326 FALCONRY 



where for many centuries it has formed ' the sport of kings ' it 

 is only natural to find hawking carried to great perfection and 

 exceedingly well understood. So great is the variety of quarry 

 at which hawks may be flown, and so certain the climate, that 

 the sport may be carried on under advantages such as the 

 European falconer sighs for in vain. In India hawks are easily 

 obtained and cheaply kept. Whatever species is trained, it is 

 not difficult to get flights to use it at. From the highest art of 

 training the sacre to the flight at the kite, down to the use of the 

 sparrow-hawk, every branch has its votaries. Indian falconry 

 would need a volume to itself, and it might be one far more 

 comprehensive than the Western sport will admit of, but space 

 does not allow of our dealing with the subject here. We would 

 recommend any man, who is sufficiently enthusiastic to desire to 

 see the sport in perfection, to spend a winter in India, and to 

 study the methods of training hawks and of flying game which 

 Eastern, and especially Anglo-Indian, falconers have brought 

 to so great perfection. As an example of the sport which may 

 be obtained we append a return of the quarry killed by the hawks 

 of two members l of the Old Hawking Club during the months 

 of November and December 1888, and January and part of 

 February 1889, chiefly in the neighbourhood of Meerut. 

 Fifteen hawks in all were trained : 2 



Herons 24 



Houbara . . . . . . 17 



Black Ibis . 13 



Egrets ........ 7 



White-necked Stork I 



Bar-headed Goose I 



Ruddy Sheldrake 4 



Common .... . . 2 



Mallard , , 31 



* Mr. B. H. Jones and Captain Biddulph. 



2 Of these hawks, three shahins were brought to England, one of which 

 had killed no less than seventy duck of various sorts out of the above score. 

 This falcon, one of the red variety, was successfully flown at grouse, partridges, 

 and magpies in England and Scotland, and lived till 1891, through two severe 

 English winters. 



