130 HAWKING. 



a meal upon the Pigeons, having been kept fasting for some 

 hours before. 



The Pigeons were placed for them on the body of the 

 Heron ; and after they were satisfied, they were again 

 hooded and put up for the day. The next cast of Hawks 

 consisted of two younger birds; and when let loose at 

 another Heron, they flew up to it very well. But the 

 Heron was an old one, and was supposed to have been 

 attacked before ; for the moment he saw his enemies below, 

 he began to soar into the air, and set up a loud croak, and 

 the two young Falcons, not so experienced as the two first 

 older ones, would not attack the Heron, but after flying 

 about for some time left him. Upon this one of the 

 falconers set up a peculiar call, to which the birds were 

 accustomed, when one of them, from a great height in the 

 air, immediately closed his wings, and darting down to the 

 man who called him, was taken in hand. The other Falcon, 

 however, was not so well trained and obedient, but continued 

 to sail about in the air. 



At length a Heron approached, and she attacked it, but 

 without success, and soon left it; at last a third Heron 

 crossed, which she attacked, and, after a short struggle, 

 succeeded in bringing to the ground in the same manner as 

 in the first case. This last Heron had its wing broken, and 

 the falconer killed it, but the other was taken alive, and 

 afterwards turned out before a single Falcon, which struck it 

 down in a minute. It was said, that if a Heron had been 

 once taken by a Falcon, it would never afterwards show 

 sport by soaring and endeavouring to escape. It was the 

 case with this one, for as soon as it saw its enemy approach- 

 ing, it appeared to lose all its powers, and merely made a 

 trifling and awkward defence on the ground, where the Falcon 

 would speedily have killed it, if the lure had not been 

 thrown in her way.* 



It will be observed that in the above instances the Hawks 

 either obeyed the call, or were secured by their keepers on 



* Naturalist's Magazine. 



