By obtaining a reduced photograph of this upon wood, from the best engraving, and “vignetting” it, I have been enabled to place upon the left hand a hooded falcon, drawn by the unrivalled pencil of Mr. Wolf, and thus to entrust to the engraver, Mr. Pearson, a faithful likeness of man and bird.
As regards the other illustrations, my acknowledgments are due to Mr. J. G. Keulemans for the artistic manner in which he has executed my designs, and to Mr. Pearson for the careful way in which he has engraved them.
With these observations, I conclude an undertaking which has occupied my leisure hours for six years, but which indeed has been, in every sense of the word, “a labour of love.”
Should the reader, on closing this volume, consider its design but imperfectly executed, it is hoped that he will still have gleaned from it enough curious information to compensate him for the disappointment.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE | |
| [INTRODUCTION. SHAKESPEARE’S GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF NATURAL HISTORY.] | |
|---|---|
| His Love of Sport.—Hawking.—Fishing.—Hunting.—Fowling.—Deer-Shooting.—Deer-Stealing.—“TheSubtle Fox” and “Timorous Hare.”—Coursing.—Coney-Catching.—WildAnimals mentioned by Shakespeare.—HisKnowledge of their Habits.—Insects referred to in the Plays.—Shakespeare’sPowers of Observation.—Practical Knowledge of Falconry.—Loveof Birds. | 1 |
| [CHAPTER I. THE EAGLE AND LARGER BIRDS OF PREY.] | |
| An “Eagle Eye.”—Power of Flight.—A good Omen.—“The Bird ofJove.”—The Roman Eagle.—The “Ensign” of the Eagle.—Habits andAttitudes.—Eagles’ Eggs.—Longevity of the Eagle: its Age computed.—TheEagle trained for Hawking.—The Vulture: its Repulsive Habits.—TheOsprey: its Power over Fish.—The Kite.—The Kite’s Nest.—TheBuzzard. | 23 |
| [CHAPTER II. HAWKS AND HAWKING.] | |
| Explanation of Hawking Terms.—The Falcon and Tiercel.—The Qualities ofa good Falconer.—The “Lure” and its Use.—The “Quarry”—TheHawk’s “Trappings.”—Jesses, Bells, and Hood.—An Unmann’d Hawk.—TheCadge—The Hawks Mew.—The Royal Mews.—Origin of theword “Mews.”—Imping.—How to “Seel” a Hawk.—A Hawk for theBush.—Going “a-birding.”—The “Stanniel” or Kestrel.—Origin of theTwo Names.—The “Musket” or Sparrow-Hawk.—Hawk and Hernshaw.—Pricesof Hawks.—Hawk’s Furniture.—Hawk’s Meat.—Falconer’sWages.—Sundries. | 49 |
| [CHAPTER III. THE OWL AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.] | |
| “The Bird of Juno.”—“The Favourite of Minerva.”—“The Bird of Wisdom.”—Sacredto Proserpine.—Use in Medicine.—The Bird of Ill-Omen.—ItsAppearance by Day.—Its Habits misunderstood.—Its Utilityto the Farmer.—A Curious Tradition.—Its Note or Cry.—An OwlRobbing 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 Deepand Solemn Voice.—The Raven’s Croak foreboding Death.—The“Night-Raven” and “Night-Crow.”—The Raven’s Presence on Battlefields.—Itsalleged Desertion of its Young.—The Rook and Crow.—TheCrow-Keeper, and “Scare-Crow.”—The Chough.—Russet-patedChoughs.—The Daw, Magpie, and Jay. | 99 |
| [CHAPTER V. THE BIRDS OF SONG.] | |
| The Nightingale.—“Lamenting Philomel.”—Singing against a Thorn.—Erroneouslysupposed to Sing only by Night.—“Recording.”—TheLark.—“The Herald of the Morn.”—Singing at Heaven’s Gate.—Songof the Lark.—Soaring and Singing.—Changing Eyes with Toad.—Lark-Catching.—TheCommon Bunting.—“The Throstle, with hisNote so True.”—Imitation of his Song.—The Ouzel-Cock.—The Robin-Redbreast,or Ruddock.—Covering the Dead with Leaves.—“RedbreastTeacher.”—“The Wren with Little Quill.”—Its Loud Song.—The Sparrow.—“PhilipSparrow.”—Providence in the Fall of a Sparrow.—TheHedge-Sparrow and Cuckoo.—“The Cuckoo’s Bird.”—“Ungentle Gull.”—“ThePlain Song Cuckoo Gray.”—The Song of the Cuckoo.—CuckooSongs.—The Wagtail, or Dishwasher.—Bird-catching.—Springes.—Gins.—Bat-fowling.—ItsTwo Significations.—Bird-Lime, Bird-Bolts, andBirding-Pieces. | 123 |
| [CHAPTER VI. THE BIRDS UNDER DOMESTICATION.] | |
| Cock.—“Cock-Crow.”—“Cock-shut-time.”—“Cock-a-Hoop.”—“Cock andPye.”—Cock-Fighting.—Ancestry of the Domestic Cock.—The Peacock.—ItsIntroduction into Europe, and Ancient Value.—In Request for theTable.—The Turkey.—Date of Introduction into England.—Shakespeare’sAnachronism.—Pigeons.—First used as Letter-Carriers.—A Present ofPigeons.—Meaning of “Pigeon-Liver’d.”—Pigeon-Post.—Mode ofFeeding the Young.—The Barbary Pigeon.—The Rock-Dove.—Dovesand Dovecotes.—The “Doves of Venus.”—“The Dove of Paphos.”—“AsTrue as Turtle to her Mate:” “as Plantage to the Moon.”—Mahomet’sDove.—A Dish of Doves.—The Goose.—“Green-Geese,”and “Stubble-Geese.”—“Cackling home to Camelot.”—“The Wild-GooseChase.”—The Swan.—“The Bird of Apollo.”—Song of theSwan.—Habits of the Swan.—The Swan’s Nest.—As Soft as Swan’s-down.—“Juno’sSwans.”—Cygnets. | 167 |
| [CHAPTER VII. THE GAME-BIRDS AND “QUARRY” FLOWN AT BY FALCONERS.] | |
| Sporting in Shakespeare’s Day.—The Pheasant.—Date of its Introductioninto Britain.—Ancient Value of Game.—Game-Preserving.—Game-Laws.—Partridge-Hawking.—Anecdoteof Charles I.—Quails.—Quail-Fighting.—TheLapwing.—Feigning to be Wounded.—Running assoon as Hatched.—The Heron, or Hernshaw.—Heron-Hawking.—Hawkand Hernshaw—Heron at Table.—The Woodcock.—Springes for Woodcocks.—Howto Make a Springe.—A Gin.—“The Woodcock’s Head.”—TheSnipe. | 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.—“TheStalking-Horse.”—“The Caliver.”—“The Stale.”—Wild-Geese.—Signof Hard Weather.—The Barnacle Goose.—Barnacles.—WildFowl.—Divers and Grebes.—The “Loon.”—The “Di-dapper.”—TheCormorant.—Its Voracity.—Fishing with Cormorants.—The King’s Cormorants.—Their“Keep” at Westminster.—Fishing at Thetford.—TheMaster of the Cormorants.—Entries in State Papers.—The Home ofthe Cormorant.—The Sea-side.—Shakespeare’s Sea-cliffs and “Sea-mells.”—Gullsand 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.—TheKingfisher.—Halcyon Days.—Flight of the Kingfisher.—EstimatedSpeed.—The Swallow and “Martlet.”—The Swallow’s Herb andSwallow’s Stone.—The “Ostridge.”—“Eating Iron”—Bating with theWind.—The Pelican.—Feeding its Young with its Blood.—Explanationof the Fable.—Former Existence of a Pelican in the English Fens.—Conclusion. | 271 |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
[THE HEAD AND TAIL PIECES FROM DESIGNS BY THE AUTHOR.]
| PAGE | |
| [William Shakespeare], adapted from the Chandos Portrait by J. Wolf, engraved by G. Pearson | Frontis. |
| [Deer-Shooting], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 1 |
| [Rabbit and Beagle], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 22 |
| [Goshawk and Hare], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 23 |
| [White-tailed Eagle in Trap], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 48 |
| [Falcon and Wild Duck], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 49 |
| [The Jesses], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 58 |
| [The Bells], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 60 |
| [The Hood], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 61 |
| [The Cadge], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 63 |
| [Imping], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 68 |
| [The Keeper’s Tree], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 82 |
| [Owl Mobbed by Small Birds], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 83 |
| [Long-eared Owl], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 98 |
| [Rooks and Magpies], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 99 |
| [Jay Stealing Eggs], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 122 |
| [Blackbird, Thrush, Nightingale, and Wren], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 123 |
| [Bird-Trap], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 162 |
| [Birding-Piece of Prince Charles], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 165 |
| [Sparrow and Trap], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 166 |
| [Turkey, Peacock, and Pigeon], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 167 |
| [Dog and Wounded Duck], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 208 |
| [Pheasant and Partridges], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 209 |
| [A Springe for Woodcocks], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 229 |
| [Quails Fighting], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 234 |
| [Wild-Fowl Alighting], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 235 |
| [Caliver of the Sixteenth Century], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 242 |
| [The Barnacle Goose], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 247 |
| [The Barnacle Goose Tree. From Aldrovandus], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 248 |
| [The Barnacle Goose Tree.[!--TN: added fullstop--] From Gerard], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 250 |
| [Barnacles. From Nature.], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 253 |
| [Black-headed Gull], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 270 |
| [Kingfisher and Swallows], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 271 |
| [Pelican and Young], drawn by J. G. Keulemans, engraved by G. Pearson | 298 |