OCT. TRAINING OF FALCONS. 13 



her. By taking her out hungry, and by showing 

 her, when mounted in the air, the lure with food 

 attached to it, you will find that she will swoop 

 at once down to her usual feeding-place, which, as 

 I have said, should be the " lure " only. 



After doing this two or three days, if the hawk 

 appears tractable, and not at all shy or wild, take 

 her out when very hungry and let her mount 

 without any " creance ;" and when she is well 

 up in the air, toss down the lure, which until 

 then should be concealed, and ten to one but the 

 hawk will immediately come down upon it with the 

 rapidity of an arrow ; and a more beautiful sight 

 than the swoop of a hawk from a great height I do 

 not know. 



To make her kill her game, you must at first let 

 her fly at a pigeon, or other bird, with its wings 

 partially cut, so as to ensure the hawk against 

 failure at the commencement. After she has killed 

 two or three birds in this way, she will probably 

 kill any bird you may fly her at in a favourable 

 country. But in this fine old sport the mere killing 

 the game is almost a minor consideration. The 

 flight, the soaring, and the rapid detection of, and 

 descent upon, the lure, are in themselves most 

 interesting and beautiful. 



I am not sufficiently skilled in the science, even 



