LOST HAWKS 307 



wind of this spot. Flying another hawk to the lure will often 

 bring up a sulky hawk, if done in an exposed place where it can 

 be seen from all sides. 



Should all these devices fail, it may be taken as certain that 

 the hawk has killed and has gorged herself upon her quarry. 

 In that case she will not be recovered the same day. The 

 falconer will therefore make his arrangements to be upon the spot 

 where the hawk was last seen or heard of before daylight the 

 following morning. He will, with a pair of good glasses, watch 

 the motion of every bird that moves at dawn, and these will 

 act as his scouts, especially in the case of rooks and crows. 

 If he is able to reach a point where he can command a rookery 

 from which the birds are travelling in all directions for their 

 food, he can, sitting quietly glasses in hand, make good an 

 immense extent of country. Should the hawk be sitting in 

 a tree, or on her kill nay, should she have recently killed 

 any bird no rook or crow will pass over it without ' mobbing,' 

 i.e. circling round and cawing. If the rooks pass to and fro 

 in all directions peacefully, the falconer may rely upon it that 

 his hawk is not and has not lately been in that neighbourhood ; 

 but if he sees one or two consecutively * mobbing ' in one place 

 he may be sure it is worth his while to inspect it. Possibly it 

 is only the kill of the day before, but it is an assurance that 

 the hawk is not far off. Later in the morning he may see a lot 

 of rooks and plovers ' sky up ' in a cluster as if alarmed, and 

 if lucky he will, near that spot, find his hawk, perhaps half 

 gorged. 



If very tame, she may even in that state come to a live 

 pigeon, and allow him to take her up. She will almost certainly 

 come to the pigeon, but perhaps, with a full crop and a day 

 (or may be more) of liberty, will not allow him to take her up. 

 He should try every plan he can think of to do so, but if he fail, 

 then he must snare her. 



If she will, as is often the case, allow him to come, within 

 twenty or thirty yards without notice, he will produce from his 

 bag a long light line of about 100 yards (a salmon line is very 



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