k down (wherewith also their
gorge or a part of their breast under their throats is armed, and not
with feathers) than are the like parts of the eagle, and unto which
portraiture there is no member of the raven (who is almost black of
colour) that can have any resemblance: we have none of them in England
to my knowledge; if we have, they go generally under the name of eagle
or erne. Neither have we the pygargus or grip, wherefore I have no
occasion to treat further. I have seen the carrion crows so cunning
also by their own industry of late that they have used to soar over
great rivers (as the Thames for example) and, suddenly coming down,
have caught a small fish in their feet and gone away withal without
wetting of their wings. And even at this present the aforesaid river
is not without some of them, a thing (in my opinion) not a little to
be wondered at. We have also osprays, which breed with us in parks and
woods, whereby the keepers of the same do reap in breeding time no
small commodity; for, so soon almost as the young are hatched, they
tie them to the butt ends or ground ends of sundry trees, where the
old ones, finding them, do never cease to bring fish unto them, which
the keepers take and eat from them, and commonly is such as is well
fed or not of the worst sort. It hath not been my hap hitherto to see
any of these fowl, and partly through mine own negligence; but I hear
that it hath one foot like a hawk, to catch hold withal, and another
resembling a goose, wherewith to swim; but, whether it be so or not
so, I refer the further search and trial thereof unto some other. This
nevertheless is certain, that both alive and dead, yea even her very
oil, is a deadly terror to such fish as come within the wind of it.
There is no cause whereof I should describe the cormorant amongst
hawks, of which some be black and many pied, chiefly about the Isle of
Ely, where they are taken for the night raven, except I should call
him a water hawk. But, sith such dealing is not convenient, let us now
see what may be said of our venomous worms, and how many kinds we have
of them within our realm and country.[3]

[3] This on "venomous beasts" will be found included in the
"savage beasts" of the following.

CHAPTER XIV

OF SAVAGE BEASTS AND VERMIN

[1577, Book III., Chapters 7 and 12; 1587, Book III., Chapters
4 and 6.]

It is none of the least blessings wherewith God hath endued this
island that it is vo