260 ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING 



Haggards, and the cleverest younger falcons, fly more with 

 the outer part of the wing than with the part nearest the body. 

 They work, in fact, rather with the joint which in the human 

 body is the wrist than by the movement of the whole arm from 

 the shoulder. The saving of labour so effected is obvious 

 enough. Only, in order to fly thus, the shoulders must be 

 thrown very far back, and the chest far more widely opened 

 than it is by most eyesses. When a hawk in stretching her 

 wings while standing on the block raises them far above her 

 head, or when, having bated off, she hangs down from the fist, 

 and, flopping with her wings, brings them so near together be- 

 hind her that they seem almost about to touch, be sure that 

 that hawk will fly better than one which carries her wings back 

 to about a level with her back only. It is in stooping at the 

 lure that you can judge best as to the merits of rook-hawks 

 or lark-hawks, while, of course, those of game-hawks and duck- 

 hawks are best tested by merely waiting on. In the latter and 

 more simple case that hawk will be preferred which goes up 

 quickest and to the highest pitch without raking away too far. 

 But note, in stooping to the lure, which comes at it with the 

 most headlong dash, and, having missed it, throws up soonest 

 and highest. In a hard flight that hawk is most successful 

 which after each stoop shoots up farthest, rebounding, as it 

 were, from the unsuccessful stoop, and so keeping the command 

 of the air, so that the quarry, even after the cleverest shift, still 

 finds his adversary on a higher level than himself The best 

 hawks take great delight in stooping at the lure, and may be 

 cheered when they make a brilliant cut at it, which will increase 

 their excitement and zest. Sometimes, getting to a distance 

 from the falconer, they will rush in at their very best speed, and, 

 on the lure being twitched aside, will shoot up almost in a per- 

 pendicular line ; then, turning a sort of half-somersault, they will 

 come down in almost the same perpendicular line with the way 

 of the original impetus apparently still on them. A good 

 " footer " at the lure is usually a good footer at her quarry ; 

 and good footing is one of the most deadly qualities any 

 hawk can possess. 



Another remarkable thing about hawks is that those which 

 are the best-tempered are generally the boldest, strongest, and 

 best fliers. The reason is doubtless that bad temper proceeds 

 to a large extent from timidity; and timidity of mind is, in nine 

 cases out of ten, either due to bodily weakness, or at least con- 

 nected with it. By bad temper I do not, of course, understand 



