202 ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING 



went out of sight will get on as fast as he can to the place over 

 which he last saw her in the air, and may with advantage give 

 notice to others following behind by holding up a hand or 

 making any other signal that has been agreed upon. He will 

 then, if there is a marker within hail, shout or signal a demand 

 for information. If none is forthcoming, he will note with his 

 eye the coverts or places of refuge on ahead of him, and con- 

 sider which of them was most probably the destination of the 

 quarry. The most likely is certainly the one which lies in a 

 straight line with the course which the two birds were taking ; 

 and the next most likely is the nearest in an oblique direction on 

 the down-wind side. If the place which seems most likely should 

 be a plantation, copse, or spinny, let him then, by tracing an 

 imaginary straight line over the intervening ground, decide 

 which is the nearest part of this covert — irrespective of wind — 

 to the spot whereon he stands. In this spot, and no other, the 

 quarry will probably have put in. So constant is this choice by 

 a lark of the very nearest bush in any thicket, that, after search- 

 ing it thoroughly without success, I should be inclined to leave 

 that plantation altogether and try some other place of shelter. 

 If the hawk has killed, she will be either in the covert or some- 

 where not far off, where she may have taken her victim to 

 devour him in the open, free from the danger of unwelcome 

 intruders, who in any thick place might come up unawares. 

 Such a spot will generally be tolerably conspicuous. A mound 

 of earth, a heap of stones, a ridge of raised turf or ant-hill is 

 often chosen. When the ground is wet, merlins and hobbies 

 will sometimes carry their quarry a long way merely in the 

 hope of finding a dry place whereon to deplume and devour it. 

 I have known a merlin carry nearly half a mile on a very hot 

 day in order to get under the shade of a distant tree. 



Many minutes will elapse between the time when the quarry 

 has been taken and the moment when the hawk has completely 

 finished her repast. Accordingly, the search may be prolonged 

 for at least half an hour before the chance of success is given 

 up and the hawk pronounced " lost " for the time being. Some 

 hawks when in high condition will not break in to. their quarry 

 or even plume it before their master or some other person 

 comes up, but, after killing it, stand expectant, looking round 

 about them, and apparently in a sort of brown study, forgetful 

 that such a thing as hunger exists. Some are even so little 

 eager to begin upon the excellent meal which is before them, 

 that they will jump from it to the fist as soon as it is within 



