_Vermin, Parish Payments of, &c._ (Vol. iv., p. 208.).--There is no
doubt but that nearly all country parishes paid at one time for the
destruction of different kinds of vermin; but this practice is now
entirely discontinued. The following are the prices paid twenty-five
years ago by the parish of Corsham, Wilts:--
Vipers, 6_d._ each; slowworms or blindworms, 3_d._ each; rats, 1_d._
each (the tails only were required to be brought); sparrows' heads,
6_d._ per dozen, (meaning the old birds); sparrows' eggs and young
birds, 4_d._ per dozen.
I shall never forget, when a boy, and my father was churchwarden, the
tricks the young lads and boys used to play in order to palm off other
birds' eggs and young birds for sparrows. One young rascal actually
painted the eggs very cleverly to imitate the sparrows, till I
discovered it. Young birds of all kinds were brought, and many dozens
paid for that were not sparrows; as it was impossible to tell the young
birds of many of the hard billed kinds from the sparrow. At last the
parish gave up paying for the eggs or young birds, but gave 1_s._ per
dozen for the heads of old sparrows, and vast numbers were brought
throughout the winter; and then attempts were made to substitute other
birds' heads, which were in many cases paid for. The next year the
parish agreed only to pay for the whole birds, so that no deception
could be practised. When the New Poor Law came into operation, all these
payments were stopped. Glead was a provincial term for the kite and
buzzard, the ringtail for the hen harrier hawk, and greashead or
greyhead for the female kestrel or greyheaded falcon. In most of the
Wiltshire parishes 6_d._ per head was paid for the hedgehog, as the
farmers always believed they sucked the teats of cows when laid down in
the fields. The badger was also paid for in some places.