Practical Bird-Keeping .— V. Hawks and Owls. 275


matter, which does not, however, concern birds with the exception

of several articles from our pages which are reveiwed at some

length. We notice, however, that one of the dealers at Marseilles

has just received a large importation of Many-coloured, Swain-

son’s and Pennant’s Parrakeets, Mandarin Ducks, Formosan

Teal, Black Swans, Bleeding Heart Pigeons and last, though not

least, Snow Pigeons.



PRACTICAL BIRD-KEEPING.


V. HAWKS AND OWLS.


By J. Lewis Bonhote, M.A.


I. HAWKS.


Although not, properly speaking, cage birds, this Order

includes, to my way of thinking, some of the most fascinating

of birds. Probably from their use in the royal sport of Hawking

they were one of the earliest birds to be kept in confinement

(excepting, of course, fowls, pigeons and ducks, and possibly

the Brush Turkeys) and their extreme reluctance to breed in

confinement has probably been the most powerful factor in

preventing their domestication. In spite, however, of the many

centuries during which they have been kept by man, there

is perhaps no group of birds that, considering its very simple

needs, has been so misunderstood, and owing to this, but a

very small percentage of the individuals seen in Zoological

Gardens are in what one might consider really good trim. I

am not dealing in this article with Hawks used for hawking,

they naturally need a treatment to suit the purposes for which

they are required, and to any readers who may wish to keep

them for that purpose I may refer them to Mr. Harting’s

valuable book on the “ Practical Management of Hawks.” * We

have, however, to consider the keeping of these birds in large

cages or aviaries in which much active exercise is impossible.

To keep a Hawk as kept by falconers on ‘jesses ’ tied to a perch

or block is, if it is not being used for hawking, cruel and unkind.



* Practical Management of Hawks. Seconded. 8vo. London, 1898.



