Shooting Times & Country

When garden birds were fare game

According to my dictionary, a gamebird is defined as being those species that are hunted for sport or food. The modern-day sportsman would name the likes of red grouse, pheasant, woodcock and red-legged partridge as examples.

But, if using the dictionary definition, I can suggest some much less celebrated birds that were once pursued for the table. Prior to the end of austerity and food rationing in 1954, protein was an expensive luxury and many locals looked to a variety of ingenious methods of procuring a ready alternative to butcher’s meat.

A few years ago I saw a Victorian example

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