210 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
trains the hawks, and flies them for exercise five days out of six in the season ;
notwithstanding this, two or three coveys of partridges may be flushed there at
times, and I may say that the hill is never without some birds. A keeper in a
very fine partridge district in Norfolk asked me the first time I went out "If the
hawks wi' n'out banish the birds, Sir?" My reply was "No." The following
season he was the first to admit that he had more birds on the land flown over
than on any other part of the manor. I need hardly add that I leave off
partridge hawking as soon as the 1st of February arrives.
Before proceeding to consider the different "quarry" flown at by falconers,
permit me to read you a few lines of introduction from an old work by one Nicholas
Cox, printed in 1697, and entitled "The Gentleman's Recreation." He says :—
"The element wherein the Faulconer useth to trade, is the Air ; and though
he dealeth sometimes in the Water, yet he prefers the Air before it, that yielding
him most Recreation; for it is unable to stop the high soarings of his generous
Faulcon : in it she flies to such a height, that, being lost to the sight of Mortals,
she seems to converse with Heaven alone ; and, like Icarus, endangers her Wings
to be scorched by the Sunbeams ; and yet is fearless, cutting the fluid Air with her
nimble Pinions, making her High-way over the steepest Mountains, and deepest
Rivers, and in her lofty career looks down with seeming contempt on the greatest
Glories we most estimate ; and yet, such is her Loyalty and Obedience to her
Master, that a word from his mouth shall make her stoop and condescend."
The hawks mostly used by English falconers are the Peregrine, the Merlin, the
Goshawk, and the Sparrow-hawk ; these being distinguished by the terms "long-
winged" and "short-winged." The Peregrine and Merlin belong to the long-
winged division, having the second feather in the wing the longest or equal to the
third, a tooth in the upper mandible, and with "irides" of a dark brown colour.
In the short-winged birds, viz., the Goshawk and the Sparrow-hawk, the fourth
feather in the wing is the longest, the tooth in the upper mandible is wanting,
whilst the colour of the irides is a light yellow.
There are two methods of obtaining hawks: firstly, to take them from the
"Eyry," when they are called "Eyesses"; secondly, to catch them in their
autumn migration from Holland, when they are termed "Passage Hawks."
When taken in mature plumage they are known as "Haggards." The
former should not be taken too soon, but allowed to remain as long as possible in
the nest, or they are apt to prove of that class of birds called "screamers," so
much disliked by all falconers. When first taken from the nest they should be
fed thrice daily at fixed hours, and on a regulated quantity of food. This is a
matter of the greatest importance, because if neglected what are known as
"hunger traces" will appear across the feathers when the hawk is taken up. I
had a falcon last year ("Lady Loch Vane") with these traces so strongly de-
veloped that most of her "train" feathers had to be "imped."2 The young
hawks should be placed in a large hamper fixed in a tree, the lid being let down
so as to make a platform on which they may be fed. This is termed "being at
hack," but I am told that there is no mention made of "hacking" by the old
falconers. Before the young hawks can fly some heavy bells should be put on
them, partly to prevent their going too far away, and partly to handicap them in
their attempts to kill for themselves ; as soon as this latter trait is noticed they
must be "taken up."
2 I once picked up in Cambridgeshire the wing-feathers of a wood-pigeon, showing distinct
"hunger traces." [This defect, or disease, is consequent upon some want of sufficient nutriment
during the growth of the feathers. A similar defect is said to appear in the wool of ill-fed
sheep.—Ed.]