THE GOSHAWK 157 



full-grown rabbit ; but the effort is rather beyond their strength. 

 The flight of a gos is very peculiar. After a few fast flaps of the 

 wing she often spreads them a moment or two, and sails along, 

 giving to the falconer, who is accustomed to long-winged hawks, 

 the appearance of having left off. Almost immediately, how- 

 ever, she begins moving her wings with greater vigour than 

 ever, and, gaining quickly this time on the quarry, comes at 

 him, sometimes with an upper-cut, if it is a bird, before you 

 think she can have had time to reach him. 



Goshawks may be flown repeatedly the same day. In fact, 

 it is almost difficult to say when they have had enough flying. 

 But in this, as in all kinds of hawking, it is well to remember 

 that an extra good flight with success means an extra good 

 reward. If, therefore, after some indifferent or unsuccessful 

 flights, the hawk has flown hard and killed cleverly, I should 

 advise feeding her up, and not flying her again merely for the 

 sake of making a bigger bag. Under this system she may go 

 on improving indefinitely ; and you will be rewarded for your 

 pains and labour at the beginning by possessing a hawk which 

 perhaps for years will give a good account of herself. I have 

 said that a goshawk which is intended for hares should be kept 

 to them alone. So, likewise, a male which is meant for part- 

 ridges should not be thrown off at pheasants or anything else. 

 But, as a general rule, there is no such necessity with the short- 

 winged hawks, as there is with the long-winged, of keeping 

 them from checking at odd quarry. The bag of a goshawk has 

 often been known to include four or five very different items, such 

 as a rabbit, a rat, a weasel, a pheasant, and a water-hen. These 

 sanguinary creatures are not particular as to what they kill 

 when they are in the humour for killing. They commit murder, 

 as foxes do, for the mere pleasure of it ; and this you may 

 easily prove if you put out a number of fowls where a gos can 

 get at them. If you keep one in the same room where other 

 hawks are, and by any mischance her leash comes unfastened, 

 she is as likely as not to go round and massacre the whole lot. 



Live fowls should never be given on any account to a gos- 

 hawk. If you can, you should prevent her from ever supposing 

 that they are good to eat, otherwise she may take a liking 

 to poultry, and seize every opportunity of helping herself to 

 the hens and chickens of your neighbours. The attraction of 

 poultry-yards is a great objection in places where there are 

 many of them, and some very good falconers have actually felt 

 themselves obliged on this account to discontinue keeping hawks. 



I am indebted to Mr. John Riley, of Putley Court, Hereford- 



