BIRDS TRAINED TO HUNT 121 



a freshly caught adult, the jesses are secured to 

 its legs only after the bird has been hooded. 



When fully fledged, the eyesses at first are al- 

 lowed to fly at liberty, or "on hack," around the 

 place where they hitherto have been fed. Their 

 flying capabilities are thus developed and their 

 young muscles strengthened. It is also the cus- 

 tom, in order to save later trouble, to teach the 

 young hawks while on hack to come to the "lure," 

 of which more later. 



After the eyess has remained long enough on 

 hack to develop a taste for chasing sparrows and 

 other small birds, and perhaps has disposed of one 

 or two, it is taken up by means of a bow-net. Its 

 serious training now begins. When disen- 

 tangled from the net it is at once hooded. The 

 hood is a small leather cap so constructed as to fit 

 snugly, but not too tightly, over the head. Light 

 and eyesight are thus cut off at once, and the bird 

 becomes docile and easy to handle. From the 

 moment the birds are hooded the training of the 

 two classes — eyess and bird of passage — ^is alike. 



The bird is placed on an especially constructed 

 perch in a large, clean, rat-proof room, and se- 

 cured there by a short leash tied to the jesses. 

 It must now be tamed. This process may con- 

 sume much time and patience or scarcely any at 

 all, according to the nature of the hawk. The 

 bird must be continually stroked, first with a 

 feather, then with the hand, until it shows no 



