M THE J^aLCON. 



lost bills, who, to make his situation known, erects Lis 

 standard in a conspicuous place among the army of hunters 



In Syria, also, there is a variety of the Gentle Falcon, 

 which the inhabitants call Shaheen, and which is of so 

 fierce and courageous a disposition, that it will attack anj 

 bird, however large or powerful, which presents itself 

 "Were there not," says Dr. Kussel, in his account of 

 Aleppo, " several gentlemen now in England to bear wit^ 

 ness to the fact, I should hardly venture to assert that, 

 with this bird, which is about the size of a pigeon, the 

 inhabitants sometimes take large eagles. 



"This Hawk was in former times taught to seize the eagle 

 under the pinion, and thus depriving him of the use of on? 

 wing, both birds fell to the ground together ; but the pre- 

 sent mode is to teach the Hawk to fix on the back, between 

 the wings, which has the same effect, only that the bird 

 tumbling down more slowly, the falconer has more time to 

 come to his Hawk's assistance j but in either case, if he be 

 not very expeditious, the Falcon is inevitably destroyed. 



"I never saw the Shaheen fly at eagles, that sport having 

 been disused before my time ; but I have often seen him 

 take herons and storks. The Hawk, when thrown off, flies 

 for some time in a horizontal line, not six feet from the 

 ground; then mounting perpendicularly, with astonishing 

 swiftness, le seiaas his prey under the wing, and both to^ 

 tb-iT come tumbling to the ground" 



