tom 
rete 
NAS INE Yai ESA, Met Bak Berg oa 
~?t 
Ate ey pa agra! 
51 
alone, afterwards in a room, and after that in the open air. 
' Having fed, often and well, on and from the hand of man, she is 
placed on the pole, her hood is struck and removed, and she is 
tempted by something specially nice to step from the pole to 
the falconer’s fist, to reach, and get it. Some are bold, others 
shy ; some eager, others the reverse; but in time all (except 
the occasional schellums, or rogues, whom none can tame) come 
to, and finally jump, and then fly, quite long distances (in the 
room) to the fist for food. This exercise is long continued and 
maintained, by the food being good, but tough, and so the 
banquet of the hungry hawk is long protracted, to her own 
great improvement in tameness to her keeper and confidence 
in his good intentions. The pinion of a pigeon, or part of an 
oxtail, is excellent “ pulling.” Then the falcon is introduced to 
the “lure,” the special engine of the falconer of all ages. 
How long and how strong, was the feeling produced by the 
love and practice of falconry on our fathers, is proved by the 
presence to this day, of so many of the technical terms of 
falconry, in our language. ‘‘Lure:” to attract, speaks for itself. 
The substantive “lure” being the attraction offered by a 
falconer to his distant hawk, to bring her back to him. Most 
of us of the craft have had constant occasion to repeat poor 
Juliet’s mournful cry—“ Oh, for a falconer’s Lure to call my 
Tassell (or, as it should have been spelled) Tiercel gentle, back 
again.” Tiercel, from tiers three, is the falconry word for the 
male of all falcons and hawks, as they are invariably about one- 
third less in size and strength, than their mates. In incubating, 
the males of all falcons are observed to work ceaselessly to 
supply their mate, and ravenous—most ravenous—young, with 
food, whilst the stronger female spends her whole time close by 
their side, for their defence ; and woe betide any prowling bird— 
raven, jackdaw, or herring-gull, that ventures to approach the 
- rocky shelf on sea-cliff, or inland precipice, where she abideth : 
and I have myself known stout cliff-climbers, let down with 
rope for the purpose, have to give it up, frightened by the 
attack on their faces, of the infuriated old birds. 
E2 
