EAGLES AND FALCONS, Etc. 
There are few animals to be found in a state of nature 
so wild, fierce, and powerful as most of the raptorial birds, 
such as the eagles and falcons, yet, strange to say, under 
careful and skilful treatment, birds of this Order are 
rendered perfectly tame and manageable in a very short 
time, in some instances a few days being sufficient. A 
clever falconer will frequently handle a newly-caught 
falcon and, within three days of its capture, feed it upon 
his fist. The great art is simply to handle the bird with 
such care as not to hurt or alarm it. The bird, bold and 
determined in spirit, finds its captor kind and gentle, 
using every means in his power to become friendly, offer- 
ing it food, and uttering kind and expressive sounds. 
By his skilful manipulation he renders the bird not only 
unable to inflict injury upon him, but prevents it from 
injuring itself by using the ap|)liances made for the pur- 
pose. Finding useless the most determined efforts to 
escape, and its powerful bill and claws unable to inflict 
injury, it, by its bright eye and keen intelligence, quickly 
perceives that it has a kind and generous master, and at 
once, as a rule, becomes attached to him. In a short 
time it may be trusted with the full use of its wings to 
pursue and capture the prey at which it may be the 
pleasure of its master to let it fly. 
The whole of the secret in training falcons is simply 
to remove fear, or, in other words, to establish a kind of 
confidence, and no sooner has this been accomiolished, than 
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