CHAPTER VII 



GENERAL MANAGEMENT MEWS BLOCKS PERCHES BOW- 

 PERCH BATHING CONDITION FEEDING CASTINGS 



IMPING MOULTING VARIOUS DISEASES OENERAL HINTS. 



THE first consideration of a falconer will naturally be to pro- 

 vide himself with a 'mews,' or place to keep his hawks in. 

 Almost any stable or loose box will do for this, and elaborate 

 buildings are rather to be shunned. The requirements are : 

 first, that it be well ventilated, but quite free from draughts ; 

 second, that it can be made dark at any time. The best mode 

 of ventilating is what is known as a ' Tobin ' tube, by which plenty 

 of air is admitted without either light or draught, combined with 

 a ventilator in the roof which can be closed. When the place 

 is made dark, hawks will remain still, and can be left for the 

 night without any fear of their jumping or fidgetting during the 

 early morning hours. The ' mews ' should be kept as dry as 

 possible, and for this purpose one of the little slow-combustion 

 stoves known as a ' Tortoise ' stove is exceedingly useful, and, 

 though anything like coddling hawks is undesirable, still it is 

 a good plan when they are getting no exercise at all to give 

 them a little extra warmth, and the stove keeps the whole place 

 dry. The perch may be arranged in the mews just as is most 

 convenient to the shape of the building ; a very good plan is 

 place it round the house, parallel with the walls, and not less 

 than three feet from them. It should be four feet high, and is 

 best made of a rough larch pole with the bark on it. In any 



