140 THE LION KILLER. 



are carried by the horsemen on the shoulder or head, hooded 

 and restrained from flying by their jesses. When all is 

 ready for them to be cast off, they are placed on the left wrist 

 of the sportsman, which is protected by a heavy glove, reach- 

 to the elbow. 



The lesson is first given singly ; while a horseman sets at 

 liberty a partridge with the wings cut, or a hare with only 

 three paws, the fowler unhoods a bird. It is easy to see that 

 this trial determines the falconer as to the talents of his pupil, 

 who, deprived of light and liberty for a month, suddenly finds 

 himself free and in the open air. It sometimes happens that 

 the falcon pays no attention to the hare* or the fluttering 

 partridge, but as soon as it finds itself at liberty, he escapes 

 with screams of joy to that wild life from which he had been 

 taken. Such birds are never regretted by true connois- 

 seurs. 



It must be confessed, that generally speaking, as soon as 

 the falcon is unhooded, if it perceives the hare or partridge, it 

 does not think of returning to its independence, but first satis- 

 fies the instincts of its nature, by sweeping on its prey, which 

 it kills with a blow, and is then retaken and hooded. When 

 a falcon is well taught it will soon learn to obey the voice of 

 the falconer when he calls it, or the swinging of the lure, which 

 is ordinarily the stuffed skin of a hare. After the falcon has 

 killed the animal let loose before it, the falconer approaches 

 holding the lure, which it well knows, and calling him in a 

 peculiar manner. 



This manoeuvre is to cause the bird to alight on his wrist 

 or shoulder. If the bird remains deaf to the call, the falconer 



