76 PHEASANTS 



for a poor man, and the kestrel for a 

 knave. 



It is true that in hawking days the 

 pheasant can never have ranked very 

 high as quarry for the nobler falcons, 

 Peregrine or Iceland. These long- winged 

 lords of the open country, and their 

 smaller relative the merlin, could only 

 find scope for their prowess among birds 

 of freer flight herons, kites, rooks, 

 grouse, partridges, pigeon, and even 

 dotterels and larks. Only on occasion 

 can the chance have offered of flying a 

 true falcon at some stray pheasant, 

 surprised far enough away from his 

 native wood to make an open flight 

 possible. 



In general a less noble bird was used 

 to take the pheasant in woodland, the 

 Goshawk, a large and strongly built bird 

 with the typical short, round wings of the 

 hawk, familiar as a native in this country 

 till a century ago, but now no longer to 

 be seen chasing the rooks his favourite 

 pastime for he is extinct as a breeding 



