CHASING AND RACING 281 



When I was asked by the Duke of Beaufort * to 

 write on ** Coursing ** for the Badminton Library, it 

 was decided that *' Falconry *' should be incorporated 

 in the volume, so that I had an opportunity of studying 

 the sport (on paper) so ably dealt with by the Hon. 

 Gerald Lascelles ; but I have never had an ocular 

 demonstration of its thrills, except occasionally when, 

 in the course of my ramblings, I have witnessed an 

 impromptu flight. I have seen a female sparrow-hawk 

 stoop to, and strike, a pigeon ; and a pair of these 

 aggressive hawks outmanoeuvre a heron and bring 

 him to earth after a most exciting set-to. The 

 " frankie " would throw himself on his back in the air, 

 and as one of the hawks ** stooped,** he would attempt 

 to, and nearly succeed in transfixing it with a dagger- 

 like thrust of his lethal bill ; but the end came when 

 the smaller hawk (male) made a flank attack, at the 

 same moment as his mate " stooped " from above. 

 They met on the vile body of the heron, a.nd all three 

 descended, in a cloud of feathers, into a large bed of 

 reeds growing in a foot of water. I ran as hard as I 

 could to the spot, when the heron rose laboriously and 

 much the worse for wear. The male hawk also made 

 oflF at sight of me ; but where was the big hen ? It 

 is possible that Mr. Heron had skewered her ; though 

 I failed to find anything but a sprinkling of feathers to 

 denote where the trio had landed. 



* And also by his representative, my old friend, Alfred Watson, 

 better known as " Rapier " of the Sporting and Dramatic News. 



