FURNITURE AND FITTINGS 41 



leg, is pushed through the second slit as far as it will go. Then 

 the longer end is in its turn passed through the first slit and 

 pulled tight. Some falconers pass the long end of the jess 

 through both slits before pulling it tight ; but the reason for this 

 extra precaution has never been made plain. After the long end 

 has been pulled through — or before, if preferred — a hole is 

 punched in the leather at a short distance from the tip, and 

 another and larger slit is made for the purpose of attaching the 

 jess to the swivel. But if the hawk is destined, immediately 

 after the jesses have been put on, to be turned out to hack, this 

 end slit is not required, and should never be made, as it is 

 possible that it might loop itself round some thorn or other peg- 

 like object, and hang up the hawk, causing her death or some 

 irreparable injury. Whenever a jess is released from the swivel, 

 it is a good plan, when there is time, to twirl up the end, rolling 

 it between the finger and thumb, so that the slit does not form 

 a loop. It is then less likely, in case of the hawk being lost, to 

 lead to a misfortune of the kind referred to. 



Trained hawks always wear jesses. As soon as one pair is 

 worn, and shows signs of weakness, another pair should be put 

 on ; and after they are attached, the old ones may be cut off 

 with a sharp knife or scissors and thrown away. Valuable 

 hawks have been lost by the owner's neglect to renew the 

 jesses. Of course it usually happens that one of a pair wears 

 out before the other, and the breaking of the weakest gives 

 warning before the other has given way. But when one jess 

 has become so dilapidated as to be on the point of breaking, 

 his fellow will not be in a much better case, and a jerk caused 

 by suddenly bating at the block, especially when sitting 

 there after a bath, may liberate the hawk when you feel least 

 prepared for such a mishap. The old falconers seem to have 

 almost always attached the ends of the jesses to "varvels," 

 which were small rings of silver, or other metal, upon which 

 often the name and address of the owner were engraved. 

 Possibly the jesses so used were very short, so that the risk of 

 "hooking up" did not arise. But the practice has long been 

 abandoned by European falconers. 



Bells for trained hawks are of the greatest possible use. 

 They betray the whereabouts of the wearer, and save an infinity 

 of time and trouble when she has killed out of sight; and 

 besides this, they proclaim to every stranger who sees a lost 

 hawk on the wing that she is private property, and not wild. 

 They are, practically, no impediment to the hawk's flight, 

 except in the case of the very smallest species ; and their sound 



