190 EEMIXISCENCES OF A SPOETSMAN. 



miglit be lost in the chasings. These annual hawking 

 expeditions were also attended by the wives and ladies 

 of the court, who had their own hunting retinue, in- 

 dependent of that of the Grand Khan. What with the - 

 attendant courtiers, physicians, servants, and falconers, 

 the multitude must have been immense. In China and 

 Tartary the system of exclusiveness in the practice of 

 field sports prevailed as much as in the dark days of 

 European history. Certain ranks only were allowed the 

 privilege of sporting, nor might a nobleman, without 

 permission, presume to hawk near the residence of the 

 ruler. 



In Persia, falconry still continues to be practised. 

 The Sketches of Sir John Malcolm offer very interesting 

 proofs of this. He says, " We were kept several weeks 

 at Abusheher, and amongst the amusements by which we 

 beguiled the tedium of our sojourn at this dull seaport 

 was that of hawking. As the mode of killing the game 

 differs essentially from that of other countries, I will 

 describe it, that sportsmen may judge of its merits. 



" The sportsmen proceed to a large plain, or rather 

 desert near the sea side ; they have hawks and grey- 

 hounds ; the former carried in the usual manner on the 

 hand of the sportsman, the latter led in a leash by a 

 horseman, generally the same who carries the hawk. 

 When the antelope is seen, they endeavour to get as 

 near as possible ; but the animal, the moment it observes 

 them, goes off at a rate that seems swifter than the 

 wind, the horsemen are instantly at full speed, having 

 slipped the dogs. If it is a single deer, they at the 

 same time fly the hawk ; but if a herd they wait till 

 the dogs have fixed on a particular antelope. The 

 hawks, skimming along near the ground, soon reach the 



