132 
LOUD LILFORD OX BIRDS IN THE LILFORD AVIARIES. 
at or trapped, and that our average bag of Partridges, in by no 
means a particularly favourable district, varies from 800 to 1500 
brace annually. The Falcons, finding themselves unmolested, 
remain with us throughout the winter, occasionally till late into 
the spring, and devote their attention principally to Wood-Pigeons 
and Wildfowl. I can honestly say that I do not think that, 
taking one year with another, we lose ten Partridges annually by 
Falcons; but I cannot expect that many will join me in saying 
that they are most heartily welcome to as many of these birds as 
give them a chance upon my shootings, and that even in the days 
when I was able to walk and enjoy keenly a good day’s shooting, 
I would rather see a fine stoop and kill by a wild Falcon than 
shoot fifty brace of Partridges to my own gun. I have imported 
several Falcons taken on passage at Valkenswaard, and amongst 
them have had two or three most excellent birds, but I leave the 
comparative merits of Passage-Hawks and Eyesses to be discussed 
by those Avhose opportunities of judging in the field have been 
greater than my own. Personally, I am inclined in favour of 
Passage-Hawks, for the obvious reason that they already know 
their business when taken, and only require to be reclaimed to our 
uses, whilst the Eyess has to be taught by an instructor, who at 
the very best is inferior to the parent birds ; there is, however, 
such infinite variety in the temper and disposition of individual 
Falcons, that it is very difficult to lay down a hard-and-fast line 
of merit as between the two classes, and I have had the good 
fortune to see many excellent birds of both. The Old Hawking 
Club still flourishes, and shows fine sport at Eooks and game in 
various parts of the country, and there is still a small, but, as 
I hope, increasing band of private falconers who cling to the 
ancient science with devotion and very considerable success. 
Although, as I have already stated, I never allow traps to be set 
for Peregrines upon my own shootings, we have taken four of 
these birds at Lilford alive and uninjured in the recognised Dutch 
fashion with bow-net and decoy pigeons, and the almost in- 
dispensable assistance of a Great Grey Shrike as sentinel. Two 
Falcons have been found to my knowledge in the neighbourhood 
of Lilford slightly wounded in the wing, and another was injured 
in the same way as she was carrying off a Wood-Pigeon that had 
j ust fallen to the first barrel of a sporting farmer ; these three 
