232 ART AND PRACTICE OF HAWKING 



between them killed 200 larks, in single flights, in one season. 

 He was therefore no doubt naturally a very fast hawk ; but I 

 mention him in order to show how little difference, in his case, 

 was made in his flying power by the loss of nearly half a tail. 

 I have also flown merlins at the lure, when in course of being 

 broken to the hood, with their tails tied up, and noticed how 

 admirably they stoop and throw up, without apparently being 

 incommoded by the temporary inability to spread out their tails. 



Much more serious and alarming than the breakage of a 

 feather is the fracture of a bone. When the hawk is a favourite, 

 a cure is often attempted, and occasionally with success. I have 

 known a peregrine to be shot at and brought down with a 

 broken wing, and to recover without any treatment at all ; but 

 this was no doubt a very exceptional case. Usually any grave 

 damage to the wing, whether by way of a sprain or a fracture, 

 is incurable. The bones of the leg are more get-at-able, more 

 easily set, and subjected, when set, to less strain than those of 

 the wing. Splints and bandages should be applied (though it 

 is very difficult to adjust a bandage to the wing) under the 

 direction and advice, if possible, of some person who has a good 

 practical knowledge of surgery. The hawk, after being operated 

 upon, should be placed in a sock as described in Chapter V., 

 and fed by the hand with strips of washed meat or light food 

 without castings. Before the sock is put on it must be ascer- 

 tained that the injured limb has been placed in the natural 

 position ; and every precaution must be taken that the patient 

 is left undisturbed, so that it is impossible, or at least unlikely, 

 that she should displace the setting which has been attempted. 



Hawks are sometimes troubled with a weakness in the outer 

 joint of the wing, causing the outer part of it, where the primaries 

 are, to droop. The affection is more or less pronounced in 

 different cases, sometimes being so severe that the wing seems 

 to hang down powerless, as if merely hooked on loosely at the 

 joint, and at other times merely to be a little out of place and 

 to be carried slightly lower than the other. Occasionally the 

 weakness is so great that the hawk cannot fly, while at other 

 times, after perhaps wobbling a little when thrown off, the 

 hawk, once fairly on the wing, seems to fly almost or quite as 

 well as if there was nothing the matter. Generally a hawk 

 which is so affected keeps hitching up the bad wing, as it were, 

 into its proper place, only to find it droop again in a few 

 minutes into its old position. The old writers, who were well 

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