CONTENTS
| PAGE | |||
| TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION | [xi] | ||
PERSIAN AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION | [xvii] | ||
| [PART I] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| THE YELLOW-EYED BIRDS OF PREY | |||
| CHAP. | |||
| I. | On the Short-winged Hawks used in Falconry | [1] | |
| II. | The Goshawks | [3] | |
| III. | The Sparrow-hawk | [11] | |
| IV. | The Pīqū Sparrow-hawk | [15] | |
| V. | The Shikra | [17] | |
| VI. | The Serpent Eagle | [17] | |
| VII. | The Eagle Owl | [18] | |
| VIII. | Other Species of Owls | [22] | |
| IX. | The Harriers | [25] | |
| X. | The Lammergeyer or Bearded Vulture | [27] | |
| XI. | The Osprey | [29] | |
| [PART II] | |||
| THE DARK-EYED BIRDS OF PREY | |||
| XII. | The Eagles and Buzzards | [30] | |
| XIII. | Kites and Harriers | [33] | |
| XIV. | The Vultures | [34] | |
| XV. | The Raven | [35] | |
| XVI. | The Shunqār or Jerfalcon | [36] | |
| XVII. | The Shāhīn | [42] | |
| XVIII. | The Peregrine (Baḥrī) | [47] | |
| XIX. | The Saker Falcon (F. Cherrug) | [49] | |
| XX. | The Eyess Saker Falcon | [55] | |
| XXI. | Strange Arab Devices for Catching the Passage Saker | [57] | |
| XXII. | The Merlin | [61] | |
| XXIII. | The Hobby | [65] | |
| XXIV. | The Sangak | [68] | |
| XXV. | The Kestril | [68] | |
| XXVI. | The Shrike | [72] | |
| XXVII. | Miscellaneous Notes | [73] | |
| XXVIII. | Method of Snaring a Wild Goshawk with the Aid of a Lamp | [75] | |
| XXIX. | Training the T̤arlān or Passage Goshawk | [78] | |
| XXX. | “Reclaiming” the Passage Saker | [94] | |
| XXXI. | Anecdotes of a Baghdad Falconer | [98] | |
| XXXII. | Training the Passage Saker to Gazelle | [99] | |
| XXXIII. | Training the Eyess Saker to Eagles | [110] | |
| XXXIV. | Eyess Saker and Gazelle | [115] | |
| XXXV. | Another Method of Training the Eyess and Passage Sakers to Gazelle | [124] | |
| XXXVI. | Training the “Shāhīn” | [125] | |
| XXXVII. | Training the Passage Saker to Common Heron | [136] | |
| XXXVIII. | Training the Passage Saker to Common Crane | [140] | |
| XXXIX. | On Management During the Moult | [148] | |
| XL. | Remedies for Slow Moulting | [151] | |
| XLI. | On Feeding on Jerboas During the Moult | [152] | |
| XLII. | On Feeling the Pulse, and on the Signs of Health | [153] | |
| XLIII. | On Diseases of the Head and Eyes | [154] | |
| XLIV. | On Diseases of the Mouth | [155] | |
| XLV. | Diseases of the Nose | [157] | |
| XLVI. | On Diseases of the Ear | [157] | |
| XLVII. | On Epilepsy | [158] | |
| XLVIII. | On Palpitation | [160] | |
| XLIX. | The Sickness called Karaj, which is Costiveness | [162] | |
| L. | Hectic Fever or Phthisis | [163] | |
| LI. | On Canker of the Feathers | [166] | |
| LII. | Lice | [168] | |
| LIII. | Worms | [169] | |
| LIV. | Heat Stroke | [170] | |
| LV. | Palsy, etc. | [170] | |
| LVI. | Diseases of the Feet: the “Pinne” in the Feet | [172] | |
| LVII. | On Paralysis of a Toe | [176] | |
| LVIII. | Feathers Plucked Out by the Root | [176] | |
| LIX. | Operation of Opening the Stomach | [179] | |
| LX. | On the Number of Feathers in the Wing and Tail | [181] | |
| LXI. | Counsels and Admonitions | [182] | |
| LXII. | Accidental Immersion during Winter | [183] | |
| LXIII. | Expedient if Meat Fail | [184] | |
| LXIV. | Restoration after Drowning | [184] | |
| LXV. | Sage Advice | [185] | |
| LXVI. | Cure for the Vice of “Soaring” | [186] | |
| LXVII. | On Branding the Nostrils before Setting Down to Moult | [189] | |
| LXVIII. | A Hawk not to be Fed when “Blown” | [190] | |
| LXIX. | Miscellaneous Notes | [192] | |
| ILLUSTRATIONS | |||
| I. | Hunting and Hawking Scene (from a painting in an ancient Persian MS.) | [Frontispiece] | |
| II. | Facsimile of a page of the Teheran Lithographed Edition | [xvi] | |
| III. | Persian Carpet depicting Hawking Scene | [2] | |
| IV. | From an old Persian painting, Indian, probably of the Mug͟hal Period | [5] | |
| V. | From a painting in an ancient Persian MS. written in India | [7] | |
| VI. | Persian Carpet depicting the Court of a Sikh Mahārājā | [9] | |
| VII. | Intermewed Peregrine | [43] | |
| VIII. | Young Peregrine (Indian Hood) | [45] | |
| IX. | Young Passage Saker (dark variety) | [51] | |
| X. | Young Passage Saker (dark variety) | [53] | |
| XI. | Hobby with Seeled Eyes | [64] | |
| XII. | Hobby with Seeled Eyes | [66] | |
| XIII. | Hobby with Seeled Eyes | [67] | |
| XIV. | Persian Falconer with Intermewed Goshawk (from a photograph by a Persian) | [77] | |
| XV. | Intermewed Goshawk on Eastern Padded Perch (from a Persian painting) | [79] | |
| XVI. | Arab Falconer with Young Saker on Padded and Spiked Perch | [95] | |
| XVII. | Young Gazelle | [101] | |
| XVIII. | Young Passage Saker (light variety) on Hubara | [117] | |
| XIX. | Young Passage Saker (dark variety) on Hubara | [119] | |
| XX. | Hubara sunning itself | [121] | |
| XXI. | Stone-Plover | [127] | |
| XXII. | Heron Struck Down by Peregrine (photo taken just before the Heron touched the ground) | [129] | |
| XXIII. | Young Peregrine (English Block and Indian Hood) | [131] | |
| XXIV. | Intermewed Peregrines (from a photograph by Lieut.-Col. S. Biddulph) | [133] | |
| XXV. | Hunting and Hawking Scene | [195] | |
Part I
THE YELLOW-EYED BIRDS OF PREY
CHAPTER I
ON THE SHORT-WINGED HAWKS USED IN FALCONRY
The Birds of Prey are divided into two great divisions, the “Yellow-eyed” and the “Black-eyed,” these being again sub-divided into numerous species.
We will first treat of the Yellow-eyed Division.
III
PERSIAN CARPET DEPICTING HAWKING SCENE
T̤ug͟hral [Crested Goshawk?]—The first species worthy of note is the T̤ug͟hral.[27] During my many wanderings I have searched diligently for this species, but in vain, and am, therefore, unable to describe it from personal knowledge. There is a current tradition, that a single specimen was once brought to Persia from China,[28] and presented as a curiosity to King Bahrām-i Gūr,[29] who treasured it greatly and guarded it jealously. One sad day, when the king was out hawking, the t̤ug͟hral suddenly took to “soaring” and was quickly lost to the sight of the disconsolate monarch. His retinue were soon scattered in every direction in search of the missing hawk, and the king was left almost alone, being attended by a few only of the royal favourites. Bahrām-i Gūr and his party also took up the search; and wandering far and wide, at length happened on a large and shady garden, where they alighted. The bewildered owner of the garden advanced exclaiming:—
“The simple peasant on whose ‘kulāhed’[30] head
The Sultan, Phoebus-like, his grandeur shed,
Trembles within his soul and well nigh dies,
That on him shines the Sultan’s kindly eyes.”
On being questioned about the lost hawk he replied, “What a T̤ug͟hral may be, I know not, but not two hours since a hawk with bells and a jewelled ‘halsband,’[31] took stand in a tree of this very garden; but taking fright at my attempt to secure it, it flew off and settled in that grove yonder.” Bahrām was overjoyed at this clue, which enabled him to recover his lost favourite.[32]
From this reference to a “halsband” and bells, and to the t̤ug͟hral’s habit of sitting on trees, the author concludes that this unknown species belongs to the yellow-eyed division of the birds of prey.