THE TAMING OF THE WILD 293 



the eagles and falcons used by sportsmen in 

 hawking all manner of game, from gazelles to 

 rooks, and the so-called " cheetah" of Indian 

 rajahs, which has more than once been referred 

 to in these pages. How tame the captive 

 eagles of Kirghiz falconers may be at home 

 I have no knowledge, but if one may judge of 

 their manners by those of "tame" hawks in 

 mews, as I remember them at the King's 

 House, Lyndhurst, they are hardly pets for 

 the stranger to toy with as he might with love- 

 birds. The latest suggested use for eagles, 

 which sounds almost too fantastic to be taken 

 seriously, is for attack on aeroplanes and dirigible 

 balloons in time of war. It is said that French 

 officers at Nice have actually been engaged in 

 training the birds, by means of baits, to swoop 

 on anything in the shape of a balloon or 

 flying-machine. It might not be impossible 

 to train them in this way, but what would 

 the occupants of air-craft be doing to allow 

 the eagles to come near enough to do any 

 damage ? The cheetah, or hunting-leopard, is 

 also harmless only to his own keeper. It is 

 taken when quite young, chiefly by setting 

 nooses round the foot of a tree on which these 

 animals are known to sharpen their claws, a 

 habit they share with all cats large and small. 

 The process of taming is a slow and difficult 

 business, and its success depends in great 



