ESSEX PRE-ORNITHOLOGY. 23
"not much exceed five months. Forty-two Wigeons have
"been killed at a single shot in the day-time, and the difficulty
"of approaching the great flocks of fowl in light, is ten-fold. A
"man in whose punt the Compiler was, got eighteen Wigeons
"at one shot, and many that were crippled, escaped. If in one
"day, or at night, the Punters get a shoot at the fowl at feed
"upon the Ooze, they tie on their plashes (similar to the Mud-
"pattens used in Hampshire), and collect the spoil." Finally
we find in Daniel's third volume, published in 1813, the fol-
lowing: "In 1808 at Marks Hall in Essex, Payne, the Game-
"keeper, noticed a Brace of Partridges, whose nest had been de-
"stroyed, taking to a nest of Pheasant's eggs, that the Hen-bird
"had been killed from, by some Accident, and hatching and
"bringing up ten Young ones, he had frequently shewed his
"master, Colonel Burgoyne, and others, the Partridges, with
"the young Pheasants, at different Periods of their Growth."
It is disappointing that what has been a productive source of
information for some counties has been so unfruitful for Essex.
I refer to the churchwardens' accounts. I am, however, able to
include one item from this origin, and it concludes this part of
my paper. Mr. Sackett extracted from the churchwardens'
accounts of the parish of Orsett a series of entries for the des-
truction of Sparrows, between the years 1808 and 1835, which
are printed here. It will be noticed that a halfpenny was paid
for each bird destroyed.
"1808, Feb. 11. Paid for 5 Dozen of birds, 2/6.
"1817, Dec. 7. Paid Mr. Sackett's boys for catching 5
Dozen Sparrows, 2/6.
"1817, Dec. 27. Mr. Sackett's boys for 61/2 Doz. birds, 3/3.
"1818, Dec. 25. Mr. Sackett's boys etc., for Sparrows, 3/-.
"1823, July 27. Sparrows, £2-9-9.
"1824, Feb. 28. Paid for Sparrows and Eggs, 1824, £2-14-4.
"1825, Dec. 25. Paid for destroying Sparrows & eggs,
£4-1-7.
"1827, Feb. 3. Paid for Sparrows, etc., for the last year,
£3-18-41/2.
"1827, Mar. 25. Paid for Sparrows, etc., up to this date,
£2-8-6.
"1829, Apr. 4. Sparrows' eggs from 25th March, 1827 to
3 Apr. 1829, £6-2-4.