Healths improvement: or, Rules comprizing and discovering the nature, method, and manner of preparing all sorts of food used in this nation. Written by that ever famous Thomas Muffett, Doctor in Physick: corrected and enlarged by Christopher Bennet, Doctor in Physick, and fellow of the Colledg of Physitians in London.

Gallinagines & Rusticulae.

Woodcocks and Snites are so light of digestion, and so good in temperature, that they agree with most mens stomacks, especially at their first coming in, or rather a moneth after when they have rested themselves after their long flight from beyond the Seas, and are fat through ease and good feeding upon fat worms, and snails, lying in trees. Avicen and Albertus dreamed that Woodcocks and Snites fed upon seeds; whereas indeed no bird with a long piked, crooked, and narrow bill can pick them up: but where they perceive a worms hole (as I have seen Snites to do) there they thrust in their Bill as far as they can, and if the worm lie deep, they blow in such a breath or blast of wind, that the

worms come out for fear as in an Earthquake. If worms fail, then they pick snails out of their shels, and likewise devour them.

Towards their going out, either of them wax drier and worse rellishing. Woodcocks require the stronger stomack, Snites the weaker; both are of laudable nou∣rishment, but chiefly the Snite. There is a kind of Wood-Snite in Devonshire, greater then the common Snite, which never comes into shallows nor springs of water: And in Holland I remember Snites never living out of springs, as great almost as our Woodcocks, cal∣led Herren-Schnepfs, because they are in comparison the Lords or chief of Snites, or that they are onely fit for Lords Tables, which Gesner therefore also termeth by the name of Rusticula regalis.

• ...Columbae
  • Petricolae
  • Liviae
  • Palumbes
  • Turtures.

Wild-Doves be especially four in number, Rock-Doves, Stock-Doves, Ring-Doves, and Turtledoves. Rock-doves breed upon Rocks by the Sea-side, but never far from Corny Downs, whether in Seed and Harvest∣time they fly for meat, living all the year besides upon Mast and Ivy-berries. The other three sorts of Doves feed also upon Corn, Mast, Hawes, Juniper-berries, Ivy-berries, Hurtle-berries, and Holly-berries when they are ripe. Marcus Cato fatted young Ring-doves with * 1.1Bean-meal made into paste with new milk; and Didy∣nius, Turtledoves with bread steept in Wine; which way they are made of excellent taste and nourishment, though also undieted they are good, being under half a years age. Avicen (contrary almost to the opinions of

all other Writers) commendeth the flesh of Turtles a∣bove * 1.2all other, as being of a good nourishment, easily digested, quickning wit and memory, encreasing seed, and strengthening both stomack and guts exceeding well. But Isaac reproveth that opinion, unless it be * 1.3understood only of young Turtles, or such as have been fed and fatted in the house by art, with moist and cool∣ing nourishments: For otherwise (as he truly avoucheth) all manner of Wild-doves are so hot, hard, and dry, that they cannot prove of any indifferent nourishment.

Notes

• * 1.1

  L: r••i rustic: 1: c: 90:
• * 1.2

  Fen. 3 doct. 14 tract. 21.
• * 1.3

  De diaet partic