tte 
—*" 
Modern Falconry, by Major Fisuer 
Read November 26th, 1889 
[L’Envoi. Before submitting the following “paper” to 
the honor of finding a place amongst the publications of the 
Cotteswold Naturalists Field Club, its author desires to remind 
his fellow-members that on the 26th of November, 1889, when 
he undertook the task of essaying to read a paper on the 
subject, he soon felt obliged to discard all notes and previously 
arranged matter, and to deliver himself of what he had to say in 
an entirely impromptu and extempore manner. The reasons 
which compelled him to this course, were, Istly, the very short 
space of time placed at his disposal—(there being a second, if not 
a third, paper to be read on the same occasion) ;—and, 2ndly, 
the fact that, whilst in the case of ordinary papers the exact 
sciences obtain the most, in the case of such an one as this, it 
is absolutely requisite that the Natural History treated of 
should be rendered interesting and amusing as well. For the 
dry details alone of the practice and knowledge of such an art 
as Falconry from its first inception as a mode of obtaining 
fresh meat for food, to its present state as a pleasing field 
sport, could not fail to be tedious, and, moreover, are to be 
found in most books on Falconry. The writer, therefore, 
ventured to trust entirely to practical acquaintance with his 
somewhat strange subject, and to rely very much on verbal 
description, of actual facts, and flights within his own experi- 
ence. He is therefore entirely ignorant of what he did say in 
the whole course of the “ paper” he is supposed to have read ! 
and painfully conscious that he can speak more readily than he 
can write. In fact, it is only because it would be churlish to 
continue to refuse to comply with the flattering requests from 
