PRACTICAL FALCONRY. 43 
with tattered, but I hope without deficient feathers ; for feathers 
knocked clean out are scarcely ever properly replaced at the next 
moult, though they may be afterwards: I have known cases where 
they have been, and where they have not been; and this applies to 
all hawks. It is rather a clear corollary, therefore, that broken 
feathers must not be pulled out; this does with pigeons, but not 
with hawks. Weimp broken feathers, as I shall mention presently. 
When the goshawk is tame and in .“ yarak,” give her bagged 
quarry : she will immediately afterwards fly that which is wild, but 
not kill with equal ease at first. I think the plumage of the adult 
bird very beautiful, and infinitely finer than the first. All this isa 
matter of taste, but to my mind the adult plumage in all hawks is 
finer than the immature. For this, however—i. «., for what such 
plumage really is—I send my friends, if they are ignorant, to 
begks of ornithology. Macgillivray and Yarrell are most trust- 
worthy, and I admire the former exceedingly. Perhaps, however, I 
may just mention that in the female sparrowhawk and in the female 
merlin, especially in the merlin, very little difference is perceptible. 
The sparrowhawk is trained in the same way as the goshawk, 
and is perhaps even more difficult than that bird to get into flying 
order. With the female, young partridges, and even old ones, may 
be taken at the beginning of the season, or at any time when you 
can get near them. This bird, like the goshawk, has more power 
from a tree than from the fist ; but I would never encourage flying 
from trees. One of these birds once perched, may perch for a long 
time out of your reach, and careless of lures. The sparrowhawk 
is far too small to fly at fur, neither is it her habit todoso. The 
best sport is with blackbirds, and the male or the female may be 
used ; the latter I prefer. When the quarry takes to covert, itis o 
be driven out as quickly as possible, the hawk meanwhile coming to 
the fist, or taking her place on a tree. If it has taken shelter in a 
hedge, the same tactics must be used as those recommended in 
. 
