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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ March 26, 1808. 



One fine day last Jane, on returning home from a few days' 

 absence, I was led, or rather dragged, by a group of enthusi- 

 astic children to see a new pet— S7(c7( a favourite. But what 

 was it? Of course I was not told at once, but made to guess 

 and guess again, until the children's patience was sooner ex- 

 hausted than mine, and each tried to get out the word " Hawk " 

 first, for a Hawk it was ; and I am afraid I shook my head, 

 fearing scratches, bloody hands, or wori^e damage to the young 

 ones. Led on further, I.saw in the dim recess of a rabbit hutch, 

 the new pet, "Jack" byname, for he was already named. 

 Master Jack was a very yellow gentleman, with a kind of old- 

 Indian bilious look, having tags of yellow down hanging to his 

 feathers, and an ever-snapping beak which boded mischief, but 

 happily was as yet soft and incapable, though desirous. He 

 could not feed himself, but opened his mouth readily when 

 hungry, eating heartily of small pieces of bird, mouse, or un- 

 cooked meat. Neither did he object to a drop of water from a 

 tea-spoon ; but this he did not receive cleverly, a little child 

 remarking, "Jack is naughty, he spills his tea!" Whether 

 Jack ever thought of his nest in the high tree, or of father and 

 mother, or brothers and sisters, those other " yellow boys," 

 I know not ; but I incline to think he did not, for he showed 

 no signs of pining. Ties of relative or friend hung loosely 

 upon him, and he cared not for " the old folks at home." 

 Perhaps he was a philosopher, if so a stoic ; perhaps not. 

 However, he fed his fill each day, and what cared he ? 



Presently Jack was remarked as being of an inquisitive turn 

 of mind. His hutch commanded a view of the back door, and 

 no one could come in or go out but he observed them, and 

 would watch them out of sight with an odd sideway movement 

 of his head and neck. 



Jack progressed famously. On showing him a dead bird out 

 came his talon, and he grasped it and stood on his prey tri- 

 umphing; but for a long time he could not tear a bird to 

 pieces ; when he could he always began at the head. Jack now 

 showed a wish to perch, and his wish was gratified. A perch 

 such as Macaws are seen upon was made him, and he took to 

 it at once, and seemed highly pleased to be no longer in a cage, 

 but to enjoy the whole prospect, for his inquisitive eves looked 

 every way. A ring moved up and down the upright pole, to 

 which was attached a chain, the other end being fastened to 

 his foot. 



But, alas ! the course of pet life, like that of true love, never 

 runs smooth. Perhaps Jack " came out " too soon, and like 

 many an uufeathered biped, was all the worse for it, for a pre- 

 cocious career is beset with perils. Coming from church one 

 Sunday morning, poor Jack was seen lying helpless on the 

 ground, aud on examination he was found to have greatly in- 

 jured but not quite broken his leg. Great was the sorrow of 

 all, and the desire to relieve the poor bird of his pain. The 

 limb was bound up carefully, and Jack placed very tenderly in 

 a hamper nearly full of soft hay, and the hamper put in a dark 

 place, so that the poor pet should have no temptation to move 

 or struggle. Three weary weeks did Jack pass thus in the 

 dark. I hope he slept his time away. But oh ! the benefit of 

 trouble. After this calamity Jack was no longer wild. He 

 had learned to love the one who brought him his food, and who 

 had cheered his solitude ; he would now allow his breast to be 

 stroked, aud would even permit a kiss. Once again mounted 

 on his perch in the sunshine, care was taken, by swivels put 

 in here and there in his chain, that he should not in future 

 get entangled and come to grief. 



The weeks now passed on smoothly enough. Ev day -lack 

 enjoyed the open air, the nights he passed in the stable. Very 

 tame became the bird ; very kind, though sharp, was at times 

 the expression of his bright black-beaded eyes. Now he would 

 fly on the arm of a child, and ascend to the shoulder or the 

 head. He liked his prey to be given him alive, and, seizing, 

 killed it m a moment. He would even eat meat cooked, or 

 pick a bone; but to keep him in perfect health he needed 

 mouse, or rat, or bird occasionally, for from these only he could 

 cast up pellets, as is the case with birds of his " order." Once 

 by chance he was placed near the Pigeon pan, and instantly 

 took a bath, which is allowed at intervals, for by his own will 

 he would be always in the water, and in winter he has to be 

 kept from it. The fact that the Hawk is excessively fond of 

 bathing in and drinking water is not generally known, hence 

 some Hawks suffer iu confinement from thirst. 



The extreme tameness of this Hawk was seen in his allow- 

 ing the hens to feed close by him, or even a Pigeon to pick 

 little fatty bits off a bone of his ; yet the old nature was seen 

 in his carefully hiding portions of his food under the circular 



board on which his perch stands, in order to eat them another 

 time. 



Jack showed an unmistakoable love of company. Thus, 

 when in bad weather he was removed to the stable, he would 

 get as near as he could to the dog there chained, who on his 

 part seemed in no way to disapprove of his nearness. Placed 

 one day very close to the dog, he was found sitting on the straw 

 by his side. No harm arising, he was allowed to be near 

 always. Coming into the stable suddenly, I found Jack perched 

 upon the outstretched foreleg of the dog. It was a pretty sight, 

 and worthy the pencil of Harrison Weir. Another time we 

 found Jack actually perched upon the dog's back. Who shall 

 say that this Hawk was not an interesting pet ? 



One day Jack managed to break his chain, and away he went 

 into the park near, and was soon seen overhead, soaring with 

 the wild Hawks, possibly his near relations. I counted five, 

 he being one. Of course we concluded that our pet would 

 never return, but waxing hungry, he did, and was readily cap- 

 tured. Again he escaped, and again returned. Then it struck 

 us as his plumage was so much improved by flight, and 

 his own happiness increased, while his tameness was in no 

 way diminished, that Jack might every now and then have his 

 full liberty. So we agreed to let him have " his Sunday oat," 

 that being a day on which he would be less likely to be shot. 

 So on each Sunday Jack takes his flight, returning on Monday 

 morning, being "an-hungered." Sometimes my son is shoot- 

 ing rabbits a mile from this house on a Monday, and Jack spies 

 him, and suddenly pounces down, and is on his shoulder. To 

 one master he chiefly devotes himself — the one who fed him 

 in his illness ; to him he will come when whistled for. 



It is singular to see this wild bird settling on the chimnies 

 or roof with my Pigeons. Odd, too, is it that when he comes 

 home on Monday, if we have not chanced to see him return, he 

 is at night found roosting with the fowls. To show how quick 

 he is of eye and wing, I may mention that when on the wing, 

 if he is shown a morsel of meat, and it is thrown towards the 

 fowls, yet he always secures it. Jack, in a sort of dumb show, 

 replies to his name by a peculiar jerk of his head and twinkle 

 of his eye. Oh, that " Hawk's eye !" " Eyed like a Hawk " 

 is no common compliment, for truly a Hawk's eye is most 

 brilliant and beautiful. 



I need hardly say that .Tack has won his way into the affec- 

 tions of us all ; and who can wonder at it? Although I find I 

 have spoken of him in several parts of this paper in the past 

 tense, yet I am happy to say Jack still lives, aud is as tame, 

 lively, and haiipy as ever. — Wiltshihe Rector. 



LIGUMAN QUEENS WINGS TORN. 



Last Saturday I was looking over the combs in my Lignrian 

 frame hive, and when I came to the queen, I noticed that her 

 wings were very ragged, one of them m fact was half torn 

 away, and I am quite certain that she cannot fly. She is a 

 queen which I imported myself from Germany last autumn, 

 and I think the journey here has, perhaps, caused her wings 

 to be so much torn. Do you not think, therefore, that it would 

 be better to put the queen with comb into the box you mention, 

 or at once into the uni'somb hive, and let the bees in the old 

 hive raise another ? I think this plan would, perhaps be better, 

 as it is said that the old queen always leads the first swarm. 

 When I looked at the hive it was very strong, five of the combs 

 are full on both sides, and nearly up to the edges with brood 

 and eggs, but there are no drone eggs yet.— Alfeed Findeisen. 



[Ligurian queens which have been placed at the head of 

 colonies of black bees, are very liable to have their wings so 

 mutilated by their new subjects as to be thereby for ever in- 

 capacitated from safely leading off a natural swarm. We say 

 safely, because however defective the power of flight in a wing- 

 disabled queen, she will frequently make the attempt without 

 hesitation, and in this case must fall to the ground and perish 

 unless discovered by the bee-keeper, and restored to her 

 sorrowing children. We have ourselves lost more than one 

 valuable queen in this way, and consider the liability a very 

 serious drawback to the efficiency of the mode of naturalising 

 the Italian race of bees iu this country by the substitution of 

 queens. We should in your case certainly make an artificial 

 swarm, but we should as certainly delay the operation until 

 drone brood was sufliciently advanced to insure the early fecun- 

 dation of the young queens. You may yourself accelerate this 

 desirable consummation by placing an empty drone comb or 

 two in the hive next to those which now contain trood, ad- 



