The object of the author has been to describe as briefly as was consistent with clearness the birds now chiefly used in the chase, and the manner of training and flying them. His hope is that some of the sportsmen who read these pages may, in spite of the difficulties which they will have to encounter, resolve to give this old and honourable sport a trial.

The use of technical terms has been avoided as far as possible; and those which could not be excluded have been explained in the text. When the reader is puzzled by any word, a reference to the Index will direct him to the page where the meaning of it is given.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
History and Literature
PAGES
Antiquity of hawking in China—Introduction into Europe—Royal and Imperial falconers—Decline of the sport—Survival and revivals—Modern falconers—Early writers—Leading authorities—Modern books[1]-[8]
CHAPTER II
The Birds Used in Hawking
Three classes—Long-winged hawks: Ger-peregrine, and kindred varieties, shaheens, barbary, saker, lanner, and desert falcons, hobby, merlin, and kestrel—Short-winged hawks: goshawks and sparrow-hawks—Eagles, golden, Bonelli’s, etc., falconets[9]-[39]
CHAPTER III
Furniture and Fittings
Jesses—Bells—Swivels—Leashes—The screen-perch—Blocks— Bow-perches—Hoods—Brails—The bath—The lure—Cadges— Gloves—Mews[40]-[54]
CHAPTER IV
Eyesses and Hack Hawks
Taking from the eyrie—Feeding—Turning out to hack—The board system—Hacking to the lure, and to the hand—Learning to fly—Dangers and diversions of hack—Taking up—The bow-net[55]-[69]
CHAPTER V
Passage Hawks
Valk enswaard—Hawk-catcher’s hut—The shrike sentinel— Handling the wild-caught hawk—The sock—The dark cell—Prison fare—Early discipline—Waking—Hooding—Carrying—Manning— Pegging out[70]-[86]
CHAPTER VI
Training and Entering
Reclamation of wild-caught and hack hawks—Making to the lure— Calling off—The first quarry—Innocent deceptions—Making in— Waiting on—Stooping to the lure—Exercise[87]-[100]
CHAPTER VII
Rook-Hawking
Good and bad country—Entering to rooks—Throwing off— Ringing flights—Shifting—Throwing up—Putting in—Riding to hawks[101]-[114]
CHAPTER VIII
Game-Hawking
Eyesses and passagers—Teaching to mount and to wait on— Entering—Raking away—The pitch—The stoop—Pointers— Speed and cunning of grouse—Partridges, black-game—Some good bags[115]-[129]
CHAPTER IX
Lark-Hawking
The hobby, ancient and modern—Daring larks—The merlin— Difficulties of training and flying—Making in—Fishing-rod trick—Good and bad larks—High flights—Double flights— Winter larks[130]-[141]
CHAPTER X
Gulls, Heron, Kite, Duck, etc.
Double flights at gulls—The Loo Club—Kite-hawking—Wild ducks, magpies, plovers, woodcock, snipe, and other quarry[142]-[149]
CHAPTER XI
The Goshawk
Hawks of the fist—Training—Rewards for good conduct—Yarak— Pheasants, partridges, rabbits, and hares—The goshawk in covert—Variety of quarry—Some good bags—A famous goshawk[150]-[159]
CHAPTER XII
The Sparrow-Hawk
Vices and merits—A fine hawk for the bush—Partridge-hawking— Blackbirds, quail, and other quarry—How to manage a sparrow-hawk—A modern record[160]-[169]
CHAPTER XIII
Home Life
The falconer’s establishment—Good and bad falconers— Hawk-houses—The falconer’s day—Bathing—Weathering— Exercise—Diet—Castings—Tirings—Rangle—Bedtime[170]-[191]
CHAPTER XIV
Hawks in the Field
Hooding up—Accoutrements—Field tactics—Markers—Mounted men—Successful and unsuccessful flights—Putting in—Picking up—Consolation quarry—Disobedient hawks—A good quarry-book[192]-[212]
CHAPTER XV
Lost Hawks
Carelessness and imprudence—A kill out of sight—A night out—Search and recapture—Chance witnesses—Decoy hawks— Winding up—Snaring—A fresh start[213]-[224]
CHAPTER XVI
Accidents and Maladies
Broken feathers—Imping—Broken bones—Diagnosis—Croaks, cramp, ague, apoplexy, frounce, inflammation, and fever— Corns, broken talons, blain, craye, and other maladies[225]-[243]
CHAPTER XVII
Moulting
Early and late moulting—Flying through the moult—Throwing into the mews—Diet and management—Bad moulters—Intermewed hawks—Physic and treatment[244]-[254]
CHAPTER XVIII
Virtue and Vice
Good and bad hawks—Temper, shape, size, and colour—Style of flying—Carrying—Soaring—Raking away—Checking— Perching—Hood-shyness—Screaming—Refusing—Running cunning—Seven deadly sins—Four cardinal virtues[255]-[274]
CHAPTER XIX
Anecdotes and Adventures
Lessons from the quarry-book—The old authors—Modern experiences—Peregrine and pigeon—A miraculous rabbit— Queer hiding-places—Wild v. tame hawks—Merlin-hawking with peregrines[275]-[284]

[LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS]

PHOTOGRAVURES
PAGES
Falcons and Goshawk Weathering[Frontispiece]
Death of the Rook[110]
Sparrow-Hawk and Partridge[168]
(From Drawings by G. E. Lodge)
OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
Shape of Wings[11]
(From a Drawing by Mrs. Sachs)
Trained Kestrel "Thunderbolt," owned by Mr. R. Gardner[30]
(From a Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw, N.B.)
Hawk’s Furniture[40]
(From a Drawing by the Author)
Blocks and Perches[46]
(From a Drawing by the Author)
Hawk’s Furniture[48]
(From a Drawing by the Author)
Cadge with Peregrines[52]
(From a Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw, N.B.)
Falcon and Tiercel Weathering[86]
(From a Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw, N.B.)
Pluming the Dead Grouse[127]
(From a Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw, N.B.)
Trained Merlin[132]
(From a Drawing by Mrs. Sachs)
Trained Goshawk, "Gaiety Gal," owned by Mr. A. Newall[159]
(From a Photo by Herbert Bell, Ambleside)