THE ART AND PRACTICE
OF HAWKING

Falcons and Goshawk Weathering.

THE
ART AND PRACTICE
OF HAWKING

BY

E. B. MICHELL

WITH THREE PHOTOGRAVURES BY G. E. LODGE
AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS

METHUEN & CO.
36 ESSEX STREET, W. C.
LONDON
1900

TO THE

EARL AND COUNTESS OF WARWICK

AND ALL OTHER LOVERS OF HAWKING

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

BY THE AUTHOR

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PREFACE

Notwithstanding the large number of books, bothancient and modern, which have been written on the artof Hawking, it cannot be said that the English-speaking peoplegenerally have more than a very vague idea of the character ofthe sport, or the mode in which it was, and still is, conducted.

Yet, in an experience of Hawking which extends over morethan thirty years, the author has found that a great and increasingcuriosity, and even a real interest in the subject, prevails,especially amongst sporting men, who are in many notableinstances beginning to believe that hawks and their ownershave been unduly disparaged, and that there is more to besaid in their favour than has for the last two centuries beenimagined.

There has not been space in this volume to discuss the much-vexedquestion how far the use of hawks is compatible with thepreservation of game. But it may be said here, without anyreservation, that wherever experiments have been actually tried,Hawking has been found not to spoil but to improve the shooting.

The object of the author has been to describe as briefly aswas consistent with clearness the birds now chiefly used in thechase, and the manner of training and flying them. His hopeis that some of the sportsmen who read these pages may, inspite of the difficulties which they will have to encounter, resolveto give this old and honourable sport a trial.

The use of technical terms has been avoided as far aspossible; and those which could not be excluded have beenexplained in the text. When the reader is puzzled by anyword, a reference to the Index will direct him to the page wherethe meaning of it is given.

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CONTENTS