OBSERVATIONS UPON HAWKING. 419 



will readily come from any distance within hearing. They 

 should take pieces from the hand, and allow themselves to be 

 touched while feeding ; if they are highly fed there is no fear of 

 their becoming too tame before taking up. This mischief arises 

 from making them too sharp in their lurings and first flyings. 

 Two or three times a week, till their feathers are well up, raw 

 egg should be mixed with their meat ; this makes the feathers 

 broad and strong : pinching them a day produces hunger 

 traces." 



(4). On making a Hawk used to the hood Downes gave the 

 following hint (MS. p. 10) about drenching with cold water to 

 make a bating Hawk sit quiet, a plan I saw practised by the 

 Dutch falconers at Valkenswaard : — " The eyess Hawks, after 

 they feed readily on the hand, are to be made for the hood. 

 This is done by brailing the wing, and making them quite wet 

 by letting water run on to them, splashing them from a whisp 

 of hay or grass ; this makes them still. They are to be kept 

 upon the hand till dry, hooding and unhooding very frequently, 

 and brushing them with a feather. This is to be repeated two 

 or three days if necessary, till they stand for the hood. They 

 are not fed at these hoodings. To be done in the morning that 

 they may be dry by night. After they have been made to the 

 hood, then to have something at all times given to them 

 when hooded." This hint Sebright adopted and introduced in 

 his book. 



(5). Downes thus describes the lure used in his day (MS. 

 p. 12) : — " The lure is a forked piece of wood covered with tow, 

 afterwards with linen, and the wings of birds, and heavy enough 

 to prevent her flying away with it." He added (p. 13) : — " It is 

 not mentioned that the lurer is to halloo at the same time that 

 he swings the lure." Sebright added this. 



(6). Treating of Partridge-hawking, Sebright wrote (MS. 

 p. 15), that the Hawk, on " being unhooded and cast off, would, 

 if a good bird, mount to a considerable height." Downes sug- 

 gested, "if in order" (the technical term for being right), but 

 Sebright preferred his expression and retained it. 



(7). On taking up a Hawk after killing a Partridge (after 

 Sebright 's words " by kneeling down and extending one's arm 

 gently one may get hold of the Partridge "), Downes wrote : — 

 "Which is to be artfully covered by the hand holding some 



Si2 



