A Summry of Falconry. 4.Z 1 



Above all you muft ufe your utmoft skill and pains to keep her from dragging or 

 carrying any thing from you 5 which ill quality no Hawk is more fubjed to than ihe. 

 To prevent which, firft you muft beware, that if (he but once only knoweth the 

 Lure, that you lure her no more than once at one time, though you take the more 

 time to make her : Elfe you hazard the fpoiling of her. For as foon as (he knows the 

 Lure (he will fettle her love on it,and deiire to hold it,and be loth to be taken up from 

 it to be lured again j and, out of fear left you mould deprive her of it, will quickly 

 fly you, and drag and carry it from you. Secondly, During the time of her luring 

 and training let her have her reward at your hand for the moft part in bits, refervmg 

 fome fmall quantity to take her to your Fift withal. Thirdly, All this while have 

 your Spaniels by you as (he is on the ground: For thete be^awks of all other moft 

 coy and fearfufto have any Dogs come near them : And therefore at her firft entring 

 you ought to have but few Dogs, and they fuch as be both cool and gentle, till (he be 

 well entred and acquainted. For if (he mould chance to take any fudden fright with 

 a Dog, (he would never abide them again : And fo (he will be for ever marred 5 for 

 being able to carry away her prey, whenever (he (hall have a Partridge in her foot, 

 (he will fufFer neither Man nor Dog to come near her, but carry it away, and prey 

 upon it. Which if (he do but once, it is as good as an hundred times, for (he will ne^ 

 ver be reclaimed from it. 



Of the Merlin. 



She is a couragious and hardy Hawk, flying with greater fiercenefs and more hotly 

 than any other bird of prey 5 To that (he will venture to fly the Partridge, Heath- 

 powtand other birds bigger than her felf, and purfuethemeagerly^even into Villages 

 and Towns. . _ , . _ . -, . 



They are fuch bufie and unruly things, as oftentimes they eat * off their own Feet *Th» my a*. 

 and Talons very unnaturally, fo as they die of y which is the true cauie why you owne £ peri _ 

 (hall feldom or never fee an entermew'd Merlin : For that m the Mew they lo ipoil c nce denies, 

 themfelves. . , . , , 



A Merlin may be made both to the Fift andto theLure. When you havemadeher 

 to the Lure in manner t before defcribed, make her a train with a Partridge or other 1^ 

 live bird : If (he foot and kill it, reward her, fuffering her to take her pleafure on it. 

 This done,fly her at the wild Partridge ,if (he take it at the firft fhght,or if (he take it 

 at the fecond flight, being retrived by the Spaniels, feed her upon it with a reafonable 

 Gorge, chearing her with your voice, that fo (he may know it. If ihe prove not 

 hardy at the firft train, prove her with another before you fly her at wild Game. It 

 at the fecond train (he prove not hard, it is a fign (he is nothing worth. 



It is very good (port to fly with a call: of Merlins at the Lark or Ltnnet^ for be- 

 fides that they love to fly in company, it is pleafant to fee the one climbing to the 

 mountee above the Lark, and the other lying low for her beft advantage, the one 

 (hiking the bird at the ftooping, the other at her down-come. When you have 

 found the birds go as near as you can into the wind to the bird 5 and as foon as the 

 bird rifeth from the ground unhood your call: of Merlins, and caft them to fly until 

 they havebeaten down the Lark or Linnet, and let them feed on her for their labour 

 indifferently. He advifes not to fly your Merlin at Cut-Larks, becaufe they not 

 mounting upward, but flying ftreight forward, they afford you but little fport, and 

 befides endanger the lofs of your Hawk. 



Ch*p. 



