104 HISTORY OF 



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 

 hinfat 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 dis-' 

 abled 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 car- 

 ried into the field for the purpose of pursuing that 

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

 when he has seized it, or killed it, he is brought 

 back by the voice and the lure. 



By this method of instruction, a hawk may be 

 taught to fly at any game whatsoever ; but fal- 

 coners have chiefly confined their pursuit only to 

 such animals as yield them profit by the capture, 

 or pleasure in the pursuit. The hare, the part- 

 ridge, and the quail, repay the trouble of taking 

 them ; but the most delightful sport is the fal- 

 con's pursuit of the heron, the kite, or the wood- 

 lark. Instead of flying directly forward, as some 

 other birds do, these, when they see themselves 

 threatened by the approach of the hawk, im- 

 mediately take to the skies. They fly almost per- 

 pendicularly upward, while their ardent pursuer 

 keeps pace with their flight, and tries to rise 

 above them. Thus both diminish by degrees 

 from the gazing spectator below, till they are 

 quite lost in the clouds j but they are soon seen 



