Lannards. As for the Sparhawk, though shee serue to flie little
aboue sixe weekes in the yeere, and that onely at the Partridge,
where the Faulkner and Spanels must also now and then spare her
extraordinarie assistance; yet both Cornish and Deuonshire men employ
so much trauaile in seeking, watching, taking, manning, nusling,
dieting, curing, bathing, carrying, and mewing them, as it must
needes proceede from a greater folly, that they cannot discerne
their folly herein. To which you may adde, their busie, dangerous,
discourteous, yea, and sometimes despiteful stealing one from another
of the Egges and young ones, who, if they were allowed to aire
naturally, and quietly, there would bee store sufficient, to kill
not onely the Partridges, but euen all the good-huswiues Chickens
in a Countrie.

Of singing Birds, they haue Lynnets, Goldfinches, Ruddockes, Canarie
birds, Blacke-birds, Thrushes, and diuers other; but of Nightingals,
few, or none at all, whether through some naturall antipathie,
betweene them and the soyle (as Plinie writeth, that Crete fostereth
not any Owles, nor Rhodes Eagles, nor Larius lacus in Italy Storkes)
or rather for that the Country is generally [26] bare of couert and
woods, which they affect, I leaue to be discussed by others.

Not long sithence, there came a flocke of Birds into Cornwall, about
Haruest season, in bignesse not much exceeding a Sparrow, which made
a foule spoyle of the Apples. Their bils were thwarted crosse-wise
at the end, and with these they would cut an Apple in two, at one
snap, eating onely the kernels. It was taken at first, for a
forboden token, and much admired, but, soone after, notice grew,
that Glocester Shire, and other Apple Countries, haue them an
ouer-familiar harme.