Bush.-Going "a-birding."-The "Stanniel or Kestrel.-Origin of the

Two Names.-The 'Musket" or Sparrow-Hawk.-Hawk and Hern-

shaw. Prices of Hawks.-Hawk's Furniture.-Hawk's Meat. Fal-

coner's Wages.-Sundries

-

PAGE

49

CHAPTER III.

THE OWL AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.

"The Bird of Juno."- "The Favourite of Minerva."-"The Bird of Wis-

dom."-Sacred to Proserpine. Use in Medicine.-The Bird of Ill-

Omen.-Its Appearance by Day.-Its Habits misunderstood. Its Utility

to the Farmer.--A Curious Tradition.-Its Note or Cry.-An Owl

Robbing Nests. -Evidence not conclusive.-Its Retiring Habits. Its

"Five Wits."-Its Fame in Song.-The Owl's Good Night
83

CHAPTER IV.

THE CROWS AND THEIR RELATIONS.

The Raven a Bird of Ill Omen.-Its Supposed Prophetic Power.- Its Deep

and Solemn Voice.-The Raven's Croak foreboding Death.-The

"Night-Raven" and " 'Night-Crow."—The Raven's Presence on Battle-

fields. Its alleged Desertion of its Young.-The Rook and Crow.-

The Crow-Keeper, and "Scare-Crow."--The Chough.-Russet-pated

Choughs.-The Daw, Magpie, and Jay

CHAPTER V.

THE BIRDS OF SONG.

The Nightingale.-"Lamenting Philomel."- Singing against a Thorn.

-Erroneously supposed to Sing only by Night. - Recording."-

The Lark.-"The Herald of the Morn."-Singing at Heaven's Gate.

-Song of the Lark.-Soaring and Singing.-Changing Eyes with Toad.

---Lark-Catching.—The Common Bunting.-"The Throstle, with his

Note so True."-Imitation of his Song.-The Ouzel-Cock.-The Robin-

Redbreast, or Ruddock.--Covering the Dead with Leaves.-"Redbreast

Teacher."-"The Wren with Little Quill."-Its Loud Song. -The Spar-

Philip Sparrow."-Providence in the Fall of a Sparrow.--The

Hedge-Sparrow and Cuckoo.-"The Cuckoo's Bird."- 'Ungentle Gull."

The Plain Song Cuckoo Gray."-The Song of the Cuckoo.-Cuckoo

Songs.-The Wagtail, or Dishwasher.-Bird-catching.-Springes. —Gins.

Bat-fowling. Its Two Significations. — Bird-Lime, Bird-Bolts, and

Birding-Pieces .

row."

-

99

123

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

THE BIRDS UNDER DOMESTICATION.

Cock." Cock-Crow."-" Cock-shut-time."- Cock-a-Hoop."

-

Pye."-Cock-Fighting.-Ancestry of the Domestic Cock.-The Peacock.

-Its Introduction into Europe, and Ancient Value.-In Request for the

Table.-The Turkey.-Date of Introduction into England.-Shakespeare's

Anachronism.--Pigeons.-First used as Letter-Carriers.-A Present of

Pigeons. Meaning of "Pigeon-Liver'd." — Pigeon-Post. -Mode of

Feeding the Young.-The Barbary Pigeon.-The Rock-Dove. - Doves

and Dovecotes.-The ""
Doves of Venus."-"The Dove of Paphos."-

"" 'As True as Turtle to her Mate:" "as Plantage to the Moon."-

Mahomet's Dove.-A Dish of Doves.-The Goose.-"Green-Geese,"

and "Stubble-Geese."--" Cackling home to Camelot."-"The Wild-

Goose Chase."-The Swan.-"The Bird of Apollo."-Song of the

Swan.-Habits of the Swan.-The Swan's Nest.-As Soft as Swan's-

down.-"Juno's Swans."-Cygnets.

167

CHAPTER VII.

THE GAME-BIRDS AND

QUARRY FLOWN AT BY FALCONERS.

Sporting in Shakespeare's Day. The Pheasant. Date of its Introduc-

tion into Britain.-Ancient Value of Game.-Game-Preserving.—-Game-

Laws.-Partridge-Hawking.-Anecdote of Charles I.-Quails.—Quail-

Fighting. The Lapwing.-Feigning to be Wounded. - Running as

-

soon as Hatched.-The Heron, or Hernshaw.-Heron-Hawking.-Hawk

and Hernshaw.-Heron at Table.-The Woodcock.-Springes for Wood-

cocks. How to Make a Springe.-A Gin.-"The Woodcock's Head."

--The Snipe

209

CHAPTER VIII.

WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL.

--

་་

"A Flight of Fowl."-Habit of Wounded Birds. Duck-Hunting.".

Swimming like a Duck."-Wild-fowling in Shakespeare's Day.-

"The Stalking-Horse."-"The Caliver."- "The Stale."-Wild-Geese.

-Sign of Hard Weather.-The Barnacle Goose.-Barnacles.- Wild

Fowl.-Divers and Grebes.-The Loon." The "Di-dapper."--The

Cormorant.--Its Voracity.-Fishing with Cormorants. -The King's Cor-

morants. Their " 'Keep" at Westminster.-Fishing at Thetford. -The

Master of the Cormorants.-Entries in State Papers.-The Home of

the Cormorant.-The Sea-side.-Shakespeare's Sea-cliffs and Sea-

mells."-Gulls and Gull-Catchers

"

235

CHAPTER IX.

BIRDS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS.

The Parrot clamorous against Rain."-Talking like a Parrot.--A rare

"Parrot-Teacher."-The Popinjay.-The Starling.—Its Talking Powers.

-The Kingfisher.-Halcyon Days.-Flight of the Kingfisher.---Esti-

mated Speed.-The Swallow and "Martlet."-The Swallow's Herb and

Swallow's Stone.-The "Ostridge."—"Eating Iron "-Bating with the

Wind.-The Pelican.-Feeding its Young with its Blood.-Explanation

of the Fable.-Former Existence of a Pelican in the English Fens.-

Conclusion

PAGE

. 271

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

[THE HEAD AND TAIL PIECES FROM DESIGNS BY THE AUTHOR.]

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, adapted from the Chandos Portrait by
J. Wolf, engraved by G. Pearson

Deer-Shooting, drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson
Rabbit and Beagle

PAGE

Frontis.

I

22

The Bells

The Hood

The Cadge

Imping

The Keeper's Tree

Owl Mobbed by Small Birds

Long-eared Owl

Rooks and Magpies

Jay Stealing Eggs

Blackbird, Thrush, Nightingale,

and Wren

Bird-Trap

Birding-Piece of Prince Charles

Sparrow and Trap

Turkey, Peacock, and Pigeon

Dog and Wounded Duck

Pheasant and Partridges

A Springe for Woodcocks

Quails Fighting

Wild-Fowl Alighting

Caliver of the Sixteenth Century

The Barnacle Goose

The Barnacle Goose Tree.

From Aldrovandus

The Barnacle Goose Tree

From Gerard

Barnacles. From Nature.

Black-headed Gull

Kingfisher and Swallows

Pelican and Young