EYESSES AND HACK HAWKS 57 



Once arrived at the trainer's quarters, the hamper should be 

 opened in a darkened room, with doors and windows closed, 

 in which has been got ready another straw-lined hamper, this 

 time of an oblong or square shape. Each hawk in her turn 

 will be gently taken out of the soiled travelling hamper, of 

 which the lid can be shut down between the times of removing 

 the several inmates. Unless these are very young, a rufter- 

 hood can be slipped on the head of each one, and the jesses 

 and bell at once attached to her. If they have come far, a 

 few morsels of food may be given even before the new-comer 

 has been deposited in the second hamper. But, if too young 

 to be able to move about much, they can all be transferred 

 directly to the new quarters, and the lids left open. In every 

 case the operation of feeding should be at once undertaken. 

 And a much more troublesome thing this operation is than the 

 unlearned may suppose. In the first place, there must be in 

 readiness a good store of fresh, tender beef or sheep's heart, 

 cut into small strips and slightly warmed. And of this the 

 new-comers must by some means or other be induced to swallow 

 at least a small quantity. If care has been taken from the very 

 first not to alarm them, they may possibly take the morsels 

 of meat quietly and naturally, when offered to them gently on 

 the end of a small stick. If so, an important point will have 

 been gained. But it is much more likely that at the sight of 

 their new and awful-looking foster-parent — when a subdued 

 light has been let into the room — they will draw back their 

 heads, open their mouths, and hiss indignantly. Still, if the 

 meat is very slowly and quietly obtruded towards the open 

 mouths, there is always a good chance that one of them, bolder 

 than the rest, will strike at it, half in anger, and half with the 

 idea that it may be good to eat. And, if such a youngster 

 should happen at the first shot to catch hold of the piece she 

 aims at, she is quite likely to swallow it, in which case the rest 

 of your task becomes easy. If things do not go quite so 

 smoothly, and a hawk which has seized the meat flips it scorn- 

 fully away, there is no need to give up the attempt. She 

 may do this a dozen times, and at the thirteenth time of ask- 

 ing may swallow the food and begin feeding readily. Or, 

 whilst pupil number one is thus making a fool of the teacher, 

 number two may take heart and come up to the attack, with a 

 more practical result. Even at the expense of much time and 

 patience, it is worth while to get the youngsters to conform 

 from the first, and take their rations willingly and amicably. 

 As soon as one has done this the others will follow suit, some 



