SACRESLANNERS 325 



climate can be 1 relied on, and if for no other reason than this, 

 sacres would be unsuitable for use in variable weather such 

 as British falconers have to contend with. They are trained 

 for gazelle hawking in Persia and Arabia, in conjunction with 

 greyhounds. See also Burton's ' Falconry in the Valley of the 

 Indus ' for a description of this sport. 



The lanner is a falcon of type similar to the foregoing, but 

 considerably smaller in size, being somewhat less than the 

 peregrine. In former years it bred freely in Europe, but recently 

 we do not find a record of a single nest ; in Egypt and Nubia 

 it breeds freely on rocks and ancient ruins. Many specimens 

 have been tamed in this country and kept without any difficulty; 

 they are easily tamed, but like the species last described are too 

 slack mettled to be of real service at European quarry, and 

 nearly akin to the kestrel in their habits. The Barbary falcon 

 is an extremely beautiful hawk very like the peregrine, but about 

 one-third less in size. Several have been imported and trained 

 in England of late years, and two nestling birds were hacked at 

 Lyndhurst for a member of the Old Hawking Club in 1885. 

 They are dashing little flyers, and take pigeons in fine form ; 

 they might make good partridge or even magpie hawks, 

 but are not very well suited to English quarry. They have 

 perhaps hardly had a sufficiently good trial in recent times, and 

 we should certainly advise any falconer to try one if he has an 

 opportunity to procure a specimen in good plumage. 



There are besides these several varieties of hawks used in 

 Oriental falconry, of which perhaps the chief are the black 

 shahin (F. peregrinator) and the red-naped shahin (F. Babylo- 

 nicus\ both excellent hawks, nearly akin to the peregrine, but, 

 though of smaller size, better built and equally good fliers ; 

 they are specially used for wild fowl, partridge, and the endless 

 varieties of wader that India affords. The sacre and the luggur 

 are also used, but in India, as in Europe, the best hawk that 

 can be trained is the ubiquitous peregrine. Goshawks, merlins, 

 and sparrow-hawks are all used with great .success at various 

 quarries. The East is the home of falconry, and in countries 



