USE OF FALCONS OVER WILD BIRDS 213 



bushes, etc., but I honestly confess that even in my 

 youthful days, when driving birds was unknown, or at 

 ah events but rarely resorted to, keen though I was, 

 I considered the game hardly worth the candle. On 

 moors which are flat, and where it is impossible at 

 times to get up to birds, such wild work plays havoc 

 with a well-bred dog, or a young dog which promises 

 well for the next season, and has about as bad an effect 

 on it as racing would have on a well-mannered 

 hunter. ' Haunt settinof ' is certain to make do£s wild 

 in a very short time, and teaches them to ' blink ' and 

 chase in sheer disgust everything which chances to get 

 up in front of them. I have known some of the very 

 best dogs utterly ruined by being worked too long on 

 wild birds. Having found after some few years of 

 such experience that my dogs were so spoiled, I had 

 to have recourse to the use of trained falcons over 

 wild birds, and was thereby able to shoot with dogs 

 the entire season throuorh, whether on orrouse or 

 partridges. I can very strongly recommend anyone 

 desirous of so shooting to adopt this plan, but he will 

 find it necessary to have the assistance of a falconer, 

 and at least a brace of falcons— female peregrines for 

 choice, the male, or ' tiercel,' as it is called, being rather 

 too small a bird to keep grouse in the constant fear 

 which is necessary, or for partridges where there is 

 but little ' lie.' Falconers may, perhaps, condemn me 

 for depraving the truly noble sport of falconry ; but, 

 nevertheless, I find the combination of the two sports 

 answer well, and I have enlisted many recruits to the 

 sport of falconry pure and simple by showing them 

 what material aid can be afforded to dogs on wild 

 birds by the use of falcons. Besides which, the 



