THE TERCEL-GENTLE. 53 



By others, again, the term is supposed to have been 

 derived from the French gentil, meaning neat or hand- 

 some, because of the beauty of its form. 



There appears to be a great deal of confusion in the 

 nomenclature of the hawks used in falconry. The same 

 name has been applied to two distinct species, and the 

 same species, in different states of plumage, has received 

 two or more names. With regard to the "tercel," as 

 distinguished from the "tercel-gentle," it would appear 

 that the former name was given to the male goshawk, and 

 the latter to the male peregrine ; for the peregrine being a 

 long-winged hawk, and the more noble of the two, the 

 word "gentle," or "gentil," was applied to it with that 

 signification. 



In this view we are supported to some extent by quaint 

 old Izaak Walton. In his " Compleat Angler," there is 

 an animated conversation between an angler, a hunter, 

 and a falconer, each of whom in turn commends his own 

 recreation. The falconer gives a list of his hawks, and 

 divides them into two classes, viz. : the long-winged and 

 short-winged hawks. In enumerating each species in 

 pairs, he gives first the name of the female, and then that 

 of the male : among the first class we find 



The gerfalcon and jerkin, 



The falcon and tercel-gentle, &c. 



In the second class we have 



