THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 21 



These are reckoned hawks of note and worth ; but we have 

 :also hawks of an inferior rank, 



The Stanyel, the Ringtail, 



The Raven, the Buzzard, 



The Forked Kite, the Bald Buzzard, 



The Hen- driver, and others that I forbear to name.'"" 



Gentlemen, if I should enlarge my discourse to the obser- 

 vation of the eiries, the brancher, the ramish hawk, the 

 haggard, and the two sorts of lentners, and then treat of 

 their several ayries, their me wings, rare order of casting, and 

 the renovation of their feathers : their reclaiming, dieting, 

 and then come to their rare stories of practice) ; I say, if I 

 should enter into these, and many other observations that I 

 <?ould make, it would be much, very much pleasure to me : 

 but lest I should break the rules of civility to you, by taking 

 up more than the proportion of time allotted to me, I will 

 here break off, and entreat you, Mr. Venator, to say what you 

 are able in the commendation of hunting, to which you are 

 so much affected ; and, if time will serve, I will beg your 

 favour for a further enlargement of some of those several 

 lieads of which I have spoken. But 110 more at present. 



VEN. Well, sir, and I will now take my turn, and will first 

 begin with a commendation of the Earth, as you have done 

 most excellently of the Air ; the earth being that element 

 upon which I drive my pleasant, wholesome, hungry trade. 

 The earth is a solid, settled element an element most 

 universally beneficial both to man and beast : to men who 

 have their several recreations upon it, as horse-racing, hunting, 

 sweet smells, pleasant walks : the earth feeds man, and all 

 those several beasts that both feed him, and afford him 

 recreation. What pleasure doth man take in hunting the 

 stately stag, the generous buck, the wild boar, the cunning 



* It is evident, from this list of so-called falcons, that Walton's " Auceps" 

 was not an adept in the art of hawking. The blood-red rook, the French pye, 

 and the raven, are not falcons at all, and were never trained to fly at winged 

 game. Of the other birds named in the list, only three are used in hawking, 

 viz., the gerfalcon, the goshawk, and the falcon and tassel-gentel. It may be 

 necessary to explain the last two names. By " falcon" is meant the peregrine 

 falcon, the best of all the tribe; and " tassel gentel" is merely the peregrine in 

 its second or third year. The merlin and hobby are very small hawks, and 

 will catch quails, larks, and sometimes partridges. The same may be said of 

 the sparrow-hawk. The eagle, buz/ard, hen-driver (now called hen-harrier), 

 and kite, were never valued in hawking. In fact, these latter birds do not 

 .pursue their quarry, but pounce upon it. ED. 



