TRAINING AND ENTERING 93 



temptation to her to pursue it will be strong. If the hawk 

 yields to the impulse, you are in luck. She is already " entered." 

 If she takes it you are still more fortunate, for the hawk is 

 "made" at the first trial. But very possibly she may refuse. 

 No matter, take her down to the lure, and try her again another 

 time — perhaps an hour later. Possibly you may possess or 

 borrow a make-hawk which is already au fait at the quarry — a 

 sister or brother of the tardy learner, which has already taken 

 more kindly to the business — maybe a last year's hawk, which 

 is now coming into action again. If such a pupil-teacher is 

 thrown off as the quarry starts, the force of example will pretty 

 surely lead to imitation. Rook-hawks are very often entered 

 in this way. But the plan is advised for the nobler races only, 

 for short-winged hawks must not be slipped together, for fear 

 of " crabbing " or fighting. 



A propos of bagged quarry, which are an abomination to all 

 right-minded falconers, it should be said that whenever they are 

 turned out great care should be taken to deceive the hawk into 

 the idea that they are not bagged. With this intent dig a 

 small hole in the ground, just large enough to accommodate 

 the bagged quarry comfortably. Over the top of the hole and 

 the quarry inside it place a flat board of the same colour as the 

 surrounding surface, green, brown, or as it may be. Let the 

 board be sufficiently heavy to prevent the captive from escaping, 

 as long as it remains over the hole. Then attach a string of 

 the required length, and coloured like the board, to one of its 

 corners. When you want the quarry to bolt, pull the string 

 and thus uncover the hole. When the liberated prisoner comes 

 forth, the hawk will be too intent upon looking after it to inquire 

 why or wherefore it appeared on the scene. If, on the contrary, 

 you throw it up out of the hand, or let it out of a bag, the case 

 will be different. Most likely the hawk will see that it is no 

 chance quarry, but is expressly thrown out as a sort of animated 

 lure, and pursue it as such. When afterwards you try her at a 

 really wild quarry, she may refuse, just as if you had given no 

 bagged quarry at all. Hawks, like other creatures, are averse 

 to hard work when they think it unnecessary ; and when they 

 are accustomed to easy flights — such as are always afforded by 

 birds thrown up from the hand — they are apt to shirk the more 

 difficult job of catching a wild bird. 



Many hawks are, of course, entered without any such man- 

 oeuvring as above described. An eyess, for instance, which has 

 begun to chase birds freely at hack may often, when properly 

 reclaimed, be taken straight out into the field, and thrown off at 



