176 ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING 



so that he will not be ready to start for the field, even with 

 those that have not bathed, much before noon. This hour, 

 moreover, is full early for peregrines and most of the larger 

 hawks, which are apt to be slack in the pursuit of their quarry 

 when they have, or at least think they have, the best part of 

 the day before them in which to provide themselves with their 

 one daily solid meal. 



Hawks which are not yet thoroughly accustomed to the 

 hood should be hooded up with care, so as to avoid any trial of 

 their temper just as they are about to be called upon to do their 

 best. Hawks, of course, ought always to be good at the hood ; 

 but some manifest an obstinate repugnance to it, as for instance 

 Vesta, the very excellent game - falcon trained for the Old 

 Hawking Club. The duties of the falconer in the field are re- 

 ferred to at length in the next chapter. As soon as he has 

 returned — which will usually not be much, if at all, before dark 

 — he must be satisfied that each hawk has had the full allow- 

 ance of food which he had decided to be good for her, that her 

 beak and talons are fairly clean, her feathers in good order, and 

 her swivel and leash properly attached. Then each will be 

 put in her accustomed place on the screen-perch, the leash 

 being securely tied round the perch itself, as described in 

 Chapter III,, and the hood, if she is hooded, removed and hung 



As for the hawks, if any, which, not being destined for the 

 field, have been left at home, either at blocks on the lawn, or 

 indoors, some person will have been left to shift their blocks as 

 they become exposed to the sun, to carry them for a specified 

 time, and perhaps to fly some of them to the lure. Every 

 trained hawk, unless she is put down to moult, or is being 

 flown at quarry, should be exercised daily to the lure or the fist 

 — merlins twice, and all others once. The methods of giving 

 exercise have been already described ; but it must be re- 

 membered that when once a hawk has been entered the more 

 real flying in the field she gets the better. Otherwise you are 

 between the horns of a dilemma. If you give no exercise the 

 hawk grows heavy, stale, and lazy. If you fly her too much to 

 the lure she may grow too fond of it, and less keen at wild 

 quarry. Good practical falconers are thus rather averse to a 

 too free use of the lure with peregrines and lanners. On the 

 other hand, I have found that merlins cannot well have too 

 much stooping at the lure. Rook-hawks, and others which are 

 never expected to wait on at a height, may often be made to do 



