LARK-HAWKING 133 



her into condition. If an eyess, she has had no practice at 

 footing. How is she to learn that art ? Then the dieting is a 

 matter of extreme delicacy. If you give butcher's meat, she 

 will become dull and heavy ; pigeon's flesh will give her a 

 sort of fever ; in sheep's heart, the food which most amateurs 

 recommend, there is but poor nourishment ; and she must be 

 strong enough to go up half a mile, if required ! Again, how 

 are you to measure out the exact quantity that is good for her ? 

 If you give a peregrine or a goshawk an ounce too much or too 

 little, the mischief done is slight. But give even half an ounce 

 too much or too little to a jack-merlin, and he is straightway 

 wrong in his condition. A big hawk is fed only once a day ; 

 there are about twenty-four hours on an average between each 

 meal. If you fly the big hawk on a fast of twenty-two hours 

 or of twenty-six, it matters little. But between the feeding- 

 times of a merlin there is only an average of twelve hours. 

 Therefore it matters a good deal whether you fly her early or 

 late. She may be either too hungry or not hungry enough to 

 do herself full justice. 



The trainer who aspires to make a good score with ringing 

 larks, and not to be content with mere hedge-row pot-hunting, 

 must work pretty hard. He must not make many mistakes. 

 He must observe very strictly the instructions already given for 

 guarding against the besetting vice of carrying, never allowing 

 a piece of food to be negligently fastened to the lure, or giving 

 any bagged quarry that can be taken into a tree. He must 

 find freshly-killed small birds almost daily for every merlin, so 

 that her digestion and strength may be unimpaired. And in 

 order to keep his hawk in wind, he must give her plenty of 

 exercise. He can hardly do this without stooping her often to 

 the lure. Ten minutes of this work, if the hawk is going all the 

 time at her best pace, means a good many miles flying. Then 

 the merlin must be taught to look principally to the fist for 

 food. When feeding on the lure, whether it is garnished with a 

 newly-killed sparrow or with a tiring, she must be provided with 

 tit-bits from the hand, until, instead of fearing the approach of 

 the falconer, she looks for it with pleasure. She must constantly 

 be called to the fist. If there is a good-sized spare room avail- 

 able, she may be exercised there in coming often from one side 

 of the room to your fist at the other. Some falconers advise 

 keeping merlins loose in an empty room, where blocks and 

 perches have been placed ; and this is, no doubt, a very good 

 plan when you have or can build for yourself the right kind of 

 room. The sort of place recommended later on for moulting 



