CH. XXX. COURAGE OF FALCONS. 155 



must that distance be which conceals any bird from 

 the falcon's eye. I have often fired my gun off at 

 a bird, with a hooded hawk sitting on one arm, 

 without his evincing the least fear or uneasiness, — 

 as great a proof of his courage as need be required. 

 In fact, a hawk, like a dog, soon learns to look 

 upon her master as her best friend. 



When a well-trained hawk has pursued a bird to 

 any distance out of sight of her master, and misses 

 catching it, she invariably flies straight back to the 

 place whence she was first started. I scarcely know 

 a more pleasing sight than to see the falcon return- 

 ing with direct and rapid flight, searching for her 

 master in the exact spot, although in a strange and 

 new country, where she had last seen him. If, 

 however, she has killed a prey, this quick return 

 does not take place, and the falconer must follow 

 as straight as he can in the line of her flight ; by 

 doing so he will seldom fail to find her. A hound, 

 in the same way, after a chase of many hours' dura- 

 tion, if he lose the huntsman, will always return 

 to the spot he started from. 



The instinctive power possessed by so many 

 animals of finding their way back again, either to 

 their accustomed home or to the place from which 

 they had started, appears almost inexplicable, as 

 in many instances it is certain that they cannot 



