FALCONRY, THE SPORT OF KINGS 



435 



This is a delicate business, one in which 

 many a fine hawk has been ruined, as a 

 hood-shy hawk, whatever its other vir- 

 tues, is of no use to its owner. Most of [ 

 the hawk's Hfe henceforth is spent in the ', 

 darkness of the hood, which is only re- 

 moved in the loft or at the moment when 

 it is to be flown at quarry. 



THE HAWK IS TAUGHT TO STRIKE AT A 

 SWINGING LURE 



Thus far our hawk has been fed al- 

 ways from the hack-board or from the 

 fist ; now the lure must be brought out 

 and put into use. This is a padded weight 

 (a horseshoe is excellent) with wings of 

 teal or pigeon attached. It is also pro- 

 vided with strings for attaching food and 

 a long string by which it can be dragged. 

 The hawk is given a bite or two from it, 

 when it is thrown to the ground, where 

 the meal is finished. 



For a time now the bird must be fed 

 only from the lure. 



As soon as the hawk recognizes the 

 lure immediately and flies to it for food, 

 it is given, hooded, to an assistant and 

 "hooded off" to the falconer, who swings 

 the lure some 200 yards distant. The 

 bird probably will fly at the lure almost 

 at once and in any case will discover and 

 recognize it soon. 



The lure is twitched out of sight just 

 as the hawk goes to grasp it. At the sec- 

 ond attempt the food tied to the lure 

 should be awarded, and after a few repe- 

 titions of this the bird will seldom be far 

 from its master when he has the lure 

 with him. 



The bird must now be taught to kill 

 for itself, and a fledgling pigeon is a good 

 subject for this. If properly trained to 

 the lure, there is no danger of the hawk 

 "carrying" (flying ofi^ with its quarry), 

 which is a serious fault. After a few 

 "easy" birds, a capable old pigeon may be 

 flown. 



The hawk, unless unusually good, will 

 miss on this quarry, but on returning 

 high in the air should be thrown an easy 

 bird; then well fed and petted. It has 

 probably learned from this that to suc- 

 ceed it must be above its quarry. After 

 this is learned, the hawk may be flown at 

 wild game. 



This is the merest outline of the train- 



ing of young hawks. It is an easy task, 

 compared with the manning of haggard 

 or passage hawks, which have for a sea- 

 son at least been accustomed to shunning 

 man as the worst of all evils. 



Hawks may be caught anywhere within 

 their range, but by far the most famous 

 place for this exciting (and remunera- 

 tive) pursuit is in South Brabant, in Hol- 

 land. Here, near the little village of 

 A'alkenswaarde, lies a great open moor, 

 where thousands of passage birds go by 

 in the autumn, followed by the falcons 

 that prey upon them. From time imme- 

 morial — certainly well through the Mid- 

 dle Ages — falcons have been trapped and 

 trained here for the nobility of all Eu- 

 rope. 



In the heyday of the sport, emissaries 

 from the courts of each little duchy and 

 principality gathered at Valkenswaarde 

 after the trapping and bought for their 

 masters the product of the season's catch. 



What a picturesque and lively scene 

 these medieval auctions must have been, 

 with knight bidding against knight for 

 the beautiful birds that had been won out 

 of the air and brought into the thralldom 

 of man ! 



The old cult of falcon catching and 

 training has never completely languished 

 at \^alkenswaarde, and the family of 

 ;\I611ens has for many generations led in 

 the industry. Indeed, wherever falconry 

 is practiced the Mollens are known as the 

 most skillful and expert trappers and 

 trainers, and many of the most famous 

 falcons in the history of the sport have 

 come from their able hands. 



In capturing the "passage hawks,'" the 

 trapper conceals himself in a sod hut, 

 from which extend long strings to op- 

 erate the net and the decoys used to lure 

 the wild hawk within range from afar, 

 after its approach has been heralded by 

 the little telltale "announcer." 



THE BUTCHER-BIRD IS THE TRAPPEr's 

 SCOUT 



Xow, of all birds, perhaps the shrike, 

 or butcher-bird, most cordially hates and 

 fears its big competitor and ogre, the fal- 

 con. And the shrike can detect its enemy 

 in the far, far distance much sooner and 

 more infallibly than can man, even with 

 strong glasses. Therefore, the skillful 



