OTTER HUNTING, FALCONRY, SHOOTING 119 



it contains several peregrines just taken from the eyrie ; 

 and, let us hope, only just taken. If they have been 

 carried from the nest when they were little more than 

 masses of white down, reared by the cragsman at his 

 home for many days, and despatched to the falconer 

 when some feathers have appeared, they will be simply 

 worthless. They will, when trained, scream and fly 

 round their trainer's head, looking to him only for food. 

 What should be done is this : the young hawks must be 

 left in the nest till they can nearly fly (I have known 

 one that was found some distance from the nest, and 

 was caught by the hand on the rocks), and then packed 

 ofi^ at once. Care should be taken also that the journey 

 be as rapid as circumstances admit. Then comes the 

 hack ; a period of liberty for eyesses which lasts some 

 weeks. The object is to teach them to fly, to expand 

 and exercise the muscles of the wings ; to put them, 

 in short, when the time is over, in very much the 

 same position they would have been in, as far as 

 strength and adroitness are concerned, had they not 

 been captured. 



There are two ways in which the hack can be 

 arranged : the first is as follows : — 



When the young hawks are able to leave the loft 

 where they were placed, they find a large board to 

 which meat is tied, and they readily feed. As day 

 follows day, they go farther and farther from the 

 house, but return to the board at feeding-times. 



