The first of the principal operations in training is hooding, an operation which, if successfully performed by the trainer during his earlier efforts, paves the way for over coming many subsequent difficulties. It demands the greatest patience and the tender est manipulation. The hood is a cap of leather, made to fit the head of the falcon in such a manner as totally to obscure the light, a single aperture only being left, through which the beak protrudes, and a slit behind, through which are passed the braces or ties that secure the hood to the head. By shutting out the light, the hood is serviceable in tending to make the hawk quiet and tractable, but to accustom the falcon to submit to its use requires much time and great management. When, after great perseverance, this is achieved, the hawk is said to be "made to the hood," during which process she also learns to sit balanced upon the fist. Besides tending to induce docility by biding the light, the hood is of further service in shutting out from view any object which might cause the hawk to flutter or bait off the fist or cadge ou its way to and from the field, etc. Hence the hawk is carried always hooded—the short-winged only being exempt. To the falcon's legs are attached' two small hollow globes of thin metal, called bells; these, again, are fixed to their place by leather straps called bewits; and both, together with the jesses, become permanent fixtures even during the bird's flights. Jesses are two leathern straps, 5 or 6 in. in length, attached to each leg immediately below the bells; the jesses, again, are themselves attached to another leathern strap, called the leash, about four times the thickness of a boot-lace, by two rings or varvels; and the bird being thus caparisoned, the falconer winds the leash through his fingers, and so prevents the falcon's escape while on his wrist. Instead of varvels, some fal coners follow the Dutch plan of using a swivel; the former method, however, is now considered the best. A long cord, called the creance, is Further attached to the leash, and is used for the purpose of giving the bird greater freedom during her training than that afforded by the leash alone.
The lure is a bunch of feathers attached to a cord and tassel, and in the center of the feathers is usuallya piece of spliced wood, to which a piece of meat may be attached. By accustoming the hawk to feed off the lure, or to come to it at a certain call or whistle to be fed when on the wing, the lure becomes an important adjunct to the falconer's apparatus, as by it he is enabled to entice his bird back after an unsuccessful chase. On such occasions, the falconer reclaims his bird by swinging the baited lure round and round his head, accompanying the action by some well-known call. Four wings tied together make a good lure. The tabur stycke and drawer were formerly used for the same purpose as the lure, but were made iu the form of a stick.
In Europe, hawks are carried on the left wrist (while in the east they sit upon the right); and to protect the falconer's hand from being injured by the bird's claws, a glove of stout buckskin leather is used. And here it may be remarked, that the claws and beak of wild caught or haggard falcons, are usually pared or coped. If the bird to be trained, instead of being a nestling, happens to be a wild one, the difficulties of training are immeasurably increased, and can only be overcome by days and nights of unweary ing exertion. If it proves unusually restless and difficult to tame, it is kept on low diet, is prevented from sleeping for several days and nights, and has cold water poured upon it by means of a sponge, etc. By these and other means, the falcon gradually loses much of its restiveness, and submits with tolerable readiness to the processes of training.
For training the eyess, or young falcon, to the lure, as preparatory to entering at game, sir John Sebright says: "Take the hawk out while very hungry, and let an assistant swing the lure round his head steadily, and at full length of the cord; upon this the falconer casts off his hawk with the usual whistle or halloo, still holding the creance, and the assistant suffers the lure to fall to the ground, for fear of injury to the hawk, by striking it in the air with the two strings attached. When this lesson is perfect, the
assistant, instead of suffering the lure to fall, withdraws it, and disappoints the hawk, which flies by him, and then returns, when he may be suffered to strike the lure and feed upon it. In process of time, the creance may be removed, and the hawk enticed to the lure from a considerable distance, and may then strike it in the air (if the lure is a light one), while swinging round the head of the assistant. After a still greater time, the hawk becomes so perfect that she will circle round the head of the falconer, waiting for the lure to be thrown, and is then said to ' wait on' perfectly. When the hawk is feeding on the lure, the falconer should encourage her, and suffer her to finish without alarm, by which she will be shown that she may do so without fear, and will readily suffer herself to be taken after flying. She should also be accustomed to horses, men, and dogs." Having " made the hawk " to the fist, the hood, and the lure, she is next " entered " at her game (the quarry). This is done by tying a long cord or ercance to the varvels of the jesses, and flying the hawk from the hand at a bird thrown out to it, also restrained by a cord. The hawk is next flown several times without a creance at birds shortened in their flight, after which it is ready to be entered at wild quarry. In case of failure, however, a live bird, similar to that at which she is flown, should be carried to the field, and thrown out to her in a creance by way of encouragement.
The heron is, and always has been, a favorite object of pursuit in British F., the period of the year best adapted for the sport being the breeding season. Having pre viously ascertained the feeding-place of that bird, the hawking party makes for the spot, usually towards evening, if possible in a direction from the heronry, so as to intercept the bird in its flight homewards. When a heron is seen to pass, a couple (a cast) of hawks are unhooded and " cast off," and the chase commences. The heron, seeing the falcons approach, disgorges its food, to lighten itself, and immediately ascends in the air; the hawks, eager in pursuit, and quicker of wing, speedily make upon it, and'strive to gain a greater elevation by a series of beautiful gyrations. When one of the hawks succeeds in rising above the heron, it stoops, that is, descends swiftly, and in a direct line, upon the game, aiming a stroke with its outstretched legs and talons at ifs body; this the heron almost always succeeds at first in eluding, by a rapid and sudden movement aside. The second hawk, which by this time has also soared, then stoops, while the first is regaining its former altitude; and so on for many successive times, till one hawk at length clutches the heron or binds, upon which her companion joins her, and the three, buoyant by the motion of their wings, descend gently to the earth. The falconer's imperative duty is now to be up or near the spot where the three birds are descending, to divert the attention of the hawks before they reach the ground, and entice them from • the quarry to him, by means of live pigeons as lures. This is very necessary, as the heron is extremely dangerous, and has been frequently known to injure the hawks with its sharp back when on the ground, though it is all but perfectly harm less while in the air. When the heron's wounds have been dressed—for this bird is rarely killed in such encounters—a ring with the captor's name is usually affixed to its leg, after which it is set at liberty, and so becomes available for future sport. The falconer's usual cry of encouragement to his hawks upon the springing of the quarry, is "Hooha-ha-ha-ha!" His cry when the quarry is killed, is " Whoop!" A falcon takes its pray either by tearing or raking it with the hind claw of each foot at the instant of passing, or by clutching the victim with its talons, and when she thus succeeds in binding to her quarry, she slowly descends with it to the ground. The supposition that the hawk strikes its quarry with the beak or breastbone in its swoop is a mistaken one.