HAWKING OR FALCONRY
Perhaps you have read enough about tame animals of the four-footed kind. At any rate it will be well to turn now to the two-footed kind, the birds, and talk about a kind of sport in which birds have been used for many centuries. Nowadays, when one of us goes hunting, we take our shot-gun or rifle, with the dog for companion, and bring down the game with a bullet or load of shot. But long ago, before the gun was known, there was another way of catching game, and of this I wish to speak.
It is called Hawking or Falconry, and is a very old sport in which the falcon or the hawk was used to take game. It is still in use in some countries, but in old times falconry was the favorite sport of kings and nobles, many of whom spent much of their time in the field, hunting smaller or weaker birds by aid of the strong and swift falcon or hawk.
This kind of sport began very long ago, no one can say how long, it being common in Asia long before it was known in Europe. And it is common in some parts of Asia still.
A Hooded Peregrine Falcon. Its eyes are covered by the hood until the game is in sight
Bishop Stanley says: "About two thousand years ago ancient writers speak of hawking as a common sport. People used to go out into the marshy grounds and beat among the reeds and bushes for small birds, and as these flew away hawks were let loose in pursuit, and when the game fell to the ground, either through fright or struck by the hawks, men ran up and secured them.
"In China it is a favorite sport with some of the mandarins to hawk for butterflies and other large insects with birds trained for that particular pastime. In India the Goshawk and two other species are taught to keep hovering over the hunters' heads and when deer and other game start up, they dart down and fix their claws upon its head and thus bewilder it until it is secured. A certain sultan kept a corps of seven thousand falconers."
The Arabians used the falcon to hunt the goat. When a rock goat was seen on a mountain the falcon would be let loose and would fly like an arrow straight for the animal, lighting on its back and fixing its talons in its throat. It held fast until the huntsman came up to the weakened animal and cut its throat, the falcon being paid for its service by drinking the blood.
Falconry is still common in Persia and is much spoken of in the poetry and stories of the Persians. One of these stories is worth telling, both from its being a very pretty one and from its being like a famous story of ancient Wales. In the Welsh story, which we have in a fine ballad, Prince Llewellyn had a faithful dog named Gellert which he left in charge of his infant child. During the absence of the prince a wolf entered the house and was attacked and killed by the dog. When he came home he saw the cradle upset and blood all over the floor, and thinking that the dog had killed his child he plunged his sword into its side. A minute later he saw the child safe under the cradle and the wolf lying dead. He was sorry enough when he saw this, but all he could do was to build a monument over his faithful dog.
Stories like this were common in the past, with other animals than the dog and the wolf. In old Persia it was the hawk and the snake. We are told of a Persian king who went out hunting with his favorite falcon on his wrist. After a time a deer started up and was pursued by the falcon, and was in time brought down and killed.
In chasing it, the king had left all his people in the rear and now found himself alone. He was also hot and thirsty and finding some water trickling down a mountain side, he filled his cup with it, but very slowly, as the water came down only in drops. He was about to drink it when the falcon struck the cup with its wings and spilt the water.
Vexed at this, the king filled the cup again and once more raised it to his lips. Again the falcon flapped its wings and the water was spilled. This made the king so angry that he flung the bird to the ground and killed it on the spot.
At this moment one of his attendants came up and the king, who was too thirsty to wait again until the cup was filled drop by drop, gave it to the man and told him to climb up and fill it at the spring. The man did so, but as he came down he saw a large serpent lying dead with its head in the water, into which a poisonous foam flowed from its lips. When he came down and told of what he had seen the king was deeply grieved, for he had killed the faithful bird which was seeking to save him from death or danger.
Coming now to later times we find that hawking made its way from Asia into Europe very long ago. Denmark was a famous place for this sport in the far past and it was common in France and England at least as early as the 10th century. The kings of those countries grew very fond of it. When Edward III. of England went to fight in France he took with him thirty falconers and hunted or hawked every day, and Henry VIII. at one time nearly lost his life when out hawking. In recent times it has died away in great part, but is still practiced in some countries.
Such is the history of hawking. Now a few words may be said about the practice. The birds used belong to two classes, the long-winged, dark-eyed falcons and the short-winged, yellow-eyed hawks. The falcons used are the Gerfalcon, Peregrine, Hobby, Merlin, and some others. The hawks used are the Goshawk and the Sparrowhawk. The falcons take their prey by rising above it in the air and darting down upon it. The hawks fly in a straight line and take it by their great speed.
The taming of these birds is a slow process. It was of old the custom to fasten jesses or soft leather straps round their legs and hoods over their heads. A line fastened to the strap kept them from flying away. They were taught to rest and feed on the gloved hand of the trainer and also to make short flights to a "lure," a piece of wood on which food was placed. They were drawn back by the cord tied to the jesses. In this and other ways the birds were taught, and in time could be trusted to fly free and come back to the huntsman's hand.
Leg and Foot of Falcon Showing the Method of Attaching the Fastening
When the hawkers went abroad on a hunt, gay was the show and lively the sport. On horseback, carrying the hawks on their wrists, the gallant company rode briskly away, all of them dressed in fine robes and the hawks also richly "dressed." The bird might have around its neck a collar of gold filagree and over its head a hood of the finest silk, with a plume of colored feathers on top. Little tinkling bells, those of finest sound, hung from the leather leg rings, and the glove on which the bird sat was often spangled with gold, and sometimes adorned with jewels.
While the hood was on the bird would not move, but when the hood was taken off and it saw the prey it was eager to fly. Here is the story of a hawking party as late as 1825. This party set out in the afternoon, riding towards a place frequented by herons—a large, strong bird with which only the strongest falcons could deal. There were four couples of birds, all of the kind known as Peregrine falcons. Each bird had a small bell on one leg and a leather hood, with pieces of red cloth in it to cover each eye.
After some time a heron was seen near at hand. At once the hoods were taken from the heads of two of the falcons and as soon as they had seen the bird they were let loose. Away they flew after the heron, but a crow chanced to cross their track and one of the birds started to chase this, while the other kept on.
When it came near the heron it flew in circles until it was far above it and at length came pouncing down and struck its prey on the back. Down came the two birds, tumbling from a high point to the ground. By this time the crow had escaped and the second falcon came flying up, just in time to see the other falcon and the heron falling. At this instant a rook flew across and the second bird struck at him, bringing him to the ground not far away from the other game.
Up now dashed the falconers, held out the lure, on which was a live pigeon, and secured the game while the birds were making a meal upon the pigeon. Two other herons were taken by the other falcons and the day's sport closed. Such was a scene of hawking in the 19th century. In olden times the game was often much more exciting than this.
IX
WILD ANIMALS IN MAN'S SERVICE
You must by this time think that there is hardly any kind of animal upon the earth that man has not at some time kept as a friend or a captive. Of course, we mean the larger animals, the quadrupeds, reptiles, birds, and fishes, not the vast hordes of insects and the still lower animals. Of these there is only one, the honey-seeking bee, that has been made to work for man, but of the large animals many more than those spoken of have served him in some way or have been captured and caged for his pleasure.
All the large cities have their Zoölogical gardens, where wild beasts of many kinds are kept on show, and in villages and small towns and cities the travelling menagerie carries such wild creatures around where everyone may see them.
Here, in strong cages, we may look at the lordly lion, with its splendid mane, and its gaping jaws, filled with cruel teeth, and the tiger, fierce and sly, pacing round and round its narrow cage on silent feet, and at times stopping to glare with savage eyes at the lookers outside. It may have seen and made a meal on such beings in its native wilds.
Then there are the snarling hyena, the spotted leopard, the wild-eyed wolf, the American panther and wild-cat, the growling bear, and many others. Greatest among these are the huge and savage rhinoceros, the ugly river-horse, or hippopotamus, and the noble elephant.
These are only a few of the animals that are kept for show, among them many of the tameable ones, as the playful monkey, the slender deer or antelope, the large elk and moose, the wolf, raccoon, opossum, kangaroo and many others of the smaller animals.
Man is able to make friends of the most of these. In fact there are daring men and women who are ready to go into the cages of the fiercest of these beasts and make them go through the tricks they have been taught. They have been even found bold enough to put their heads into the lion's mouth. This is always a foolish thing to do, and sometimes it has ended in the lion's closing his great jaws and smashing the man's head as one would smash an egg-shell.
With all this we are not here concerned. It is only the animals that serve us as friends and helpers that we are dealing with. But man at times makes use of certain creatures that usually are only seen in a wild state, so it is well to say something of the wild animals that at times are made to serve us in some way.