84 ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING 



with an unhooded hawk ? Your natural impulse is to raise the 

 right hand quickly to brush it away. But that abrupt move- 

 ment, so natural and almost instinctive on your part, is not at 

 all expected by the hawk, as she stands close by. A catching of 

 the breath and a half-spreading of the wings, if nothing worse, 

 will very likely show you that you have made a mistake ; and, 

 if the hawk is a shy one, you will be lucky if the little incident, 

 trifling as it may appear, does not lead to a bout of bating and 

 a feeling of resentment and suspicion for the future. When 

 walking along with an unhooded, half-broken hawk, be on the 

 lookout for everything that may by any chance cause alarm. 

 Women are more to be dreaded than men ; children more than 

 women. Dogs are the worst of all, especially if they bark and 

 rush about. Steer clear of them all at first ; and in passing them 

 keep them always on your right hand, so that they are never 

 behind the hawk's back. Getting over a gate or stile, be careful 

 how you step down. The sinking of the left hand always annoys 

 the hawk standing upon it. Very naturally ; for she feels that 

 her perch is, as it were, dropping away from under her. Do all 

 descents, therefore, even down an easy flight of steps, with as 

 few jerks as possible. When riding or driving with a hawk on 

 the fist, accommodate the whole left arm to the movement of 

 the horse or the vehicle. A skilled falconer will hold his hand 

 almost still while his whole body is being jogged about in a 

 jolting dogcart or wobbling railway carriage. Just as you may 

 sometimes see a hawk with her eye fixed steadily on some spot, 

 and her head in the same place, like a fixed star, while her 

 whole body is moved up or down by an independent action. 

 Beware also of getting near any obstacle against which your 

 hawk may by any sudden movement strike the tip of a wing. 

 In passing through a gate or door, for instance, or under a small 

 archway, give the gate-posts and walls a wide berth. Never 

 wear a hard-brimmed hat yourself, nor go near any person who 

 has a stiff hat or anything stiff about his clothing. In short, 

 never risk the accidental breakage of a feather. 



Carrying is therefore not quite such a simple matter as it at 

 first appears to be. But it must be persevered in without any 

 intermission until the hawk is thoroughly manned. For, all the 

 time the hawk sits contentedly on the fist, she is learning a 

 lesson that must eventually be taught her. Hawks are amongst 

 the creatures most easily taught. They learn any lesson skil- 

 fully and diligently taught them with an ease that often 

 astonishes the trainer himself ; and, having once learnt it, they 

 are in no hurry to forget. The artificial habit, once grafted on 



