74 A HISTORY OF 



chase. He is always carried on the fist, and is obliged to keep with- 

 out sleeping. If he be stubborn, and attempt to bite, his head is plung- 

 ed into water. Thus, by hunger, watching, and fatigue, he is con- 

 strained to submit to having his head covered by a hood, or cowl, 

 which covers his eyes. This troublesome employment continues often 

 for three days and nights without ceasing. It rarely happens but at 

 the end of this his necessities, and the privation of light, make him 

 lose all idea of liberty, and bring down his natural wildness. His 

 master judges of his being tamed when he permits his head to be co- 

 vered without resistance, and when uncovered, he seizes the meat be- 

 fore him contentedly. The repetition of these lessons by degrees in- 

 sures success. His wants being the chief principle of his dependence, 

 it is endeavoured to increase his appetite by giving him little balls of 

 flannel, which he greedily swallows. Having thus excited the appe- 

 tite, care is taken to satisfy it ; and thus gratitude attaches the bird 

 to the man who but just before had been his tormentor. 



When the first lessons have succeeded, and the bird shows signs of 

 docility, he is carried out upon some green, the head is uncovered, 

 and, by flattering him with food at different times, he is taught to jump 

 on the fist, and to continue there. When confirmed in this habit, it 

 is then thought time to make him acquainted with the lure. This 

 lure is only a thing stuffed like the bird the falcon is designed to pur- 

 sue, such as a heron, a pigeon, or a quail ; and on this lure they al- 

 ways take care to give him his food. It is quite necessary that the 

 bird should not only be acquainted with this, but fond of it, and deli- 

 cate in his food when shown it. When the falcon has flown upon 

 this, and tasted the first morsel, some falconers then take it away; but 

 by this there is a danger of daunting the bird ; and the surest method 

 is, when he flies to seize it, to let him feed at large, and this serves 

 as a recompense for his docility. The use of this lure is to flatter him 

 back when he has flown in the air, which it sometimes fails to do ; 

 and it is always requisite to assist it by the voice and the signs of the 

 master. When these lessons have been long repeated, it is then ne- 

 cessary to study the character of the bird ; to speak frequently to him 

 if he be inattentive to the voice ; to stint in his food such as do not 

 come kindly or readily to the lure ; to keep waking him if he be not 

 sufficiently familiar ; and to cover him frequently with the hood if he 

 fears darkness. When the familiarity and the docility of the bird are 

 sufficiently confirmed on the green, he is then carried into the open 

 fields, but still kept fast by a string, which is about twenty yards long. 

 He is then uncovered as before ; and the falconer, calling him at some 

 paces distance, shows him the lure. When he flies upon it he is per- 

 mitted to take a large morsel of the food which is tied to it. The next 

 day the lure is shown him at a greater distance, till he comes at last 

 to fly to it at the utmost length of his string. He is then to be shown 

 the game itself alive, but disabled or tame, which he is designed to 

 pursue. After having seized this several times with his string, he is 

 then left entirely at liberty, and carried into the field for the purposes 

 of pursuing that which is wild. At that he flies with avidity ; and 

 ivhen he has seized it or killed it, he is brought back by the voice and 

 he lur 



