FALCONRY 279 



the hawks, was within fairly easy reach of Cam- 

 bridge, I used often to go over there for a day 

 or two whenever there was any hawking to be 

 seen. 



Meanwhile, when I was at home I kept my 

 hand in by training merlins, and I had a good 

 deal of fun with these most engaging of little 

 pets and miniature falcons. In 1870, when the 

 war between France and Germany had broken 

 out, the entire stud of hawks belonging to the 

 Champagne Hawking Club had been removed to 

 Elveden Hall, near Thetford, then the residence 

 of the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, who kindly asked 

 me to stay with him and inspect the establishment. 

 Shortly before that time the Maharajah had sent 

 John Barr to Iceland in order to catch the Iceland 

 variety of the gerfalcon. He brought back some 

 thirty of these magnificent falcons. He told me 

 that they were so plentiful that he had little 

 trouble in catching them when once he became 

 familiar with their favourite haunts, but then he 

 was a past master in the art of catching hawks. 

 His trouble was in feeding them on the home- 

 ward voyage, and for this purpose he purchased 

 some half a dozen of Icelandic ponies, which he 

 slaughtered as became necessary during the 

 passage. 



The Champagne Club had an establishment 



