PRACTICAL FALCONRY. 19 
In that case, a little more “ pulling through” the hood, and a little 
longer time, may be necessary. 
When I said it is difficult perhaps to write directions for hooding, 
I spoke of the dexterity which is gained so much by practice and so 
little by books. But I must try to offer something. Take the hood 
in your right hand (the hawk being seated on your left), and 
hold the plume firmly and low down, either between the thumb and 
forefinger, or between the first and second finger, but not near the 
tip of the finger. In either case the position of the hood must 
derive some firmness from the ball of the thumb, the hollow of 
the hand, and the spare fingers. In hooding rebellious hawks, 
the spare fingers are so placed behind the hood as to catch the 
nape of their necks when they throw their heads back; in all 
eases the movement is tolerably rapid. Newly-caught hawks, and 
such as have been frightened with the hood, can sometimes hardly 
be hooded at all, except by first-rate hands, till they hang from your 
glove by the jesses, and then it is not easy; someone is generally 
enlisted to draw the straps tightly. However, that soon passes 
away. A great matter is not to lose one’s temper. How wellI 
remember a lady pupil of mine telling me (perhaps she may also 
remember it if she should see these lines) that it took two strong 
men to hold her falcon Mora when being hooded! 
But a hawk is not always, or often perhaps, ready to be put on the 
wing again as soon as she stands the hood. Before it is safe to do 
that, she must come well from the block, not only to the lure, but to 
the fist, as a rule; but this cannot always be insisted upon. She 
ought to bate towards the lure when youswing it at a little distance, 
shouting to her at the same time. A very great matter isto get on 
with the birds as quickly as possible; andif any ‘of them are par- 
ticularly troublesome, they must make @ greater call on your time 
than the others do. Indeed, they may have to lose some flesh; for 
remember that the benefit of hack begins to fade away when hawka 
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