of their swords, or sending out their pages for real Trinidado. They actually practised smoking under

this forward as a proof of the comparative earliness of many of his dramas, but smoking was in general use long before Shakespeare left London, and he drew his manners almost entirely from his own age,

SN

oticed by him than the woodcock. Indeed we have been unab

ing to Rode

gain'd knowledge

me expend wit

y sport a

, Act i

too insignificant a bird to the sportsman to warrant h

ld have successfully stopped the erratic flight of a snipe. That large numbers of snipe were brought to market, and appeared at table, in Shakespeare's time, is clear from the numerous entries in the old "Household Book,