86 HOW I BECAME A FALCONER. 
or (with many birds) every fourth, is about what ought to be done to 
get a goshawk into ‘“‘yarak,” as far as the mere feeding goes. And 
my own experience is that they, and all hawks, fly best on the day 
after they have had a moderate feed of fresh beefsteak. The 
carrying which was required to get the bird in order, and was then 
perhaps somewhat irksome, is, of course, a necessary part of the 
sport when she is in flying condition, and, together with the whole 
affair, keeps her in “ yarak.” : 
I never had any experience with the jerfalcons; and, next to the 
peregrine, I like the goshawk. She is a most companionable bird, 
and can be flown in the most inclosed country, and where a pere- 
grine would be of but little service. I have taken rabbits with these 
birds in the open fields, in woods, and amongst rocks, with and 
without ferrets, and I confess to a great liking for the sport. If 
IT lived in an inclosed and wooded country, I should think one of 
these hawks almost a necessary of life. 
They are soon broken to the ferret, especially if a white one is 
used, and will wait with a curious patience till the rabbit bolts ; 
then they leave the hand in an instant, and some little care is 
necessary to ensure your not holding the jesses even one thought 
too long. Ina wood, if the first rabbit is missed, you will probably 
have the next flight from a tree in which the hawk has settled, and 
you will generally find that one a kill. I think, however, I like the 
open the best, where the rabbits are kicked out of rushes or tufts 
of grass; and, as I intimated in the first chapter, your hawk will 
look most anxiously for the result of each kick. 
The best hold to get of the rabbit is one foot on the head, the 
other well behind the shoulder, on the loins if possible; the worst 
ontherump. Most goshawks fly at the head, but I have known the 
antipodgg made for time after time; and this is most provoking, as 
the quarry is almost sure to escape. An old buck rabbit is no joke 
even in the feet of a female goshawk, and must be held in the best 
