240 REMINISCENCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



should be carried out at feeding time, secured by a 

 creance, and accustomed to do the same from the 

 ground, or from a gate, and afterwards from the bough 

 of a tree. It is a good plan also to give the bird live 

 mice and rats to kill amongst the grass, in order to make 

 it eager and easy of approach ; the latter also tend to 

 break it from the fault of carrying, which it will not do 

 for fear of being bitten. As the most tempting lure for 

 a goshawk (which unfortunately is not in yarak) is 

 a live pigeon, a goshawk should be acquainted with 

 pigeons, by being allowed to kill and eat two or three, 

 thrown out to it in a string. A stock of live rabbits 

 must now be laid in, which are easily secured by means 

 of a net and ferrets; two or three of these rabbits must 

 be given to it in a string ; if it seizes and holds on the 

 rabbit should be killed, and the bird allowed to feed on 

 it. As soon as the hawk can be trusted at large, and 

 has already taken some of the rabbits in the way 

 mentioned, it should be belled upon the tail and taken 

 out, sharp set, and offered a rabbit to the neck of which 

 is attached, by the means of a slight collar, about a yard 

 of single string ; this string is then doubled, and each 

 string, divided into the form of a V is tied to the end of 

 a light piece of cane. This splinter-bar-like contrivance 

 to a certain extent impedes the animal, and the strings 

 drawing the cane straight, prevents the rabbit escaping 

 into a hole. It must be remembered that one great 

 point in the successful training of young hawks is to 

 avoid as far as possible disappointment in their early 

 attempts ; this necessitates the sacrifice of some few un- 

 fortunate birds or beasts, which have no chance of es- 

 cape given them, but is in reality little more than what 

 other sports demand, such as cub-hunting with fox- 



