ESTRAY (OF. rstrayer, estraier, to stray, from retie,. Wow, Prov. estrade, street, from Lat. stro(n, street, from stet-nem, to aevord1ng to another etymology from :AIL. extravoyari, to wander beyond, from Lat. extra, beyond + vayari, to wander). Any animal, the subject of property and not ftra naturtr, or wild, which is found without apparent owner at large in a public place or on the land of any one not the owner. If trespassing on private land, an (-stray may, in England, and generally in the Cnited States, he impounded at the cost of the owner reclaiming it, and in some jurisdictions niny be distrainerl damage feusant. In England, if found within the limits of the royal demesnes or of a manor where it does not belong, an estray becomes subject to the lordship of the King or lord of the manor who acquires a qualified property therein. This right of property becomes absolute if the ani mal be not reclaimed by the owner within a year and a day after due proclamation made by the lord of the manor. This doctrine is a peculiar
exception to the general rule of law, which pro tects the title of the loser of goods until his claim becomes barred by the Statute of Limita tions. (See DERELICT; TROVER.) It does not obtain in the United States, where the status of estrays and the rights of their owners are, for the most part. regulated by statute. In some States the finder of a strayed ani mal may, after a reasonable time and due advertisement, sell it at public or private sale, and pass a good title to the purchaser. The proceeds of the sale, after paying the reasonable charges of the vendor, are usually paid into the treasury of the town, county, or State. Consult: Burn, Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer (30th ed., London, 1869) ; Scriven, Treatise on Copyhold, Customary Freehold, etc. (London).