. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. 434 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE. 5^i Photograph by Guy Bailey PEREGRINE FALCON AT PIER EYRIE ON THE FACE OF A 4OO-FOOT CLIFF NEAR ITHACA, NEW YORK A pair of falcons has nested for many years in tlie same deep gorge. One July day sixteen pigeons were brought to the young hawks by the parent birds. several hours each day, spoken to, and softly stroked until it begins to lose its nervousness and becomes reconciled to the hand as a perch. It may now be fed a little, and when it eats without hesita- tion the hood may be removed
. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. 434 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE. 5^i Photograph by Guy Bailey PEREGRINE FALCON AT PIER EYRIE ON THE FACE OF A 4OO-FOOT CLIFF NEAR ITHACA, NEW YORK A pair of falcons has nested for many years in tlie same deep gorge. One July day sixteen pigeons were brought to the young hawks by the parent birds. several hours each day, spoken to, and softly stroked until it begins to lose its nervousness and becomes reconciled to the hand as a perch. It may now be fed a little, and when it eats without hesita- tion the hood may be removed gently, in candle-light, and the meal nearly finished unhooded. The rufter must be replaced before the end of the meal, however, or the hawk will come to associate the hood with the end of its feeding time, and resent it. When the bird feeds freely by candle- light it may be tried in daylight, and after this is accomplished it should be accus- tomed to the presence of men, children, dogs, and other creatures ordinarily frightful to it. This does not usually take many days. MOST OF THE hawk's LIFE IS SPENT IN DARKNESS Now comes the hardest part of the manning—the breaking to the hood. until they begin to catch prey for them- selves. Then they are "caught ; It is time to catch them when they begin to be absent at the regular feeding time. A bow-net is used in the trapping—a light twine net fastened along one side to a stick bent into a half circle, the free side being pegged down and the ends of the stick swiveled to pegs in the ground. The net is folded back on the pegged side and a light cord fifty yards long tied to the middle of the bow. The trap is then baited with a tempting morsel, also pegged in place, and the bird is trapped when it comes to feed. The moment it is caught a soft leather hood, open at the back and known as a "rufter," is placed over its eyes and tied on, a swivel and leash tied to the jesses, and it is put down on soft grass wit
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