GAME-HAWKING 119 



and inquire seriously of herself what was the cause of her ill- 

 success. And, reflecting on the experiences of hack, she may 

 very likely conclude that she could have done better if she 

 had started in pursuit from higher in the air. 



The old falconers had a device which is not often adopted 

 now, but which seems to have been effectual, at least, in some 

 cases. They "seeled" (see Chap. V.) the bagged quarry, — ■ 

 usually a duck or a pigeon, — and the effect was that, when so 

 blindfolded and let loose, it flew upwards, like a towering par- 

 tridge, avoiding the risk of striking against obstacles which it 

 could not see. The hawk flown at such quarry was naturally 

 induced to keep high when waiting on. The objection to any 

 such flight is that the quarry has not a fair chance of shifting 

 from the stoop when it comes. 



The giving of bagged quarry is not a thing to be encouraged 

 or continued for any length of time. Bagged game never fly 

 well, seldom passably even ; and they demoralise a hawk. 

 Bagged house-pigeons fly [ admirably ; but then they are not the 

 quarry you want your hawk to pursue. On the contrary, you 

 are particularly anxious that as your hawk is waiting on for a 

 covey to be put up she shall not start off in pursuit of a chance 

 pigeon. Be very stingy, therefore, with your bagged pigeons ; 

 and if you give any at all, leave off directly your hawk has 

 begun to mount at all decently. 



Eyesses of all kinds are often given to raking away, i.e. 

 wandering away from the falconer to inordinate distances, when 

 they ought to be waiting on nearly over his head. And these 

 aberrations are generally in a down-wind direction. It is for- 

 tunate, therefore, that in game-hawking the quarry is usually 

 put up by walking down-wind. Otherwise many young hawks 

 would have little chance of coming up with them. For it is a 

 curious thing that, as compared with game birds, the speed of 

 a peregrine is greater when going down-wind, whereas in rook- 

 hawking she gains more rapidly when both are flying up-wind. 

 On the troublesome habit of raking away, some observations 

 will be found in the chapter on " Vices." Practice is usually the 

 best remedy. A hawk generally has gumption enough to see 

 that by constantly waiting on down-wind she puts herself at a 

 great disadvantage for killing her bird if it goes up-wind ; and 

 when she has come to understand that the bird is going to be 

 put up by you, and not accidentally, she will begin to place her- 

 self willingly in such a position over you as to be ready for the 

 stoop when the birds are flushed. "Why loe !" — a cry with a 

 rather Chinese sound about it — was the shout used for calling 



