SPORTING TERMS AND BIG CATS 335 



ONE SORT OF BIRD RESERVED FOR KINGS, 



another for princes of the blood, still another for 

 dukes and great lords. Fifteen grades in all from 

 the king to the knave, from the Peregrine down 

 to the little sparrow-hawk. But only the female 

 peregrine was entitled to the name of 



THE FALCON. 



On account of her superior strength, great size 

 and courage the falcon was flown at ducks and 

 herons. In another place in .this book will be 

 found the record of a blue heron putting an old 

 bald-headed eagle to flight after the latter had 

 made an unprovoked attack upon the heron ; from 

 this incident we may be led to believe that it 

 really does require a bird of strength and courage 

 to attack a heron. 



The male peregrine was formerly called 



TERCEL, TIERCEL, OR TIERCELET, 



and was flown at partridges and magpies, and so 

 all of these birds were divided up not only in 

 their use in the field, but also as to who could fly 

 them. 



In spite of all this tomfoolery of royalty, how- 

 ever, and its childlike regulation of the names and 

 uses of hawks, there is a glamor of romance about 

 those times and about falconry which appeals to us 

 all. We all love to read of the people "In days of 

 old when knights were bold, and barons held their 



