ROOK-HAWKING 103 



ship's mind the belief that she is eating what she has killed, and 

 finds it uncommonly good. Eyesses are naturally deceived 

 very easily into this fallacious notion. As for passage hawks, 

 it is quite possible that many of them have no more idea than 

 eyesses what a rook tastes like. Unless they have ever been 

 hard pressed for a meal, it is more than probable that they have 

 never condescended to dine off a rook. Anyhow, they will not 

 be at all unwilling to lend themselves to a deception fraught 

 with such gratifying results. " Dear me," may be the haggard's 

 inward reflection, " what a goose I have been all this time never 

 to pay any attention to these vulgar black birds ! Why, they 

 taste as good as pigeon ! " And the next time she has a chance 

 of paying attention, she will. This " personation trick " is 

 invariably used by Indian and Asiatic falconers in kite-flying 

 with sakers. It is necessary, or at least advisable, in entering 

 hawks at herons, gulls, and other coarse-fleshed birds. In the 

 case of rooks it may be discontinued after a short while, if it 

 is found on a cautious trial that the hawk will eat rook with 

 any relish. Many falcons, when flying rooks almost daily, are 

 habitually fed upon the last victim they have killed in the 

 day. But it is not to be supposed that any hawk will be very 

 fond of such coarse viands ; and some will not eat them at all. 



Supposing now that the rook-hawk is safely entered, and a 

 suitable country found, the next thing is to also find a wild rook 

 in a suitable part of that country. And this is not altogether an 

 easy matter. In some very excellent districts, where the rooks 

 are flown at every year, they become excessively wary, and 

 quite clever at avoiding the chance of a good slip at them. 

 The old birds, who have been spectators of many a battle in 

 the air in which one of their comrades was worsted and lost his 

 life, or who have perhaps even themselves done battle, and 

 escaped with great difficulty, become suspicious of all mounted 

 men. They remember very well and with a fluttering heart the 

 appearance of the little squadron of horsemen which once 

 brought with them Lady Long-wing, who made such a dreadful 

 example of poor papa Caw-Caw. Who can say that they do 

 not remember the very faces and the green uniforms of the 

 murderous men to whom Lady Long-wing belonged ? Any- 

 how, as they strut on the hillside or pick about along the 

 furrows, they are on the alert directly a detachment of irregular 

 cavalry comes in sight, which looks at all as if it might be 

 accompanied by hawks. Very often their sentinels incon- 

 tinently give the signal of alarm, and the flock scuds off 

 summarily to safer feeding-grounds. At all events they do so 



