'& 1 * THE PEREGRINE FALCON. 



times the ruined tower, and the castle moat. 

 There have been repeated attempts to revive the 

 sport, but with very limited success. A few 

 years ago, a young officer might be seen driving 

 round the neighbourhood of Blackheath, in a 

 fashionable tilbury, with a number of falcons 

 perched about on the edge of his carriage : and 

 occasionally you might see him practising them 

 in flight according to the falconer's art. But it 

 seems to have been an ephemeral fancy, which 

 soon passed away, and found few followers. The 

 falcon, the jer-falcon, the kestril, merlin, hobby, 

 and some others of the same family, were trained 

 for this sport. They were taken early from the 

 nest, and gradually trained to obey the voice of 

 man ; to fly at his command in pursuit of game, 

 and return at his call. In order to render them 

 tame and docile, they were kept in darkness by 

 having their eyes covered with a hood, which 

 could be removed at the pleasure of the keeper. 

 Bands of soft supple leather were passed round 

 their legs, to which a ring and cord were at- 

 tached. By this cord they were fastened to a 

 tether, and when taken out by the falconer, the 

 cord was held in his hand. The leather bands 

 were called jesses. When taken out into the 

 fields for the purpose of hawking, every falcon 

 rode on the hand of the falconer or his attend- 



