240 LORD LILFORD 



slowly home after its night's hunting stopped 

 and turned to stare. 



' It was always Lord Lilford's favourite time. 

 In earlier life he was often at the riverside before 

 the world was well awake. 



1 No woodman had yet disturbed the wood ; 

 so the nest was soon found — in an old crow's 

 nest, on the top of a high oak tree, just as Lord 

 Lilford had predicted — and three young Hobbies 

 were crouching at the bottom of it. 1 



1 All through that summer one of the most 

 delightful things in the world was to watch them 

 " at hack " ; free to fly where they liked, ever 

 ready to return to the falconer's whistle. At 

 one moment dots in the blue sky, at the next 

 light as Ariel playing round our heads. 



' No one knew better than Lord Lilford the 

 beauty of the flight of a sharp-winged bird, and 

 until the time came for these rare little falcons 

 to go South they were a continual delight to 

 him. 



1 ' The accompanying photograph shows them on their 

 arrival at Lilford, still covered with " down," and with new 

 "jesses" on their legs. In another two of them are seen sitting 

 on the falconer's hand, their long feathers grown and their training 



over.' 



