146 WOODLAND CREATURES 



the blackbird tight, an orange-billed old cock, 

 from whose body she has already squeezed the 

 breath, but not quite satisfied she gives another 

 convulsive grip, which drives her needlelike 

 talons yet farther into him. Very quietly and 

 gently we approach, kneel down, and quietly 

 offering the hand, pick her up, letting her feather 

 and eat the quarry on the fist, for she deserves to 

 be rewarded, having flown with real determination. 



Tame and confiding as a hawk like this will 

 become, yet if she be left alone for only a few 

 days without society she will revert to all her 

 original wildness. To keep her good-humoured 

 and in flying order she must almost live on her 

 owner's hand ; if not, her wild instincts will quickly 

 reassert themselves. Curiously enough, it is easier 

 to tame and train an old wild-caught hawk than 

 a young one taken from the nest. An eyass, 

 to use the old term for a young hawk, has " manifold 

 faults and follies." 



Throughout these remarks on trained sparrow 

 hawks the reader will have noticed that it has been 

 the female which has been referred to ; this was 

 because the hen, as is usual with birds of prey, 

 is so much the bigger and finer bird. She is 

 almost twice the size of her mate, who, when 

 compared with his large spouse, seems but an 

 insignificant little fellow ; however he is a hand- 

 some hawk in reality, being extremely smart in 

 his plumage of brown tinted with grey. Falconers 

 used to call him the " musket/' and held him in 

 but little esteem, for he could not attack such big 



