Training Hawks and Falcons 11 
which to fly an émerz//on (Merlin) was the cochévis, or alouetle des 
grands chemins (Crested Lark). He was doubly pleased at the 
success which attended his efforts and which proved the absolute 
correctness of the old writer. The last hawk I trained under my 
father’s tuition was a Sparrowhawk, this was in 1868. 
With regard to cage-birds, few men understood better the art 
of keeping them in health and in song. He was conversant with 
the songs of birds to a remarkable degree and for years was never 
without a good Woodlark and a Linnet or two, the two birds whose 
song he loved most. 
This brings me to a curious phase in my father’s bird experi- 
ments. He was an inveterate and enthusiastic breeder of mules 
(much to my horror as an embryo naturalist) ; not content with the 
usual crosses between Goldfinch and Canary he conducted all sorts 
of weird experiments, and induced Goldfinches, Bullfinches, Linnets 
and Greenfinches to mate with species other than their own. He 
also took an extraordinary interest in any accidental varieties of 
wild birds especially in those with some abnormal uniform colora- 
tion such as a pale yellow-brown Greenfinch, as well as in those 
that showed traces of albinoism or melanism. 
With regard to the cross-breeding, he was ever keen to try 
to develop by these means the singing powers of his birds. In 
the case of pure-bred birds, he would bring up a young Linnet 
within hearing of a good singing Canary and, more remarkable still, 
of a Woodlark, and he certainly succeeded in getting marvellous 
song out of his pets. 
I think I have said enough to show that I was brought up from 
my earliest days in a very atmosphere of bird-life. 
My birdsnesting mania is not so easy to account for. 
The first wild bird’s nest I ever found was a Linnet’s in an eyot 
on the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. I broke the eggs 
oD 
of course and suffered agonies. This was in 1857. 
