Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. LVI.

Tor••lieue the diseases of the Finch and Nightingale.

WHen the Finch is in her mue,* 1.1 you shall comfort her, besprinckling her lightly with wine, that so she may mout the sooner, which will be to her further good. And if she happen to haue lice after this sprinkling with wine, set her in the Sunne, and there let her stand vntill such time as she••be drie. Some of them mout in Iune, some in Iuly, and other some in August, ac∣cording to their complexion and heate. And this is the course which they follow which are put into the cage, hauing spent one yeare abroad before, for those which are taken in the neast, doe 〈◊〉〈◊〉 within a moneth that they are put in: and this must be vnderstood in generall of all birds. And therefore to come to the particular: The Nightingale is troubled with fatnesse: and therefore shee must be purged twice a weeke, giuing her two or three vvormes of the Pigeon-house (as vvee haue taught before) for the space of fifteene daies.* 1.2 If she grow melancholike, you shall cut the bladder vvhich is aboue her rumpe, and put into her drinking-pot some Sugar-can∣d••e, and little lumps of paste or sugar, of the bignes of a nut. And if you see that she complaine her selfe of sicknesse, put into her vvater-pot some sixe chyres of Saffron, or thereabout, continuing therewithall to giue her the paste, and sometimes of a Sheepes heart. And if peraduenture shee still grow worse, giue her the yelke of an hard egge, and the vvhite also. Besides, the Nightingale hauing beene two or three yeares in the cage, becommeth gowtie: now when you shall perceiue it, annoint her feet vvith Butter, or else vvith Hennes grease, vvhich is a verie good remedie for to cure her. The Nightingale is likewise subiect to haue apostemes breaking out about her eyes and neb, for vvhich you shall likewise vse Butter and Hennes grease. It is meet also to make ••••ouision for the Nightingale that is leane, vvhen you see necess•••••••• that vvay to require it, giuing her new ••igges to eate in their season, and at other times drie ••igges, vvell chewed: and afterward, you shall bring her vnto her ordinarie diet, and so you shall continue vvith her, to main∣taine and keepe her. There happeneth also vnto the Nightingale another dis∣ease, called the straitnesse or strangling of the breast, vvhich commeth of hauing

eaten some ranke or fat thing, and it is perceiued by the beating and paine before not accustomed, which she abideth in this place, and also by this, that she is giuen of•• to gape and open her bill. This disease commeth also of some sinew or thred of the sheeps heart, which was not minced small enough, and so thereby doth hang in her throat: wherefore you shall very handsomely open her bill, and take it from her with a pinne. You shall know it to bee this disease, when you see in her throat certaine broken or loose ••lesh. Giue her afterward a little Sugar-candie, which shall be a very good remedie for to cure her. In briefe, all such kind of birds as eate sheeps hearts, or the hearts of any other beastes, are subiect to bee troubled with the disease aboue spoken of.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Finch 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉