132 HAWKING. 



the head of the animal given it for food, with its beak, before 

 it began to devour it. 



Those who are in the habit of catching Hawks avail 

 themselves of their knowledge of the different ways in which 

 they provide themselves with food, in order to capture them ; 

 a description of a few of these modes may be useful to some 

 of our readers. The manner of catching the celebrated 

 Icelandic Falcons was thus. So anxious were the inhabitants 

 to secure them, that almost every nest was known, and the 

 Falcon-catchers in the neighbourhood watched them with 

 the greatest care. When the old ones had reared their 

 young, and the latter were full grown, two posts were stuck 

 into the ground, at a little distance from each other ; to the 

 one was tied a Partridge or a Pigeon by a small line, two or 

 three yards long, that they might have room to nutter about 

 and attract by their motion the eye of the Falcon ; to the 

 leg of the Partridge or Pigeon, they tied another string, in 

 length about a hundred yards, which ran through a hole in 

 the other post, in order to draw the bait to that post, where 

 a net, like a fishing-net, was fixed, with a hoop in a semi- 

 circle of six feet in diameter. This being pulled down, it 

 went over, and covered the post, for which purpose there was 

 another string fastened to the upper part of the hoop, which 

 went through the first post, to which the bait was tied. 

 These two strings the Falcon-catcher held in his hand, that 

 he might pull the bait when he pleased, and at the proper 

 moment draw the net over his prize. These nets were fixed 

 in the neighbourhood of some nest, or in situations known to 

 be frequented by Falcons. As soon as one of them happened 

 to notice the lure fluttering on the ground, after taking a few 

 sweeps in the air, just over the spot, as if to discover any 

 hidden danger, he pounced down with such violence and 

 certainty, that the bait's head was taken off, as clean as if 

 with a knife. The moment he had thus despatched his sup- 

 posed prey, he generally flew up again, unless very hungry, 

 to be reassured that there was no danger near. Availing 

 himself of this pause, the Falcon-catcher pulled the string 

 and dead bait to the other post, close under the net, which 



