ACCIDENTS AND MALADIES 229 



down the middle of the pith. Into the small apertures thus 

 made, the imping-needle will be more easily passed in tiie proper 

 direction than if there had been no such preliminary boring. It 

 remains only to effect the junction of the new and old feather. 

 Before attempting this, dip the shaft of the new piece into the 

 vinegar, and also moisten the end of the old feather just above 

 the place where it has been cut. Then taking the imping-needle, 

 push one half of it into the pith of the new piece of feather, and 

 the other half into that of the old. By this means the two will 

 necessarily become one and the same feather. Be sure, as you 

 push the two together, that their flat surfaces are level with one 

 another, and not inclined at different angles. When the new 

 end is pushed home up to the old amputated shaft, it will fit on 

 to it, and the web on both sides will meet and form a uniform 

 surface. Then release the hawk and replace her, still hooded, 

 on the screen-perch, where she must be left quite quiet. It is a 

 good plan to do the imping in the evening, so that very soon 

 afterwards the hawk will naturally be ready to go to sleep ; and 

 if the hood is to be left on, her last meal should, of course, have 

 been without castings. If not, the room where her perch is 

 should be darkened. She is less likely, when in the dark or 

 hooded, to meddle with the mended feather; and when it has 

 been left alone for twelve hours, the needle will have begun to 

 rust in the pith of it, and thus be firmly stuck fast at both ends. 



When skilfully and neatly performed, the operation of 

 imping not only replaces effectually the part of a feather which 

 has become useless, but repairs the mischief so thoroughly that 

 no trace whatever remains of any injury having ever been done 

 to it. I have known feathers so imped that the eye could not 

 discern the place of juncture, and it was difficult even to dis- 

 cover it by passing the thumb-nail down the shaft of the imped 

 feather. The tenacity of the rusted iron keeps the needle 

 immovably in its place ; and an imped feather, if it afterwards 

 breaks at all, will break more readily in any part of it than near 

 the place where the juncture has been made. Of course the 

 smaller the hawk the more difficult is the operation. Merlins 

 arc particularly troublesome, owing to their vivacity and the 

 smallness of their feathers. It is, however, quite possible for an 

 experienced imper to mend up one of these tiny hawks, even 

 without an assistant to help him in holding her down. 



The falconer should keep by him, in a box or drawer where 

 they are safe from moths, a few feathers in readiness for imping 

 the kind of hawks which he flies. When he is in the habit of 



