44 PRACTICAL FALCONRY. 
magpie-hawking. Sparrowhawks may be broken to the hood, but 
should seldom wear it. 
Both the goshawk and the sparrowhawk are short-winged hawks, 
and do not wait on, but fly from the fist. 
All hawks must have a bath offered them—in the summer every 
other day, in the winter less frequently. They may be fastened for 
bathing near a shallow brook, or may have broad and shallow baths 
placed near their bathing-blocks, and sunk in the ground. They 
will dry themselves in the sun. Do not let them bathe too near night. 
If the long feathers of the wings or the tail feathers are broken, 
they must be imped. This is done with needles, which differ of 
course in length and size, according to the kind of hawk to be imped. 
The needle for the wing-feather of a peregrine may be more than an 
inch in length (all the needles are three-sided) ; it tapers to points. 
Select from feathers you have by you, generally saved from tke 
moult of other hawks, the one which matches in number and size 
that which you desire to imp. Cut obliquely with « very sharp 
knife the real and false feathers, so that they will most 
accurately join, having taken pains to get the true length 
of the feather, which is a somowhat difficult matter. Dip 
the needle into brine, so that it may rust when all is 
completed. Insert half of the needle into the false and half 
into the true feather; push hard till you can hardly perceive 
the mark of division ; indeed, if the thing is well done it is difficult 
to see it at all. Be careful not to cut the real feather too high, or 
you will get into the quill, and the needle will not hold; nor too low, 
or the feather will break. If the feather is broken very near the 
quill, and the needle will not hold, cut the quill carefully, and insert, 
with a little patent glue, a piece of feather stripped of the web, of a 
size to fit the quill closely, and into that push the needle, I can only 
add that I hope my readers will seldom have the trouble of imping 
at all, 
