434 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photogvaijh by Guy Bailey 



PEREGRINE FALCON AT HER EYRIE ON THE FACE OE A 4OO-FOOT CLIFF NEAR 



ITHACA, NEW YORK 



A pair of falcons has nested for many years in the same deep gorge. One July day sixteen 

 pigeons were brought to the young hawks by the parent birds. 



until they begin to catch prey for. them- 

 selves. Then they are "caught up." It 

 is time to catch them when they begin to 

 be absent at the regular feeding time. 



A bow-net is used in the trapping — a 

 light twine net fastened along one side to 

 a stick bent into a half circle, the free 

 side being pegged down and the ends of 

 the stick swiveled to pegs in the ground. 



The net is folded back on the pegged 

 side and a light cord fifty yards long tied 

 to the middle of the bow. The trap is 

 then baited with a tempting morsel, also 

 pegged in place, and the bird is trapped 

 when it comes to feed. The moment it 

 is caught a soft leather hood, open at the 

 back and known as a "rufter," is placed 

 over its eyes and tied on, a swivel and 

 leash tied to the jesses, and it is put down 

 on soft grass with a block to sit on and 

 left for an hour or two to settle down. 



Its real "manning" (training to endure 

 the presence of strangers) now begins. 

 It must be carried on the gloved hand for 



several hours each day, spoken to, and 

 softly stroked until it begins to lose its 

 nervousness and becomes reconciled to 

 the hand as a perch. It may now be fed 

 a little, and when it eats without hesita- 

 tion the hood may be removed gently, in 

 candle-light, and the meal nearly finished 

 unhooded. The rufter must be replaced 

 before the end of the meal, however, or 

 the hawk will come to associate the hood 

 with the end of its feeding time, and 

 resent it. 



When the bird feeds freely by candle- 

 light it may be tried in daylight, and after 

 this is accomplished it should be accus- 

 tomed to the presence of men, children, 

 dogs, and other creatures ordinarily 

 frightful to it. This does not usually 

 take many days. 



JIOST OF THE hawk's LIFE IS SPENT IN 

 DARKNESS 



Now comes the hardest part of the 

 manning — the breaking to the hood. 



