FALCONRY IN INDIA 43 



but is not hooded. When one of the kind of bird to 

 which it has been trained is flushed, the hawker takes 

 the shikra in his hand, holds it between his thumb and 

 fingers, and then throws it hke a javehn in the direction 

 of its quarry. Thus it enjoys the benefit of a flying 

 start, but, notwithstanding this, it generally fails to 

 make a catch. 



The contest between a merlin and a hoopoe is an 

 exceedingly pretty sight. The hoopoe is not a very 

 rapid flier, but he is a past master in the art of jinking 

 and dodging, and the manner in which he times the 

 onslaught of the merlin, and jerks himself a couple of 

 inches to right or to left, is a sight for the gods. The 

 merlin, thus cheated of his victim, is carried on by 

 sheer force of momentum some sixty yards before he 

 can turn for another dash at the hoopoe. Meanwhile 

 the latter is steadily flapping towards cover. The 

 merlin is no more successful in his second dash, nor in 

 his third or his fourth ; on each occasion the hoopoe 

 escapes, apparently by the proverbial hair's-breadth. 

 A single merlin is usually not clever enough to capture 

 the wily hoopoe, but when two of them act in concert 

 they usually succeed in doing so. 



Such, then, is falconry as I have seen it. I concede 

 that my experience has not been great, but I have 

 witnessed enough to enable me to understand how 

 it is that shooting has almost entirely displaced it as 

 a pastime. 



The training of hawks is, of course, most interesting, 

 and must be a very fascinating pursuit to those 

 engaged in it. When once the hawk or falcon has 



