. Reptiles and birds. A popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting. . 100 to 200 of these birds in the space of two months havebeen taken ; but this is only a feeble resuscitation of an institutionwhich once flourished in great grandeur. Falcons were formerly divided into birds of the noble and ijiferiorgrades. The former comprehended the gyrfalcon, the falcon, thehobby, the merlin, and the kestrel; the latter, the goshawk, andsparrow-hawk. The falcons destined for training must be captured young. Thosethat have been pro
. Reptiles and birds. A popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting. . 100 to 200 of these birds in the space of two months havebeen taken ; but this is only a feeble resuscitation of an institutionwhich once flourished in great grandeur. Falcons were formerly divided into birds of the noble and ijiferiorgrades. The former comprehended the gyrfalcon, the falcon, thehobby, the merlin, and the kestrel; the latter, the goshawk, andsparrow-hawk. The falcons destined for training must be captured young. Thosethat have been providing their own food, and have nearly reachedmaturity, are taken with a lure, which is generally a pigeon. Youngbirds which have just left the nest are called eyases; when rathermore mature, branchers; that is to say, birds about three months old,strong enough to hop from branch to branch, but incapable of flying FALCONRY, 583 or providing for their own subsistence. The latter are preferable toall others, as they are not so young as to require the care necessaryto the eyas, and are yet not old enough to have become Fig. 270.—Bewits. At a year old it would be nearly useless to attempt their education;they are then called haggards. The Falcon being naturally wild, violent^ and alike insensible tocaresses and chastisements, it can only be tamed by privations, suchas want of light, sleep, and food, andalso by constantly being cared for bythe same person. This is the founda->tion of the method which the falconerpractises. Supposing that a brancher has beencaught, its legs are first made fast inthe shackles, or bewits (Fig. 270), madeof straps of supple leather, terminatedby bells. Then the falconer, his handcovered with a glove, takes the falconon his wrist, and carries it about nightand day, without allowing it rest. Ifthe pupil is intractable, refuses to sub-mit, and tries to use its bill, the tamerplunges its head into cold water, andthus produces stupor in th
Size: 2892px × 864px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectrep
