588 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 
refuge in a tree, from which the falconers had much trouble to drive 
them, so great was their terror for their pursuers. 
For field and river sport the falcon is not let fly asrect from the 
jist; that is, the falcon does not attack immediately on leaving the 
hand—it is ¢hrowm up, or, im common parlance, is let fly, before the 
game flushes. The falcon hovers for some time, and then stoops 
down on the prey which the dogs have forced to take wing, In 
order to escape its persecutor the wild duck often returns to the 
water ; from this the dogs again force it to take wing. The hare is 
hunted in much the same way. 
Hawking is even nowadays held in high repute by the Arabs 
in the north of Africa and in Asia. In the Sahara they train their 
birds to hunt the antelope. 
In Persia and Turkestan the falcon is not trained, as it used to 
be in Europe, for some special game, but accustomed to stoop at all 
kinds of prey. Hunting the antelope with hawks is a diversion much 
esteemed among these nations. ‘The plan adopted is as follows :— 
“The Persians,” says Thévenot, the traveller, ‘provide stuffed 
gazelles, on the noses of which they always place the food for their 
falcons, and never feed them anywhere else. After they have been 
thus trained they take them out into the open country, and when 
they see a gazelle they let fly two of these birds, one of which darts 
down on the nose of the gazelle, and fastens on to it with its 
talons. The gazelle stops short, and shakes himself to get rid of 
the bird; but the latter keeps his place for some time by means of 
flapping his wings, thus preventing the gazelle from running fast, and 
even from seeing where it is going. When at last, with some trouble, 
the gazelle disengages itself from its pursuer, the other falcon, which 
is flying near, takes the place of the one thrown off; the latter, in 
its turn, again resumes the assault when its companion has fallen. 
The birds thus hinder the running of the gazelle, so that the dogs 
easily overtake it.” 
In Egypt the falcon is trained for this kind of sport. by taking 
it young, limiting the quantity of its food, and then frequently 
bringing it into the presence of sheep, when, being in a famished 
state, the bird unhesitatingly darts on them. 
' Hawking is also held in esteem in India, both by the natives 
and European residents. It is no rare thing to see young ladies 
reviving all the customs of the Middle Ages, and penetrating into 
the jungles mounted on elephants, accompanied by their falcons, 
which are flown at the charming blue antelope. 
In China and Japan, hawking is also very popular: in the course 
