320 FALCONRY 



miniature. The lark as a rule mounts straight into the air, 

 and that very rapidly. The little hawks must ring again and 

 again to get above him, and even then will sometimes fail 

 It is a common thing to lose sight of the lark in the clouds, 

 even on a clear day, and not unfrequently both the hawks 

 flying with him will also disappear fairly overhead in the air. 

 Presently the two larger specks reappear, and then in front of 

 them you may see the smaller dot, falling like a bullet from 

 the clouds into a fence below, with the little falcons stooping 

 right and left at him till he is taken just as he gains his sanc- 

 tuary. It is better to fly two merlins together at larks, and 

 the females will be found more persevering and harder fliers 

 as a rule than the males. During August the larks which are 

 moulting can be readily taken, but after September i they are 

 very much stronger, and it is not easy to get the merlins, which 

 are easily discouraged by a tew defeats, to persevere in flying 

 them, unless a plentiful supply of bagged larks be kept where- 

 with to encourage them, after failure, by affording an easy flight. 

 As the season grows later the larks get stronger, and generally 

 the merlins give up the flight altogether, though we have known 

 larks taken in the winter occasionally. Therefore in the North of 

 England, where the corn remains on the fields, either standing 

 or in stooks (into which the larks will drop instantly), until very 

 late in August, it is no easy matter to get merlins entered in 

 time to show any sport before the season is practically over. 



The first falconer who took up this branch of hawking on 

 any large scale, in modern times, was Mr. Newcome. He used 

 merlins for several years, and killed a great number of larks, 

 but we have no precise record of his doings. Like other 

 falconers, he found merlins inveterate ' carriers,' tame as they 

 are, and a small hook on the end of a long stick, by which he 

 could lay hold of the body of the lark when killed, was often 

 of great assistance. We have found a similar hook, at the end 

 of a Japanese fishing-rod which folds into the butt, very useful, 

 especially when the merlin has been so unfeeling as to carry 

 her quarry into a tree. As larks, when put in, will often lie like 



