FALCONRY 



above. The hawk was evidently unwilling or afraid to stoop 

 over the water, but the moment the cock was over the land 

 she shot herself forward, and straight in air, instead of slanting, 

 half perpendicularly down, like her quarry (both moving with 

 incredible speed) turned over, and stooped. No one knows the 

 speed of a falcon's stoop, but it must be very great, as I have 

 seen it bring a hawk up to old grouse flying hard down wind, 

 just as though they had been sitting still, with absurd ease, 

 if only she be but high enough. Anyhow, it was fatal this 

 time to the woodcock, for, leaving a cloud of feathers behind, 

 she tumbled head over heels before us, into the very patch of 

 bracken she came from, and meeting there with an old ant-hill, 

 bounded off it, many a yard, and lay still. The hawk soon 

 recovered herself, and dashed on to her well-earned quarry. 

 Needless to say, I did not disturb her thereon, but served out 

 the whiskey, and drank her health, all round.' 



Major Hawkins Fisher preferred grouse to partridge- 

 hawking : — 



' The partridge is a jolly little fowl, though not to be 

 compared with the denizen of the heather. (I have usually 

 three coveys of partridges on my moor, where they appear to 

 feed on the seeds of a rush, and are smaller and darker than 

 the type.) I hawked them regularly for many years on the 

 open downland arable expanse of South Wilts, using good 

 dogs, and possessing two of the best partridge hawks — tiercels 

 or males, and nestling peregrines — possible. Of course it is 

 indispensable to possess or rent a sufficient quantity of suitable 

 ground, well stocked with partridges, and the right to preserve 

 them upon it : 2000 or 3000 acres is quite necessary, if not more, 

 for good sport and success. The fixed idea that " hawking 

 drives birds off the land " is everywhere prevalent, and utterly 

 unremoveable. This prejudice militates heavily, against even 

 renting grouse, or partridge ground, for our present purpose. 

 It happens to be a perfectly incorrect idea, from a common- 

 sense point of view, but it is useless to attempt to discuss it, 

 nor will I write about it here. Suffice it to say that the 



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