76 PHEASANTS 



for a poor man, and the kestrel for a 

 knave. 



It is true that in hawking days the 

 pheasant can never have ranked very- 

 high as quarry for the nobler falcons, 

 Peregrine or Iceland. These long-winged 

 lords of the open country, and their 

 smaller relative the merlin, could only 

 find scope for their prowess among birds 

 of freer flight — herons, kites, rooks, 

 grouse, partridges, pigeon, and even 

 dotterels and larks. Only on occasion 

 can the chance have offered of flying a 

 true falcon at some stray pheasant, 

 surprised far enough away from his 

 native wood to make an open flight 

 possible. 



In general a less noble bird was used 

 to take the pheasant in woodland, the 

 Goshawk, a large and strongly built bird 

 with the typical short, round wings of the 

 hawk, familiar as a native in this country 

 till a century ago, but now no longer to 

 be seen chasing the rooks — his favourite 

 pastime — for he is extinct as a breeding 



