34 STRA Y FEA THERS FROM MANY BIRDS. 



retains its ancient glory, and continues to be a sport 

 followed by princes. The proud Arab chieftain is 

 passionately devoted to his Falcons. Next to his horse, 

 and before his wives, they rank amongst his most precious 

 treasures. He hunts the small gazelles, the Bustards 

 and the Coursers of the desert with his highly-trained 

 birds, and would sooner part with most other of his 

 personal effects ere he would allow his Falcons to leave 

 his possession. The birds now in demand for the sport 

 are the larger Falcons, especially the Gyr, the Peregrine, 

 the Saker and the Lanner. They require great care 

 in training, and find employment for a good many 

 persons both at home and when engaged in the chase. 

 The office of Master of the Hawks is, we believe, 

 a Court post of no little value, but now, of course, 

 nothing but a sinecure. 



Another bird of the chase pressed into the service 

 of man by the Chinese is the Cormorant. The fishing 

 Cormorant will always stand as a monument to John 

 Chinaman's ingenuity. Our modern falconer starts 

 upon the chase with his cast of favourite Hawks ; the 

 Chinese sportsman carries several trained Cormorants 

 to his boat and rows out from shore with his feathered 

 fishermen. No birds in the world are more adept at 

 catching fish than Cormorants, and the enterprising 

 Chinee is soon rewarded with a stock of fish. Each bird 

 has a small ring placed round its neck to prevent it from 



