LATIN. 171 



ancient practice ; for the art of seeling hawks, he says, is a 

 recent invention, and as for the hood, he asserts that it was he 

 who, imitating the practice of Eastern falconers, first introduced 

 it into Europe (Lib. ii. cap. 77, p. 162). 



After having the jesses put on, the bird was carried for 

 twenty-four hours continuously on the fist without food. This 

 fatiguing operation over, it was given the leg of a fowl. The 

 first lesson was to make the bird jump to the fist. Then being 

 no longer frightened at the approach of its owner, and becoming 

 accustomed to the noise of men and domestic animals, it was 

 gradually unseeled (Lib. ii. cap. 54, p. 125, and cap. 55, p. 127). 



To make a hawk sit quiet on the fist, the Emperor recom- 

 mends that it should be sprinkled with cold water from time 

 to time (Lib. ii. cap. 68, p. 147), a practice still in vogue with 

 the Dutch falconers. 



At length being tamed, it is carried to the field, first on foot, 

 then on horseback, choosing on such occasions a calm day, and 

 avoiding too great heat (p. 151). 



As to the form of perch, the author describes three kinds, 

 namely, the high perch {pertica alto), which was set up in the 

 room a little distance from the wall ; the low perch {^pertica imd), 

 just high enough from the ground to prevent the bird from rub- 

 bing its tail feathers on the floor ; and the block {sediie), pyramidal 

 in form and made either of wood or of stone. The low perch was 

 intended for hawks that were seeled, and the high perch for those 

 that were not seeled. 



The Emperor does not appear to have been acquainted with 

 the use of the curtain or screen of canvas which in the modern 

 hawk-house depends from the under-side of the perch to prevent 

 a hawk from swinging after bating off. At least, he makes no 

 mention of it, and discourses at some length on the means to 

 be taken in order to prevent hawks from twisting their leashes 

 round the perch. 



As to the illustrations here given from Italian miniatures of 

 the thirteenth century a few words are necessary. 



They have been carefully reproduced from the facsimiles in 

 D'Agincourt's famous work, " Histoire de I'Art par les monu- 

 mens depuis sa decadence au IV^ siecle jusqu'^ son renouvelle- 

 ment au XVP " (4 vols, folio, Paris, 1823), where they are thus 

 described (torn. iii. p. 78, pi. 73) : " Miniatures d'un traits de 



