HAWKING IN MOEOCCO. 185 



In some countries in the East, where they have a large 

 species of falcon, they train these birds to attack the 

 wolf, wild boar, leopards, and other large animals in the 

 follo\\dng manner. 



They are accustomed, when young, to feed from out 

 of the sockets of the eyes of a wolf or boar's head, the 

 skin of the animal being stuffed to make it appear alive. 

 While the bird is feeding the falconer begins to move 

 the figure gradually, in consequence of which the bird 

 learns to fasten itself, so as to stand firm, notwithstand- 

 ing the precipitate motions which are gradually given 

 to the stuffed animal. He would lose his meal if he 

 quitted his hold, and therefore he takes care to seciu-e 

 himself. When these first exercises are finished, the 

 skin is placed on a cart drawn by a horse at full speed. 

 The bird follows it, and particularly while feeding ; and 

 when they come to fly him in the field, he never fails 

 to dart on the head of the first beast of the kind he 

 discovers, and begins to scoop out the eyes. This puts 

 the animal in such distress, that the hunters have time 

 to approach and despatch it with their spears. 



In the empu-e of Morocco, the eagles have been 

 seen to attack the deer, and even stags, by fixing them- 

 selves on their heads, and by flapping with their wings 

 the eyes with such force as in a short time to blind 

 them ; and the animal soon becomes exhausted from 

 the violent struggles he makes to get rid of his enemy, 

 falls to the ground, and becomes his prey. 



Tytler, in his History of Scotland, mentions that 

 in the reign of Alexander III., 1268 — 9 : there " Hap- 

 pened an accident of a romantic natm-e with which 

 important consequences were connected. A Scottish 

 knight of high birth, Robert de Bruce, son of Eobert 



VOL. II. 



