Little is known of the early history of falconry in Africa, but from very ancient Egyptian carvings and drawings it seems to have been known there many ages ago. It was probably also in vogue in the countries of Morocco, Oran, Algiers, Tunis, and Egypt, at the same time as in Europe. The older writers on falconry, English and Continental, often mention Barbary and Tunisian falcons. It is still practised in Africa; the present writer has visited two hawking establishments in Egypt.

Perhaps the oldest records of falconry in Europe are supplied by the writings of Pliny, Aristotle, and Martial. Although their notices of the sport are slight and somewhat vague, yet they are quite sufficient to show clearly that it was practised in their days—between the years 384 b.c. and 40 a.d. It was probably introduced into England from the Continent about 860 a.d., and from that time down to the middle of the 17th century falconry was followed with an ardour that perhaps no sport in our country has ever called forth, not even our grand national sport of fox-hunting. Stringent laws and enactments, notably in the reigns of William the Conqueror, Edward III., Henry VIII., and Elizabeth, were passed from time to time in its interest. Falcons and hawks were allotted to degrees and orders of men according to rank and station,—for instance, to royalty the jerfalcons, to an earl the peregrine, to a yeoman the goshawk, to a priest the sparrow-hawk, and to a knave or servant the useless kestrel. The writings of Shakespeare furnish ample testimony to the high and universal estimation in which it was held in his days. About the middle of the 17th century falconry began to decline in England, to revive somewhat at the Restoration. It never, however, completely recovered its former favour, a variety of causes operating against it, such as enclosure of waste lands, agricultural improvements, and the introduction of fire-arms into the sporting field, till it fell, as a national sport, almost into oblivion. Yet it has never been even temporarily extinct, and it is still very successfully practised at the present day.

In Europe the game or “quarry” at which hawks are flown consists of grouse (confined to the British Isles), blackgame, pheasants, partridges, quails, landrails, ducks, teal, woodcocks, snipes, herons, rooks, crows, gulls, magpies, jays, blackbirds, thrushes, larks, hares, and rabbits. In former days geese, cranes, kites, ravens, and bustards were also flown at. Old German works make much mention of the use of the Iceland falcon for taking the great bustard, a flight scarcely alluded to by English writers. In Asia the list of quarry is longer, and, in addition to all the foregoing, or their Asiatic representatives, various kinds of bustards, sand grouse, storks, ibises, spoonbills, pea-fowl, jungle-fowl, kites, vultures, and gazelles are captured by trained hawks. In Mongolia and Chinese Tartary, and among the nomad tribes of Central Asia, the sport still flourishes; and though some late accounts are not satisfactory either to the falconer or the naturalist, yet they leave no doubt that a species of eagle is still trained in those regions to take large game, as antelopes and wolves. Mr Atkinson, in his account of his travels in the country of the Λmoor, makes particular mention of the sport, as does also Mr Shaw in his work on Yarkand; and in a letter from the Yarkand embassy, under Mr Forsyth, C.B., dated Camp near Yarkand, Nov. 27, 1873, the following passage occurs :—“Hawking appears also to be a favourite amusement, the golden eagle taking the place of the falcon or hawk. This novel sport seemed very successful.” It is questionable whether the bird here spoken of is the golden eagle. In Africa gazelles are taken, and also partridges and wildfowl.

The hawks used in England at the present time are the three great northern falcons, viz., the Greenland, Iceland, and Norway falcons, the peregrine falcon, the hobby, the merlin, the goshawk, and the sparrow-hawk. In former days the saker, the lanner, and the Barbary or Tunisian falcon were also employed. (See Falcon.)

Of the foregoing the easiest to keep, most efficient in the field, and most suitable for general use at the present day are the peregrine falcon and the goshawk.

In all hawks, the female is larger and more powerful than the male.

Hawks are divided by falconers all over the world into two great classes. The first class comprises “falcons,” “long-winged hawks,” or “hawks of the lure,” distinguished by Eastern falconers as “dark-eyed hawks.” In these the wings are pointed, the second feather in the wing is the longest, and the irides are dark-brown. Merlins must, however, be excepted; and here it would seem that the Eastern distinction is the best, for though merlins are much more falcons than they are hawks, they differ from falcons in having the third feather in the wing the longest, while they are certainly “dark-eyed hawks.”

The second class is that of “hawks,” “short-winged hawks,” or “hawks of the fist,” called by Eastern falconers “yellow (or rose) eyed hawks.” In these the wings are rounded, the fourth feather is the longest in the wing, and the irides are yellow, orange, or deep-orange.

The following glossary of the principal terms used in falconry may, with the accompanying woodcut, assist the reader in perusing this notice of the practice of the art. L τ seless or obsolete terms are omitted :—

Bate.— A hawk is said to “bate” when she flutters off from the fist, perch, or block, whether from wildness, or for exercise, or in the attempt to chase.

Bewits.- Straps of leather by which the bells are fastened to a hawk’s legs.

Bind. —A hawk is said to “bind” when she seizes a bird in the air and clings to it. This term is properly only applied to the seizure of large quarry, taken at a height in the air.

Block.— The conical piece of wood, of the form of an inverted flowerpot, used for hawks to sit upon; for a peregrine it should be about 10 to 12 inches high, 5 to 6 in diameter at top, and 8 to 9 in diameter at base.

Brail.— A thong of soft leather used to secure, when desirable, the wing of a hawk. It has a slit to admit the pinion joint, and the ends are tied together.

Cadge.— The wooden frame on which hawks, when numerous, are carried to the field.

Cadger.— The person who carries the cadge.

Calling off.— Luring a hawk (see Lure) from the hand of an assistant at a distance for training or exercise is called “calling off.” Carry.— A hawk is said to “carry” when she flies away with the quarry on the approach of the falconer.

Cast.— Two hawks which may be used for flying togetherare called a “cast.” Casting.— The oblong or egg-shaped ball, consisting of feathers, bones, &c., which all hawks (and insectivorous birds) throw up after the nutritious part of their food has been digested.

Gere.— The naked wax-like skin above the beak.

Check.— A hawk is said to fly at “check” when she flies at a bird other than the intended object of pursuit,—for instance, if a hawk slipped at a heron goes off at a rook, she flies at check.

Clutching.— Taking the quarry in the feet as the short-winged hawks do. Falcons occasionally “clutch.”

Ccnne to.— A hawk is said to “come to” when she begins to get tamo Coping.— Cutting the beak or talons of a hawk is called “coping.” Crabbing.— Hawks are said to “crab” when they seize one another fighting.

Creance. — A long line or string.

Crop, to put away. — A hawk is said to ‘ ‘ put away her cron *’ when the food passes out of the crop into the stomach.

Deck feathers. — The tλvo centre tail-feathers.

Eyas.— A hawk which has been brought up from the nest is an “eyas.”

Eyry.— The nest of a hawk.

Foot.— A hawk is said to “foot” well or to be a “good footer” when she is successful in killing. Many hawks are very fine flyers without being “good footers.”

Frounce.— A disease in the mouth and throat of hawks.

•Get in.— To go up to a hawk when she has killed her quaιτy is to “get in.”

Hack. — The state of partial liberty in which young hawks must always at first be kept—loose to fly about where they like, but punctually fed early in the morning and again in the day, to keep them from seeking food for themselves as long as possible.

Haggard.— A wild-caught hawk in the adult plumage.

Hood. — The cap of leather used for the purpose of blindfolding the hawk. (See woodcut.)

Hoodshy.— A hawk is said to be “hoodshy” when she is afraid of, or resists, having her hood put on.

Imping.— The process of mending broken feathers is called “imping.” (See 8 in cut. )

Imping needle.— A piece of tough soft iron wire from about 1⅜ to 2⅛ inches long, rough filed so as to be three-sided and tapering from the middle to the ends. (See 4 in cut.)

Intermewed.— A hawk moulted in confinement is said to be “intermewed.”

Jesses. — Strips of light but very tough leather, some 6 to 8 inches long, which always remain on a hawk’s legs—one on each leg. (See cut. )

Leash.— A strong leathern thong, some 2J or 3 feet long, with a knot or button at one end. (See 7 in cut. )

Lure.— The instrument used for calling long-winged hawks, — a dead pigeon, or an artificial lure made of leather and feathers or wings of birds, tied to a string.

Man a hawk.— To tame a hawk and accustom her to strangers.

Mantle.— A hawk is said to “mantle” when she stretches out a leg and a wing simultaneously, a common action of hawks when at ease; also when she spreads out her wings and feathers to hide any quarry or food she may have seized from another hawk, or from man. In the last case it is a fault.

Make hawk.— A hawk is called a “make hawk” when, as a thoroughly trained and steady hawk, she is flown with young ones to teach them their work.

Mew.— A hawk is said to “mew” when she moults. The place where a hawk was kept to moult was in olden times called her “mew.” Buildings where establishments of hawks were kept were called “mews”—an appellation which in many cases they have retained to this day.

Γannel.— The stomach of a hawk, corresponding with the gizzard of a fowl, is called her pannel. In it the casting is formed.

Passage.— The line herons take over a tract of country on their way to and from the heronry when procuring food in the breeding season is called a ‘ ‘ passage.”

Passage hawks.— Are hawks captured when on their passage or migration. This passage takes place twice a year, in spring and autumn.

Pelt.— The dead body of any quarry the hawk has killed.

Pitch.— The height to which a hawk, when waiting for game to be flushed, rises in the air is called her “pitch.”

Plume.—A hawk is said to “plume” a bird when she pulls off the feathers.

Point.— A hawk “makes her point” when she rises in the air in a peculiar manner over the spot where quarry has saved itself from capture by dashing into a hedge, or has otherwise secreted itself.

Pull through the hood. — A hawk is said to pull through the hood when she eats with it on.

Put in.—A bird is said to “put in” when it saves itself from the hawk by dashing into covert or other place of security.

Quarry.— The bird or beast flown at.

Rake out.— A hawk is said to “rake out” when she flies, while “waiting on” (see lVait on), too far and wide from her master.

Red haιvk.— Hawks of the first year, in the young plumage, are called “red hawks.”

Ringing.—A bird is said to “ring” when it rises spirally in the air.

Rafter hood.— An easy fitting hood, not, however, convenient for hooding and unhooding—used only for hawks when first captured (see 3 in cut).

Seeling.— Closing the eyes by a fine thread drawn through the lid of each eye, the threads being then twisted together above the head,—a practice long disused in England.

Serving a hawk.— Driving out quarry which has taken refuge, or has “put in.”

Take the air.—A bird is said to “take the air” when it seeks to escape by trying to rise higher than the falcon.

Tiercel.— The male of various falcons, particularly of the peregrine, is called a “tiercel;” the term is also applied to the male of the goshawk.

Trussing.— A hawk is said to “truss” a bird when she catches it in the air, and comes to the ground with it in her talons · this term is not applied to large quarry. (See Bind. ) Varνcls.— Small rings, generally of silver, fastened to the end of the jesses—not much used now'.

Wait on.— A hawk is said to “wait on” when she flies above her master waiting till game is sprung.

Weathering.— Hawks are “weathered’’ by being placed unhooded in the open air. This term is applied to passage hawks which are.not sufficiently reclaimed to be left out by themselves unhooded on blocks, —they are “weathered” by being put out for •an hour or two under the falconer’s eye.

Yarak. — An Eastern term, generally applied to short-winged hawks. When a hawk is keen, and in hunting condition, she is said to be “in yarak.”

The training of hawks affords much scope for judgment, experience, and skill on the part of the falconer, who must carefully observe the temper and disposition as well as the constitution of each bird; and various practices are resorted to which cannot be hero described. It is through the appetite principally that hawks, like most wild animals, are tamed; but to fit them for use in the field much patience, gentleness, and care must be used. Slovenly taming necessitates starving, and low condition and weakness are the result The aim of the falconer must be to have his hawks always keen, and the appetite when they are brought into the field should be such as would induce the bird in a state of nature to put forth its full powers to obtain its food, with, as near as possible, a corresponding condition as to flesh. The following is an outline of the process of training hawks, beginning with the management of a wild-caught peregrine falcon. When first taken, a rufter hood should be put on her head, and she must be furnished with jesses, swivel, leash, and bell. A thick glove or rather gauntlet must be worn on the left hand (Eastern falconers always carry a hawk on the right), and she must be carried about as much as possible, late into the night, every day, being constantly stroked with a bird’s wing or feather, very lightly at first. At night she should be tied to a perch in a room with the window darkened, so that no light can enter in the morning. The perch should be a padded pole placed across the room, about four and a half feet from the ground, with a canvas screen underneath. She will easily be induced to feed in most cases by drawing a piece of beefsteak over her feet, brushing her legs at the time with a wing, and now and then, as she snaps, slipping a morsel into her mouth. Care must be taken to make a peculiar sound with the lips or tongue, or to use a low whistle as she is in the act of swallowing; she will very soon learn to associate this sound with feeding, and it will be found that directly she hears it, she will gripe with her talons, and bend down to feel for food. When the falconer perceives this and other signs of her “coming to,” that she no longer starts at the voice or touch, and steps quietly up from the perch when the hand is placed under her feet, it will be time to change her rufter hood for the ordinary hood. This latter should be very carefully chosen,—an easy fitting one, in which the braces draw closely and yet easily and without jerking. An old one previously worn is to be recommended. The hawk should be taken into a very dark room,—one absolutely dark is best,—and the change should be made if possible in total darkness. After this she must be brought to feed with her hood off; at first she must be fed every day in a darkened room, a gleam of light being admitted. The first day, the hawk having seized the food, and begun to pull at it freely, the hood must be gently slipped off, and after she has eaten a moderate quantity, it must be replaced as slowly and gently as possible, and she should be allowed to finish her meal through the hood. Next day the hood may be twice removed, and so on; day by day the practice should be continued, and more light gradually admitted, until the hawk will feed freely in broad daylight, and suffer the hood to be taken off and replaced without opposition. Next she must be accustomed to see and feed in the presence of strangers and dogs, &c. A good plan is to carry her in the streets of a town at night, at first where the gaslight is not strong, and where persons passing by are few, unhooding and hooding her from time to time, but not letting her get frightened. Up to this time she should be fed on lean beefsteak with no castings, but as soon as she is tolerably tame and submits well to the hood, she must occasionally be fed with pigeons and other birds. This should be done not later than 3 or 4 p.M., and when she is placed on her perch for the night in the dark room, she must be unhooded and left so, of course being carefully tied up. The falconer should enter the room about 7 or 8 a.m. next day, admitting as little light as possible, or using a candle. He should first observe if she has thrown her casting; if so, he will at once take her to the fist giving her a bite of food, and re-hood her. If her casting is not thrown it is better for him to retire, leaving the room quite dark, and come in again later. She must now be taught to know the voice,—the shout that is used to call her in the field,—and to jump to the fist for food, the voice being used every time she is fed. When she comes freely to the fist she must be made acquainted with the lure. Kneeling down with the hawk on his fist, and gently unhooding her, the falconer casts out a...