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. XLV.

The taking of melodious singing Birds.

WE haue spoken of the sport that is made with birds of the pray called hawking, and now wee will enter into some speech of taking of birds, which sing melodiously with sweet and pleasant songs, wherewith the master of the farme may take his recreation and pleasure, by hearing them sing in his closes, parke, low-woods, and high-woods, or in his chamber win∣dow, or else shut vp in some cages or roomes made for the purpose to containe the sub••ect of such pleasure and delightsome melodie. And that we may not omit any thing, before we set downe any manner or way of the particular taking of such birds, we will take a briefe view of the nature, feeding, and diseases of the same, For it were but lost labour to take the birds, if to the end that we may haue their sweet and me∣lodious songs a long time, wee knowe not what meat is good for them, what diseases they are subiect vnto, and what meanes and remedies are necessarie for their distem∣peratures. In the meane time I mind not here to bring in the fabulous histories tou∣ching the originall and breeding of the most part of them, which fantasticall Poets haue inuented. I meane to rest my selfe in this only persuasion, namely that all birdes were miraculously created of God by his almightie power, that is to say, of his own meere will and word, whereby likewise he did create all other creatures in the begin∣ning of the creation of the world.