EAGLES AND FALCONS, Etc. 



There are few animals to be found in a state of nature 

 so wild, fierce, and powerful as most of the raptorial birds, 

 such as the eagles and falcons, yet, strange to say, under 

 careful and skilful treatment, birds of this Order are 

 rendered perfectly tame and manageable in a very short 

 time, in some instances a few days being sufficient. A 

 clever falconer will frequently handle a newly-caught 

 falcon and, within three days of its capture, feed it upon 

 his fist. The great art is simply to handle the bird with 

 such care as not to hurt or alarm it. The bird, bold and 

 determined in spirit, finds its captor kind and gentle, 

 using every means in his power to become friendly, offer- 

 ing it food, and uttering kind and expressive sounds. 

 By his skilful manipulation he renders the bird not only 

 unable to inflict injury upon him, but prevents it from 

 injuring itself by using the appliances made for the pur- 

 pose. Finding useless the most determined efforts to 

 escape, and its powerful bill and claws unable to inflict 

 injury, it, by its bright eye and keen intelligence, quickly 

 perceives that it has a kind and generous master, and at 

 once, as a rule, becomes attached to him. In a short 

 time it may be trusted with the full use of its wings to 

 pursue and capture the prey at which it may be the 

 pleasure of its master to let it fly. 



The whole of the secret in training falcons is simply 

 to remove fear, or, in other words, to establish a kind of 

 confidence, and no sooner has this been accomplished, than 



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