ACCIDENTS AND MALADIES 227 



stitute for the real quarry, and get her to devote her attention 

 to it until the arrival of the second man, when both hawks can 

 be taken up. If both hawks and quarry are small, the first 

 falconer to come up may catch hold of the pelt and lift it up, 

 hawks and all, from the ground against which the tails are 

 being pressed and bent. Once on the fist, the danger is past ; 

 and one or other of the combatants may be handed over, with a 

 tiring to replace the contested victim, to the next man who 

 comes up. When double flights are the order of the day, every 

 man who is likely to be up at the death should wear a glove 

 and carry a spare leash, as well as a morsel of tiring for use in a 

 possible emergency. He should also, if mounted, carry a weight 

 and tethering rein at the side of his saddle, so that he may dis- 

 mount at any time quickly and run in to the struggling hawks. 



When a feather is bent, without any actual breakage of the 

 shaft, it will come straight if dipped in very hot water, but may 

 not improbably remain weak for some time at the place where the 

 bend was. Very often such a bent feather will come straight when 

 the hawk bathes ; but it is just as well to apply the hot-water 

 remedy at once, and if it does not return to its proper position, 

 there will be little doubt that the shaft is damaged. Whenever 

 this is the case, the broken part should be cut neatly off and the 

 feather imped. When the breakage is not near the end, and con- 

 sequently in a very thin part of the shaft, the piece removed can 

 be put on again by imping. But if it is the tip which has gone, 

 as is only too often the case with beginners, the owner must make 

 up his mind either to keep and fly his hawk in that damaged 

 condition, incurring the jibes or pity of facetious or sympathetic 

 friends, or to undertake the rather delicate operation required 

 for grafting a fresh feather on the remnant of the old one. 

 Possibly the novice may be within reach of a professional 

 falconer, or an experienced amateur, who will come to his 

 rescue, and perform this troublesome job. If so, he should 

 certainly attend while it is being accomplished, and carefully 

 note the manner in which the professor sets about it. If not, 

 he must attempt it himself, and do the best he can by the aid 

 of his own ingenuity, and perhaps of the following directions : — 



Hood the hawk, and have an operating-table ready, on 

 which you have placed a tolerably stout but soft cushion. Get 

 an assistant to take firm hold of the patient with both hands 

 round the body, over which may be previously thrown a silk 

 handkerchief to preserve the feathers. The assistant should 

 place his hands over the hawk's body with the palms down- 



