TRAINING 263 



pigeon must have a short line attached to it. When the hawk 

 has taken two or three pigeons from the hand thus, let her 

 have a real good old blue-rock fresh taken from the dovecote. 

 If she should catch him, you may hug yourself on having got 

 a ' wonder,' but in nine cases out of ten he will either beat her 

 to some covert, if she presses him hard, or will fairl^ defeat her 

 in the air.' In either case (if the country be open, and none 

 other should be selected for such a trial) the hawk will return 

 high in the air in consequence of the distance from which she 

 comes. Then the moment she is well overhead throw out to 

 her a pigeon which she can easily catch, feed and reward her 

 well, and the lesson is learnt — viz. that to catch quarry she 

 must be high and well placed over her master's head. Another 

 lesson or two of this sort and the hawk is fit to fly at game. 

 The less work that is done at pigeons the better — it is but 

 a paltry amusement not fit to be called sport — and if hawks are 

 kept very long at bagged quarry, they will soon fly at none 

 other, and become useless, half-hearted brutes. This remark 

 applies to all kinds of hawks and all varieties of quarry. 



The first essay at wild game should be attempted with 

 great care, and, if possible, in private, so that the hawk may 

 be given every chance, and nothing sacrificed in an endeavour 

 to show sport to an admiring circle. The weather must be 

 fine — not necessarily a dead calm. A steady, good dog, well 

 used to hawks, must be put down on favourable ground — 

 the most favourable that can be selected— and should he get 

 a point at birds in a good place, let the young falcon be flown. 

 Plenty of time must be given her to attain her highest pitch, 

 which the falconer will employ in getting round the birds so as 

 to head the dog. The hawk must be exactly ' placed ' when 



1 For three years we tried all our hawks, to the number of six or seven, 

 annually with the same old Belgian homing pigeon that was the pride of a very 

 fair loft. He stood the test well and sailed home in triumph year by year, 

 when his feebler mates were defeated, although some very high-class hawks 

 were tested by him. At last ' Buccaneer ' fairly caught him, and, though we 

 were fortunately up in time to save the old bird's life, we never used him as a 

 ■ trial horse ' again. 



