2i8 THE RABBIT 



in their early attempts. This necessitates the sacrifice 

 of some few unfortunate birds or beasts, which have 

 no chance of escape given to them, but is in reality 

 little more than what other sports demand, such as 

 cub-hunting, and the numbers of young grouse or 

 other game annually sacrificed in the process of dog- 

 breaking before the commencement of the shooting 

 season. A small stock of rabbits, say four or five, 

 had better be caught for the purpose of ' entering.' 

 As soon as a goshawk will take these rabbits in a 

 ' creance ' (or long line) she may be considered ready 

 for the field. Encouraged by the success of these 

 first attempts, she will go on improving every day, 

 and the more she is carried and flown the better she 

 will become. 



The worst fault which a goshawk possesses is that 

 of ' taking stand,' that is, perching on a tree in order 

 to command a good position when the game is put 

 up. Unless very keen, a hawk in this position will 

 refuse to come down to the ' lure,' and will obstinately 

 sit still, looking in all directions for the quarry. For 

 this reason it is a good plan to begin the training on 

 open ground destitute of trees. 



Some persons are under the impression that flying 

 a trained haw^k on a manor must tend to drive the 

 game away ; but this is not the case. It has been 



