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44- Things which the Owners of Hawks should a 



heing an extract from the Kitah'^ H-Jamharah ft 



^UmiH'BazyaraJi, 



I 



By LiEUT.-CoLONEL D. C. Phillott and Mr, R. F. Azoo. 



Now the points to be obsei-ved by the keeper of hawks are 

 these, that he should not permit anyone to approach to tend the 

 hawks who has sores on his body, for to see such a person the 

 first thing in the morning is abhorrent to hawks- It is beneficial 

 for them ^ to see good-looking persons the first thing in the 

 morning. Neither let anyone who is in a state of ceremonial 

 impurity, carry hawks or approach them, nor let any menstruons 

 woman enter their room, nor even approach them in any circum- 

 stances whatever. Neither should any enter their place who is 

 wanting in intellect, such as one who is insane; nor should an 

 epileptic be allowed to approach them. No one should tie them 

 to, or take them from their perches ® or from their blocks,* except 

 one who understands them, and is well-versed in all that benefits 

 or injures them. No cheeta should be tied near any goshawk,^ or 

 shahin,^ or saker, or near other birds of this kind, no matter how 

 convenient ; for the odour of the urine and excrement of cheetas 

 causes suzanak^'^ and the bird will be useless ever after ; but there 

 is no harm in tying up a dog near a goshawk unless there be 

 another place for it,^ or near a shahin or saker, especially near a 

 gazelle-saker. All these things — but especially a menstruous 

 woman — should be kept away ^ from birds of prey ; for the men- 

 strual discharge is the most unclean thing in the world, and God 

 has ordered that women should not be approached ^*^ and known ^^ 

 during menstruation. 



Al'^usayn son of As-Sa^idahadi has related to us, on the 

 authority of Ahmad son of Ahu ^Ahd^-'lWh AWBarqi^ on the autho- 



1 Vide Journal, Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. Ill, No. 2 of 1907. 



2 Lvo Bhoald be iJ. 



3 Kanddir, pi. of Jcandarahy " a hawk's perch," 



* Mardbis, pi. of marhiz : does this word mean *' block " or " ground* 

 perch ? " The root meatung is " to crouch on the ground. 



^ Bdzi ; this word is sometimes used in a general sense for ** hawk; 



• Shahin P, (in Ar, pi. shaxvahm) is a term that includes the peregrine 

 and the shahins. 



1 (^jj^ suzandkj P. "gonorrhoea"; vulgar for swzat. The word smz- 

 anak is common in this sense in the modern Arabic of Baghdad. 



8 3l3i>o for (Jlsa^ ? reading evidently corrupt. 



9 The daal (^Ul^su should apparently be feminine singular for '* birds of 



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it 



prey * ' 



^••t 



10 The author a^in uses the dual. 



