SEPTEMBER. 



RABBIT HAWKING. 



By J, E. Harting. 



Hawking, like other field sports, has its seasons, and just as 

 there are various breeds of hounds to suit the nature of the 

 different animals hunted, so are there different kinds of hawks 

 according to the nature of the " quarry " at which they are 

 flown. 



For rooks in the early spring, and for grouse and partridges 

 in autumn, the peregrine falcon is used ; for larks in August, 

 a cast or meriins is employed ; the sparrow hawk shows good 

 sport with blackbirds and thrushes in the turnip fields, and was 

 formerly used for taking landrails and quails ; while for ground 

 game, as well as for an occasional partridge, pheasant, or 

 moorhen, the Goshawk is without a rival. This is especially 

 the case if the falconer lives in a woodland or enclosed country, 

 where, from the peculiar nature of its flight, a long-winged 

 falcon is liable to be frequently lost, since it rises to a consider- 

 able height, ra-nges wide, and stoops at the " quarry " from a 

 great distance, often killing it out of sight of the falconer, should 

 a copse or other covert intervene. For this reason a long- 

 winged falcon like the peregrine should be flown in a very open 



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