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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A YOUNG FALCONER TRAINS OWLS AS WELL AS HAWKS 



Two great horned owls, eager to be on the wing, are perched on Frank Craighead's gloved fists. The 

 dangling loop is a leash attached to leather jesses fastened to the legs. Using the same methods employed in 

 training hawks for falconry, Frank and his twin brother John trained owls as pets and even taught some of their 

 barn owls to fly at mice. But the short, unspectacular flights of the owls lacked the thrill of the lofty 

 spiraling and swift stooping of the falcons. Besides, owls do their best hunting at night when the trainer's 

 eyes cannot follow them. The birds shown here, a little more than two months old, were captured along the 

 Potomac in Virginia and later were freed in Rock Creek Park, in Washington, D. C. 



