126 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



what enlarged upon, little as yet has been said of 

 the food of the captive birds. And yet this is one 

 of the most important factors in their training. 

 Too much care cannot be given to this item. 

 Although the birds are not by nature delicate of 

 constitution, they quickly show the effects of im- 

 proper feeding, especially during an active cam- 

 paign in the field. 



The staple diet is of course meat, but meat in 

 different forms, depending upon the species of 

 hawk to be fed. A peregrine, being a large, rug- 

 ged bird, subsists best on beef; but that is too 

 coarse for the dainty merlin: she thrives better 

 on sheep's heart. All hawks in the wild condition 

 daily consume a large amount of fur, feathers,, 

 and bone together with the flesh of their victims, 

 and this roughage is ejected later through their 

 mouths in the form of oval pellets. Therefore,, 

 instead of soft beef, every third day or so the 

 peregrine gets a pigeon, the leg of a fowl, or part 

 of a rabbit with the fur on. Small birds and mice 

 are fed to smaller hawks. If the falconer fails, 

 to discover any pellets, or "castings," beneath the- 

 perch within a few hours after the roughage has 

 been devoured, he knows that the hawk is in poor 

 condition. 



The smaller hawks, like the merlin and sparrow- 

 hawk, should be fed twice a day, at seven in the 

 morning and five or six in the evening. The per- 

 egrine and goshawk, unless they are eyesses, re- 



