388 FALCONRY 



fore be in some cases attributable to frost bite. We know of 

 no remedy. 



Parasites. — All hawks are occasionally subject to lice very 



similar in character to those which appear on pigeons, fowls, and 



other birds. Especially when hawks are being frequently flown 



^at rooks in the spring they are apt to get covered with lice, which 



" abound on those birds, especially oh any that may have been 



sitting. The parasites quit the lately killed bird for the living one 



by scores. They are easily got rid of by either blowing tobacco 



smoke through the feathers or by giving the hawk a good dressing 



of tobacco water. Both these remedies are apt to make the 



, hawk herself sick and to throw her out of condition for a few 



"•^ays, and a better plan is to induce the hawks to bathe regularly, 



'^ven daily in fine weather, and to allow them plenty of time to 



' weather,' or to dry and preen themselves. Where this is done 



very little will be seen of these pests. 



Formerly it was supposed that passage hawks would not 

 bathe or even sit on their blocks bareheaded until they had 

 been at least one summer in training. In later times enlarged 

 experience of these hawks, coupled with lessons learnt from 

 the Indian falconers, who use no other kind, whether for game 

 or for the 'high mountee,' have taught us that they can be 

 made in every respect as tame as eyesses ; and there are few 

 passage hawks trained nowadays that are not reclaimed 

 sufficiently to bathe freely at the block before the spring hawking 

 season has even commenced. 



A more troublesome form of parasite is known as ' mites.' 

 These are tiny red insects that burrow into the wax-like skin or 

 'cere' around the nostrils and the eyelids, gradually forming large 

 scabby sores. They are the infallible accompaniment of low, 

 impoverished condition, and often appear in cases of croaks, 

 or even when a hawk has been left out for a night or two and 

 been starved. The true remedy is to feed the hawk into better 

 condition, when the mites will all disappear ; but, as they are 

 certainly contagious, and must inconvenience the hawk, they are 

 better removed. This is easily done by dressing the parts with 



