THE LOO HAWKING CLUB 357 



which after their first season as club hawks became Mr. 

 Newcome's own property. This cast of hawks, always flown 

 together, took in 1843 fifty-four, and in 1844 fifty -seven herons, 

 besides many rooks in England. ' De Ruyter ' was ultimately 

 lost at Feltwell while rook hawking, but ' Sultan ' adorns the 

 splendid collection of stuffed birds which Mr. Newcome formed 

 at Hockwold, set up as his hands alone could do it. Besides 

 these a ger-tiercel called ' Morock ' was noteworthy. 



Among the Englishmen who were members of the club we 

 find, besides the names already quoted, those of Mr. Stirling 

 Crawford, Lord Alvanley, Lord Chesterfield, Mr. Thornhill, Mr. 

 Fred. Milbank, Lord Strathmore, Hon. C. Maynard, Hon. C. L. 

 Fox, and Hon. C. Fitzwilliam. In 1853 the club came to an 

 end j the royal patronage was withdrawn, and its head-quarters 

 at Loo ceased. For the next ten years after that date the 

 maintenance of falconry in England was due chiefly to the 

 efforts of Mr. Newcome, who, himself the ablest and most 

 skilful amateur falconer of the present century, was ever ready 

 to assist beginners or to further the sport of those who were 

 already entered to the sport. Few of the mature falconers of 

 the present day do not owe something of their success to his 

 kindly assistance and advice, or to his experience, which was 

 ever at their disposal. During this period Mr. Newcome, who 

 could not always procure passage hawks from Holland, suc- 

 ceeded in taking herons on the passage with one or two eyess 

 falcons, a feat never before achieved, but possibly never 

 attempted, nor perhaps one of special difficulty, since a really 

 good eyess is as good as the average passage hawk, but it is 

 necessary to train and to discard many before one sufficiently 

 good is obtained. At this time also Mr. Newcome practised 

 game hawking of which, however, he was never very fond 

 and was also very successful with merlins at lark 

 hawking, which sport he ranked next to the flight at the 

 heron. 



In 1863 the Hon. C. Duncombe, with Robert Barr as his 

 falconer, commenced rook hawking on Salisbury Plain, con- 



