OTTER HUNTING, FALCONRY, SHOOTING 139 



Imping is the mending of a broken feather. A falconer 

 will have hawk's feathers by him. He chooses one which 

 belonged to a hawk precisely like, in every way, to the 

 bird whose wing or tail he is about to imp. The 

 imping needle is a short piece of steel wire filed into a 

 triangular shape ; it is dipped in brine to cause rust and 

 therefore adhesion. Suppose the third feather in the wing 

 is broken ; take precisely the same feather from those you 

 have in reserve ; be sure of the exact length in cutting : 

 do that at an angle ; pass half the needle into the false 

 feather, half into that of the bird you are imping, close 

 tightly, and scarcely a mark of the junction will be seen. 



" My task is over," concludes Mr. Freeman. " It has 

 been a pleasant one indeed. I am delighted at having 

 had the pleasure and the privilege of contributing to this 

 book, for Lord Lilford was, through a great number of 

 years, my constant and most kind friend." 



But in addition to otter hunting and falconry, there 

 were few forms of sport in which Lord Lilford had not 

 graduated, and the following extracts from letters throw 

 a pleasing light upon the genial spirit he brought to 

 these pursuits. 



He writes, under date October 22nd, 1895 : 

 " The cleverest retriever, and certainly one of the 

 most charming and sympathetic companions of my early 

 manhood, was a cross between collie and setter. For 



