228 ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING 



wards and the thumbs joined, the tips of his fingers being 

 towards the hawk's tail, and the wrists over her hood. Lower- 

 ing them quickly and gently, and bringing the outer parts of 

 the hands towards one another, he will get a firm grip round 

 the upper part of the wings and the thickest part of the body, 

 and will hold the hawk down firmly, but without unduly 

 squeezing her, upon the cushion, her feet being pressed down 

 underneath the body. The falconer will thus be free to operate 

 more boldly upon the feather to which he proposes to direct his 

 attention. The latter must have provided himself beforehand 

 with a very sharp penknife, a small saucer of vinegar or strong 

 brine, an imping-needle of the proper size, and a feather of the 

 proper sort. The imping-needle should be of iron or steel, filed 

 down lengthwise to a triangular shape and pointed at the ends. 

 It should be in the middle about two-thirds as thick as the 

 feather at the place of breakage. The new feather with which 

 the damaged hawk is to be adorned must exactly match the 

 one which it is to replace ; that is to say, it must have occupied 

 the same place in the same wing, or the same side of the tail, in 

 a hawk of the same kind as the one now under treatment. 

 Before commencing operations, the imping-needle to be used 

 should be immersed in the bath of vinegar or salt water. With 

 the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, take hold of the 

 damaged feather just above the place of breakage, and separate 

 it carefully from the adjacent feathers. Then with the right 

 hand pass the blade of the penknife obliquely upwards along 

 the web of the feather on its thinner side till the edge touches 

 the shaft just above the place of breakage. As soon as it has 

 done this, turn the blade so that the flat of it, instead of being 

 inclined obliquely upwards with the edge pointing towards the 

 stouter part of the feather, is directed downwards in a plane 

 with the web on the broad side of the feather. Having got it 

 into this position, make a clean cut right through the shaft so 

 that the portion of it below the blade falls off. The next thing 

 is to measure off on the loose new feather as much of the end as 

 will, when fitted on to the other where it has been cut through, 

 add to it the exact length which it originally had. The shaft 

 of the new feather must then be cut through at exactly the 

 same angle or inclination as the other. 



Now take an ordinary needle, and stick its point a little way 

 into the pith of that part of the old feather which has not been cut 

 off, and afterwards into the pith of the piece of new feather which 

 is to be grafted on, taking care that the needle goes in straight 



