656 
MR. T. J. MANN ON HAWKS. 
Ijigeon ill the hutch passes through this, for what purpose you will 
soon understand. 
May I hope that I have so far made the model fairly explicit. If 
I have been unsuccessful, I shall he only too happy to do my best 
to give every information on the conclusion of my paper. 
Everything is now ready for the attempted capture. Let ms 
suppose ourselves to he inside the hut, with the Ealconer seated at 
our side, the door closed. Outside, the Butcher-birds are merrily 
hopping about their fortresses, the white lure Pigeon to the left is 
busily preening his feathers, whilst to the right the Hawk sits. 
Suddenly a change comes over the actions of the Shrikes, they 
flutter, scream, and in a few moments seek shelter in their little 
entrenchments. This is the signal to us that a Hawk is nearing, 
and although we can hardlij discern any semblance of a bird in the 
sky, still that small speck, gradually increasing as it closes in, is 
a Hawk. The Falconer now pulls tight the line running to the 
left-hand pole, up goes the Hawk and bunch of feathers, the 
former flying wildly round in circles at the limit of his leash. By 
this time the Passage Hawk has neared sufficiently to perceive, as 
he imagines, a brother Hawk flying a quarry, so he elects to join 
in the chase. Suddenly he loses sight of it, but espies a fine white 
Pigeon flying in almost the same direction, for the Falconer has 
dropped the left-hand line and pulled the right one, allowing the 
Hawk and feathers to descend, and raising the white lure Pigeon 
from the ground. Hot suspecting foul play, the Passage Hawk 
commences to fly the white Pigeon. But with gi’eat judgment the 
Falconer, who can now sec his would-be captive, slackens the 
Pigeon’s line, and immediately the lure hastens to save its life by 
seeking shelter in its hutch, at the base of the right-hand pole. At 
this same instant the Falconer seizes and pulls the line running to 
the right-hand hutch, with the result that the Pigeon in it is dragged 
against the heather door, which, falling away, releases the prisoner, 
who, flying upwards, is immediately stooped at and cut down by 
the Passage Hawk, which in these few seconds has arrived overhead. 
Hawk and Pigeon come to earth bound together, perhaps fifteen 
yards from the bow-net, and whilst the pigeon is struggling vainly 
in the vice-like grip of the Hawk, the Falconer is very gently but 
firmly drawing in the cord to which the Pigeon is attached. Slowly 
and surely, little by little. Hawk and Quarry are drawn towards 
