RECLAIMING HAGGARDS 463 



a. By the tooth on the upper mandible. (This in 

 some of the foreign species is not so clear.) 



b. By the second primary feather being the longest, 

 or equal in length to the third. 



c. By the colour of the eye, which in the falcon is 

 dark, and in the short-winged hawks is yellow. 



I have trained haggards, or wild hawks, which have 

 been caught with the bow-net abroad, perfectly in three 

 weeks. This is done by keeping them awake at 

 night and during the day. until tame ; but of course 

 the aid of several assistants is necessary to carry this 

 system out. A light must be kept close to them all 

 through the night, and no chance of sleeping allowed 

 them. 



The instant the hawk takes to feeding from the 

 fist it ought to fly to it, and when so keen should be 

 tried and let go in a string. It is first tried at a short 

 distance from the lure, the distance to the latter being 

 increased. When perfect at a dead lure it may be 

 introduced to the live lure, which is generally a pigeon 

 in a string. Its education is now nearly completed 

 if it is not frightened when the falconer goes to take 

 it up on the lure, and if it continues to eat all the 

 time ; and it may be said to be finished when it has 

 been trained to come to the falconer's calls, the best 

 I know being ' Helover !' 'Helaw!' ' Helope !' but 

 hawks work more by eye than ear to the trainer they 

 know. 



When game rises, and the hawk is soaring some- 

 where above, the trainer should shout loudly in a high 

 key, ' Hooha-ha-ha !' which call somewhat resembles a 

 wild laugh. This will at once attract the attention of 

 the hawk if the latter is not too far away ; or instead of 



