252 RECREATIONS OF A NATURALIST 



Japanese for hawking — a sport which was much 

 practised in feudal times, but is little kept up now. 

 To the cause of this decline I have adverted in an 

 article on " Hawking in Japan," which appeared in 

 The Field oi OoXoh&r i8, 1879. 



The screens which the Japanese so commonly 

 use in their dwellings as temporary partitions, like 

 the notable example above-mentioned, and their 

 indispensable fans, are frequently painted with 

 sporting scenes ; while many books entirely devoted 

 to falconry are printed, in which quaint yet charm- 

 ing woodcuts are to be found. Both in hand- 

 paintings and woodcuts we find repeated evidence 

 of skill in bird drawing, with every conceivable 

 position and action of the hawk and its quarry 

 delineated. 



Falcons ( Taka) and Eagles ( Waski), according to 

 Messrs Audsleyand Bowes, do not appear on works 

 of ceramic art or lacquer so frequently as Cranes 

 and some other birds, but when they are represented, 

 they quite sustain the credit of the Japanese artist. 



Pheasants {Kiji) are great favourites, and are 

 very often introduced in ornamentation. Ducks of 

 several kinds are portrayed, an especial favourite 

 for its beautiful colours being the Mandarin Duck 

 {Oski kamo). The drake and duck of this remarkable 

 species, when represented together, are accepted by 

 the Japanese as the emblem of conjugal felicity. 

 The Wigeon, which is very common in Japan in 

 winter, we may often see well depicted. 



The Peacock [Kujaku) appears as a decoration 

 in all materials, and is commonly portrayed on 



