OCT. TRAINING OF FALCONS. 13 



hold her. By taking her out hungry, and by show- 

 ing her, when mounted in the air, the lure with 

 food attached to it, you will find that she will 

 swoop at once down to her usual feeding-place, 

 which, as I have said, should he the " lure " only. 



After doing this two or three days, if the hawk 

 appears tractable, and not at all shy or wild, take 

 her out when very hungry and let her mount 

 without any " creance ;" and when she is well 

 up in the air, toss down the lure, which until 

 then should be concealed, and ten to one but the 

 hawk will immediately come down upon it with 

 the rapidity of an arrow ; and a more beautiful 

 sight than the swoop of a hawk from a great height 

 I do not know. 



To make her kill her game, you must at first let 

 her fly at a pigeon, or other bird, with its wings 

 partially cut, so as to ensure the hawk against 

 failure at the commencement. After she has killed 

 two or three birds in this way, she will probably 

 kill any bird you may fly her at in a favourable 

 country. But in this fine old sport the mere kill- 

 ing the game is almost a minor consideration. 

 The flight, the soaring, and the rapid detection of, 

 and descent upon, the lure, are in themselves most 

 interesting and beautiful. 



I am not sufficiently skilled in the science, even 



