CELEBRATED FALCONERS—SCOTCH 345 



in fine form ; but even at the time of his death he had one 

 hawk in training, which died on the same day as himself. 



A notable family of Scotch falconers have been the Barrs. 

 William Barr, the father of the family, was by profession a game- 

 keeper, but having been bred in the good days when a falcon 

 or two was a necessary part of the appanage of a north -country 

 gentleman, he had learned the rudiments of management, and 

 acquired skill enough to train eyesses fyr game very successfully. 

 His sons all learned the business with aptitude. William, the 

 eldest, was a clever falconer with eyesses, and for some years 

 made a living by exhibiting his trained hawks at racecourses 

 and similar places, and flying them at pigeons — a description 

 of hawking which cannot however be sufiSciently condemned as 

 being degrading to those who practise it, and a prostitution of 

 what is essentially a genuine wild sport. William Barr emigrated 

 to Australia in 1853, and is we believe still alive. Robert Barr, 

 the third son, was trained under his elder brothers William and 

 John, was for a time in the service of Captain Salvin and of 

 the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, and eventually became falconer 

 to the Old Hawking Club. He remained in their service for 

 about seven years, and then entered that of the Marquis of Bute, 

 dying soon afterwards, in the year 1871. 



John Barr, the second son, was, however, the falconer who 

 will be best remembered of the whole family, probably also as 

 the cleverest professional falconer of this century. John Barr 

 may be said to have been the first of that school of falconers 

 who have been able to combine all the different methods of the 

 various countries where hawking is practised. Brought up 

 under a Scotch falconer, he was from childhood familiar with 

 the method of rearing and training eyesses. As a lad he 

 travelled through Italy and Syria, with the Maharajah Dhuleep 

 Singh, and associated regularly with the professional falconers 

 of the East, observing their system and bringing his own 

 energy and cleverness to bear upon it ; while year after year 

 he visited Holland to assist in the catching of hawks, and what- 

 ever the Dutchmen could teach him was at his disposal. A 



