324 



FALCONRY 



The sacre is a falcon almost equal in size and power to the 

 gerfalcon, but belongs to a different species, now termed the 

 * Desert falcons.' They are fine fliers, but slack mettled, soft 

 feathered birds, unable to face rough weather, and, therefore, 

 unsuited to this climate. It is many years since sacres were 

 used in this country. We have ourselves seen but one in 

 regular use, which had been imported from Egypt, and in 

 England was only flown at pigeons. They are mentioned in 

 most of the old books on hawks, but seem to have been im- 

 ported as passage hawks, taken in the Levant, Egypt, &c. 

 But when Adrian Mollen was in the service of Prince Trauts- 

 mansdorff, near Vienna, about the year 1838, he trained three 

 young sacres which were taken from the nest in Hungary. 

 We know of no more recent instances of the training of 

 European sacres, and we give this fact on the authority of 

 Professor Schlegel, and of Mollen himself. 1 In ancient times 

 the sacre was valued for her kite-flying qualities. Blome, in 

 the c Gentleman's Recreation,' treats of her thus: 



This hawk will make excellent sport with a kite, who, as soon 

 as she sees the saker (the male whereof is called a sakaret) cast off, 

 immediately betakes herself to, and trusts in the goodness of her 

 wings, and getteth to her pitch as high as possibly she may by 

 making many turns and wrenches in the air, which, well if observed, 

 together with the variety of contests and bickerings there are be- 

 tween them, it cannot but be very pleasant and delightful to the 

 beholder. I have known in a clear day and little wind stirring 

 that both the saker and the kite have soared so high that the 

 sharpest eye could not discern them, yet hath the saker in the 

 encounter conquered the kite, and I have seen her come tumbling 

 dov/n to the ground with a strange precipitancy. 



Sacres are much used in India for flying at the kite, 

 ravine-deer, bustard, and other quarry. They are difficult to 

 manage, and are usually induced to fly by the free use of 

 drugs ; these can only be administered safely where the 



1 We have been offered nestling sacres through a falconer resident in 

 Moscow, but we do not know where the eyrie is situated. They appear, how- 

 ever, to be easily obtained. 



