Furniture and Fittings
Before the intending falconer takes any preliminary steps even towards
becoming the owner of a hawk, he must make himself thoroughly familiar
with the necessary appliances which he will have to use, and first of
all with the hawk's furniture, or articles of attire and daily use.
The "jess" (or jesse) by which the hawk's feet are secured is a strip
of leather fastened round the leg, just above the foot. It is, of
course, of a different length, width, and stoutness, according to the
size of the wearer. For a peregrine or ger the same stuff may be used
as for strong riding or driving gloves; and the softer and more pliable
it can be, consistently with strength, the better. For a gerfalcon 8
in. is not too long. For a peregrine tiercel 6-1/2 in. is long enough,
and for hawks of intermediate size the length may vary according to
their proportions. In the case of the smaller hawks, from the female
sparrow-hawk to the tiny jack-merlin, the length for ordinary purposes
should be from 4-1/2 in. to 6-1/2 in. But when a jack-merlin is flying
ringing larks late in the season, or indeed at any time, and it is
important that he should carry the very smallest possible amount of
extra luggage, his jesses may be made out of a thin kid glove, well
stretched and greased, and need not be more than 3-1/2 in. long, by
1/4 in. wide, bulging out to 1/3 in. at the place where they encircle
the leg, and at the other end, where they are hooked to the swivel. In
all cases the jess is attached in the same way. After it has been well
stretched and greased, a short slit is made near the broader end of the
leather (see Fig. 1), and another a little farther down. The distance
between the two slits should be about the same as the circumference of
the hawk's leg--not greater, nor much less. This part of the leather
between the two slits is applied to the hawk's leg, and the shorter
end, being brought round the leg, is pushed through the second slit as
far as it will go. Then the longer end is in its turn passed through
the first slit and pulled tight. Some falconers pass the long end of
the jess through both slits before pulling it tight; but the reason for
this extra precaution has never been made plain. After the long end has
been pulled through--or before, if preferred--a hole is punched in the
leather at a short distance from the tip, and another and larger slit
is made for the purpose of attaching the jess to the swivel. But if the
hawk is destined, immediately after the jesses have been put on, to be
turned out to hack, this end slit is not required, and should never
be made, as it is possible that it might loop itself round some thorn
or other peg-like object, and hang up the hawk, causing her death or
some irreparable injury. Whenever a jess is released from the swivel,
it is a good plan, when there is time, to twirl up the end, rolling it
between the finger and thumb, so that the slit does not form a loop.
It is then less likely, in case of the hawk being lost, to lead to a
misfortune of the kind referred to.
[Illustration: HAWK'S FURNITURE, I.
1. JESS 2. BELL 3. HAWK'S FOOT WITH BELL AND JESS ATTACHED 4. BELL FOR
TAIL OF SHORT-WINGED HAWK 5. BEWIT 6. RING SWIVEL 7. SPRING SWIVEL
8. LEASH, SWIVEL AND JESSES 9. FALCONER'S KNOT 10. ATTACHMENT OF LEASH
TO POLE, PERCH OR CADGE]
Trained hawks always wear jesses. As soon as one pair is worn, and
shows signs of weakness, another pair should be put on; and after
they are attached, the old ones may be cut off with a sharp knife or
scissors and thrown away. Valuable hawks have been lost by the owner's
neglect to renew the jesses. Of course it usually happens that one of
a pair wears out before the other, and the breaking of the weakest
gives warning before the other has given way. But when one jess has
become so dilapidated as to be on the point of breaking, his fellow
will not be in a much better case, and a jerk caused by suddenly bating
at the block, especially when sitting there after a bath, may liberate
the hawk when you feel least prepared for such a mishap. The old
falconers seem to have almost always attached the ends of the jesses
to "varvels," which were small rings of silver, or other metal, upon
which often the name and address of the owner were engraved. Possibly
the jesses so used were very short, so that the risk of "hooking up"
did not arise. But the practice has long been abandoned by European
falconers.
Bells for trained hawks are of the greatest possible use. They betray
the whereabouts of the wearer, and save an infinity of time and trouble
when she has killed out of sight; and besides this, they proclaim to
every stranger who sees a lost hawk on the wing that she is private
property, and not wild. They are, practically, no impediment to the
hawk's flight, except in the case of the very smallest species; and
their sound probably augments the terror inspired in the quarry by a
stoop that has only just missed its mark. Bells have been used in all
countries from time immemorial. The best are now made in India; but
for the larger hawks, those supplied by Mr. Möllen, at Valkenswaard,
in Holland, are good enough, and very cheap. The European bells are
spherical, with a plain flat shank (Fig. 2), and those of Indian
manufacture are of the shape shown in the illustration (Fig. 3).
Anciently, silver was much used for bells for the more valuable hawks,
but the metal now used is chiefly brass. A good bell should be capable
of being heard distinctly on a still day more than a quarter of a mile,
even if lightly moved. The bell is attached to the hawk's leg by a
"bewit," which is fastened on in the same way as the jess. The bewit
is a small strip of leather shaped as in Fig. 5. It is pulled through
the shank of the bell until the latter is at the place indicated by
the dotted line near the middle. The shank is applied to the hawk's
leg above the jess, and the end (A) is passed round the leg and pushed
through the slit (B). Then the thicker end is pushed through the slit
at the thin end, and pulled till the ears or jags at the side have
come through the opening. These then act as barbs to prevent the end
slipping back, and the thin part of it can be cut off. Hack bells are
used not only to give notice where the hawk is, but also to serve as
a weight to handicap her when, at the end of her time of liberty, she
begins to chase chance quarry. They are therefore much bigger, in
proportion to the size of the wearer, than the bells used in the field.
A falcon's or tiercel's bell will not be too big for a merlin or jack.
Sometimes hawks' bells are even loaded with lead. A merlin which is
flying ringing larks does not wear bells, for it is impossible to get
any which are sufficiently light, and at the same time loud enough to
be of any use.
Short-winged hawks should generally be belled on the tail, and for this
purpose the bewits should be of a different shape, as in Fig. 4. The
aperture on each side of the bewit should be made to encircle the shaft
of one of the "deck" feathers, that is, the central feathers of the
tail, near to its base; and the double ends (C, C) should be lapped or
tied together with waxed thread, so that the fastening cannot slip from
its place.
Of course when it is intended to put on new jesses or bewits, the
hawk must be "cast," or held. And some considerable attention is
required to cast a hawk properly. To seize an unhooded hawk, especially
short-winged, and forcibly thrust her down on her breast would
constitute, in her eyes, a deadly and perhaps unpardonable offence. To
meddle with her when she has a full crop would be a great mistake. A
time should be chosen when she has little or nothing in her crop. She
should be hooded and held on the fist, while on the "operating table"
is placed a cushion and the apparatus required, including tweezers and
a sharp penknife. Then a silk handkerchief, once folded, can be thrown
over the hawk's shoulders, and the falconer's assistant, standing
behind the hawk with his hands over her back, the thumbs close to her
back-bone, will, with a quick steady lowering of the palms, grasp her
firmly round the body, with the fingers enclosing the sides of her
wings and thighs. Lifting her off the fist, he must deposit her on
the cushion, holding her down steadily on her breast. A man should be
employed for this purpose who is not likely to be nervous or flurried.
The jesses are made fast to the swivel when the hawk is not intended to
fly; and swivels are of two kinds. The safest (and the most troublesome
to put on and take off) is the ring-swivel (Fig. 6), consisting of a
double ring in the shape of a figure 8, each end working freely on a
pivot which keeps the two rings close together. It is made of brass
or iron, and very good and cheap ones are to be had from Mr. Möllen,
of Valkenswaard, in North Brabant. To attach the ring-swivel to the
jesses, pass the end of one jess from right to left through one of the
rings, and, after it is through, pass both rings through the slit in
the jess, and pull tight. When the first jess is fast, pass the end
of the other jess through the same ring upon which the first jess is
fastened, but in the opposite direction, from left to right, and then
pass the two rings through the slit as before. The second jess will
pull up tight over the first, and both will be fixed firmly at the
outer end of the same ring.
To get the ring-swivel off, the extreme end of the jess which was last
put on must be pulled until that jess becomes slack enough for the two
rings to be passed through it, or, in other words, for the opening in
the leather to be pulled over the rings, and, this being done, it will
come away at once. After releasing one jess, take care to hold it tight
between the fingers of the left hand while freeing the other jess.
Otherwise, if the hawk is fidgety and jumps off, she may jerk the other
jess out of your hand, and go off bodily, leash and all, into the next
parish.
Spring-swivels (Fig. 7) are very handy contrivances for use in the
field, but not so safe for a hawk when sitting unhooded on the perch
or at the block. They are shaped like the swivel by which watches are
usually attached to a watch-chain, and must be so made as to turn
quite freely on the pivot. To attach them to the jesses, nothing more
is required than to press the side with the thumb-nail, making the
spring yield, and then hook the curved end through the slit in both
jesses, after which the spring is released, and the jesses remain
encircled by the metal. Only, if the spring is stiff or does not work
properly, there will be disasters. The unhooking process is of course
even more easily and quickly effected.
The leash can now be attached to the swivel. And leashes, again, may
be of two kinds. The orthodox leash for peregrines and big hawks is
a strip of tough leather, about half an inch wide, and a yard long,
provided with a stout button at one end, which is made in the following
way:--In cutting the leash, three inches or so at one end are cut
rather broader than the rest of the strip. This broad end is then
rolled up tightly by doubling it over and over upon itself. After the
broad part has been rolled up, a hole is punched right through the
roll, and the other end of the leash, which is tapered to a point, is
pushed through and pulled tight. A sort of square button will thus be
formed at the thick end of the leash (Fig. 8); and if the thin end of
it is passed through the outer ring of the swivel--that ring to which
the jesses are not attached--it will run right through until the ring
encounters the button, which is too big to get past. The whole length
of the leash is then available for the purpose of tying up the hawk to
her block, or to a peg in the ground.
There is a right and a wrong way about even so simple a matter as tying
up a hawk. Blocks and pegs ought always to be provided with a ring or
staple, round which to tie the leash; and it should be tied in what is
called a falconer's knot, which can easily be negotiated with one hand.
To begin with, pass the thin end of the leash through the ring. Then
make a loop in the part which has gone through the ring, and pass the
loop round that part of the leash which has not gone through the ring.
Pull tight, and the leash will assume an appearance resembling that
shown in Fig. 9. Next pass the end (A) through the loop (B), and again
pull tight. It will be impossible for any strain upon the leash at C
to undo the knot. And when it is desired to undo it, the end (A) can
easily be picked out with the fingers through the tightened loop (B),
and a simple pull upon A will then undo the whole fastening.
For attaching hawks to the screen-perch, a sort of double falconer's
knot is required for fastening the two ends of the leash round
the pole. But it is learnt with the greatest ease. Nothing more is
necessary than to take the two ends of the leash--the thick and the
thin--and pass one over and one under the pole. Then tie them together,
just as if you were tying a black necktie, except that you make only
one bow instead of two. Let this one bow, when the knot is pulled
tight, be about four inches long; and through the loop formed by it
pass the two ends of the leash, which will naturally be found on the
reverse side of the knot (Fig. 10). When the hawk is carried on the
fist, the ends of the jesses, the swivel, and button of the leash will
often lie in the palm of the left hand. The leash will hang down for
some inches, perhaps a foot, and then, forming a loop, be gathered up
to the little finger, round which the lower part, a few inches from the
thin end, is wound for the sake of extra security.
Smaller leashes in the same style, but made of less stout leather, can
very well be used for the smaller hawks, and usually are so. But when
these hawks are doing a great deal of flying, as they should, and doing
it twice a day, the trouble of constantly unfastening the ring-swivel
from the jesses and fastening it on again becomes very tiresome, and
even vexatious; and it is a common practice to use spring-swivels
permanently. The outer ring of these (unless they are made specially)
is too small to admit the passage of a flat leash; and it will be found
more convenient to use thongs shaped like a porpoise-hide boot-lace.
In fact a long leather boot-lace makes about as good a leash as can be
wished for. The function of the button is fulfilled by a simple knot
tied in the end of the lace. Or in order to save still more time, the
lace may be permanently attached to the spring-swivel in the manner
shown in the diagram (Fig. 25). By making the knot an inch or two away
from the ring of the swivel, instead of close up to it, enough length
of tether is left, when the leash is tied round the pole, to enable a
merlin or sparrow-hawk in short "racing jesses" to shift about a bit on
the perch.
The proper place for a hawk, when not out of doors, is the screen-perch
(Fig. 23). The bar on which the hawk stands may run from wall to wall
of the hawk-house, or, if this is not convenient, it may be supported
on arms or brackets reaching out from the wall to a distance of not
less than 30 in. for a big hawk, or 2 ft. for a little one. Where this
arrangement is also impossible the bar may be supported at each end on
a post or tressels so securely fastened or weighted that they cannot
be upset or moved out of place. Round the bar, which should be of
wood, is wrapped a padding of baize or other soft stuff, and over it
a covering of canvas stretched very tight. The canvas may be nailed
to the pole, or stitched together, on the under side. A screen, or
curtain, of canvas must be attached to the under side of the perch, and
hang down from it for more than two feet, to form a sort of ladder, by
which any hawk may climb up again as often as she bates off and hangs
by her leash and swivel. The ends of this screen may be kept down with
weights attached to it, or stretched by a sort of guy ropes from the
lower corners, so as to keep the whole flat and taut. In perches for
small hawks, the same canvas which is rolled round the pole is often
allowed to hang down and form the screen. In this case slits or holes
are made in the canvas just below the pole, through which the leashes
may be passed when fastening the hawks to the perch. A space of at
least 2 ft. should be left between each big hawk and that which stands
next her on the perch; and 18 in. between each of the small ones; and
there should be rather more space between the end hawk and the wall or
the bracket of the perch, whichever it is.
Underneath the perch must be spread a good thick layer of sand or
sawdust, extending in the case of peregrines and gers for a good yard
on each side of the perch, and about 18 in. in the case of the smaller
long-winged hawks, to catch the mutes. As for short-winged hawks, the
layer must be very much farther extended, and in the case of goshawks
should reach at least three yards from the perch. And if the perch is
near a wall, the wall itself must be protected by a shield of paper,
or other cheap material which can be changed every other day, for
these hawks "slice" to a very great distance almost horizontally. The
sand or sawdust must either be removed daily, or at least freed from
the mutes which have fallen into it. In or near it will also be found
the "castings," or pellets of refuse feathers and other indigestible
matter thrown up by the hawks. These castings should be looked for
every morning by the falconer, and each one should be examined before
it is thrown away, as it is by the appearance of them, as will be seen
later on, that the state of health of each hawk is to a large extent
ascertained. Both castings and mutes, with the sand or sawdust adhering
to them, should, when collected, be immediately removed from the
hawk-house. A dirty or ill-smelling room is not only a disgrace to the
falconer, but injurious to the inmates, which, though possessed of no
sense of smell, require the purest possible air to breathe.
[Illustration: HAWK'S FURNITURE, II.
BLOCKS AND PERCHES
11. PLAIN BLOCK FOR LONG-WINGED HAWK 12. BLOCK FOR SAKER, MERLIN, ETC.
13, 14. IMPROVED BLOCK FOR LARGE AND SMALL HAWK 15. SPIKE FOR BLOCK
16. RING PEG 17, 18. BLOCKS WITH CORK TOP 19. FIELD BLOCK 20, 21.
BOW-PERCHES 22. CRUTCH-PERCH 23. SCREEN-PERCH]
For out-door service, blocks are used for the long-winged hawks, and
bow-perches for the short-winged. Blocks are of various shapes, as
shown in the illustration. The simplest are made of mere chunks of
tree or sapling sawn off level (Fig. 11), and having a staple of iron
or brass driven into the top or at the side, to which to attach the
leash. They should be from 8 inches to a foot in height for a peregrine
or ger, and for all other hawks of such a height that when the hawk
is standing on them her tail may just clear the tops of the blades of
grass. A high block is not good; for then the leash, if it is not to
catch in the shoulder, must be a long one, and when the hawk bates she
will be brought up with a too sudden jerk as the leash tightens. For
the smaller falcons--hobbies, merlins, and kestrels--as well as for
sakers and lanners, the block should always be larger at the top than
at the bottom, so that it may not be fouled on the sides with the mutes
(see Figs. 12, 14). It is a very good plan to have a groove made round
the body of the block, and to have a metal ring fitted round it, so
that it will run freely in the groove. This hoop of metal may be looped
out into a smaller ring on one side, to which the leash may be tied
(see Figs. 13, 14). As the hawk jumps off to one side or the other the
ring will run round; and thus all risk is avoided of the leash getting
hitched up or wound round the block. A spike (Fig. 15) is firmly fixed
into the middle of the base of the block to hold it fast in the ground.
Of course a block which is larger at the base than on the top may be
used without a spike, and without any ring or staple in it, if the
leash is fastened to a ring-peg (Fig. 16) in the ground. But even if
this peg is driven in on the windward side of the block, that is, on
the side towards which the hawk is pretty sure to bate off, the risk
of entanglement is not wholly avoided; and a hawk so attached should
not be left alone for long. The top of the block should be covered with
cork (Fig. 17), or it may be padded and covered with leather. But in
the latter case it must not be left out in the rain. Wood is too hard
for hawks to stand on for any length of time, and is apt to give them
corns or sore feet. No hawk should be allowed to stand on a wet block.
A simple and not a bad plan for making merlins' blocks, is to saw off
a chunk from a pole or tree branch, about 2-1/2 in. in diameter and 5
or 6 in. long. Into one end insert a spike, and on to the other nail
a 4-in. or 5-in. bung (Fig. 18). A 4-in. metal curtain-ring, measured
from outside to outside, can be placed on the ground and the spike
driven into the earth in the middle of the ring, which will run freely
round the block when the leash is attached to it. Care must always be
taken to drive the block well home to the ground, or the leash may
get jammed under its lower edge, and cause a dire mishap. Fig. 19 is
a little field block which I use for merlins. It can be carried in a
side-pocket when out on the open downs. After one of these little hawks
has done her day's flying, or before her turn comes, instead of putting
her, hooded, on the pole cadge, her leash is made fast to the looped
creance, which comes from a ring in the top of the block. The spike is
driven into the ground in a sheltered spot, and the hawk is deposited
on the top of the pigmy post, where she will sit, if not exactly "like
patience on a monument," at least more comfortably than if merely
pegged out on the prickly grass or still more uninviting stubble.
Bow-perches for goshawks and sparrow-hawks may be made by simply
bending a length of yew or other tough wood into the shape of an arch,
and sticking the two sharpened ends into the ground (Fig. 20). A more
elaborate apparatus made of iron, with three spikes and a padded top,
is shown in Fig. 21. In any case it is proper to pad the uppermost part
of the arch. The ring for the leash runs loosely on the outer frame of
the perch. The crutch-like perch shown in Fig. 22 is simple, and has
its merits. Probably for an eagle it is the best resting-place that
could be provided. When fixing up bow-perches or crutch-perches care
should be taken that they are placed broadside on to the wind, so that
the hawk as she takes perch on them may directly face the wind. It is
perhaps needless to say that for an eagle the spike should be very
long, and hammered deep into the ground.
The hood, or to speak more exactly, the hood proper, is an article of
attire with which every educated person is vaguely familiar. The exact
shape is shown in Fig. 24. It is made of stiffish leather, fashioned
on a wooden block made of the size and shape of the hawk for which
it is intended, and stitched together. Some amateurs have arrived at
a certain proficiency in making their own hoods. Captain Salvin, for
instance, could manufacture very good ones. But such excellent hoods
can be obtained from Mr. Möllen, for all sorts of hawks, at so small a
price, that it is scarcely worth while to be at the trouble of making
them. The hooding of hawks is an art in itself, and will be referred
to in a later chapter. When the hood is well on the hawk's head and
the beak well through the opening in front, the longer and thinner
of the braces at the back (A, A) are pulled apart, and the back of
the hood is thus drawn tight, so that it is impossible to remove it.
The shorter and stouter ends are pulled when it is desired to slacken
the fastening, so that the hood can be taken off by lifting the plume
forwards. Usually each of these operations is performed with the aid of
the right hand and the teeth. As the hawk stands on the falconer's left
fist with her tail outwards over his knuckles, he takes hold with his
right finger and thumb of the brace which is on the hawk's left side,
and then catches hold with his front teeth of the brace which is on the
hawk's right side. A sharp pull brings the ends apart, and the hood is
braced up or slackened, as the case may be. Before any hood is ever put
on, the falconer should remember to look inside it to see that no dust
or dirt or stray feathers or anything else has found its way in, and it
is as well to blow a puff of air into it to clear it of any particle of
dust.
[Illustration: HAWK'S FURNITURE, III.
24. HOOD-PROPER 25. SPRING SWIVEL AND LEASH FOR SMALL HAWK 26, 27.
DOUBLE RING LEASH 28. BRAIL]
The rufter-hood is made of much softer leather, with no plume, and a
simpler fastening. It is used for newly-caught hawks, and hardly need
be described in detail, as before the beginner has occasion for it
he will have learnt more about hoods than can be taught in any book.
Indian hoods are also made of softer leather, with a different and
smaller plume. They are fastened by braces which run round the lower
side, passing in and out of the leather and working by friction.
This completes the list of ordinary hawk's furniture. But there are
a few other appliances with which the beginner must become familiar
before he can undertake to train, or even to keep, a hawk.
A brail (Fig. 28) is a sort of manacle for an unmanageable hawk, which
keeps on bating and fidgeting with her wings. It consists of a narrow
strip of fine soft leather, having a slit two or three inches long
down the middle. Into this slit is inserted the pinion joint of the
hawk's closed wing. The upper end of the brail will then of course
extend upwards over her back, and the lower will hang downwards by her
side. Now take the upper end and pass it down under the under part of
her wing between it and her ribs. Pass the lower end in the contrary
direction upwards under the under side of the same wing. The two ends
will now be pointing in the opposite direction to that first described.
Next bring them together on the outside of the wing, and tie in a
plain bow-knot, making the bows very short and passing the single ends
through them. The hawk will be unable to open the wing, which will be
to all intents and purposes as useless to her, as long as the brail is
on, as if all the flight feathers in it had been cut.
A bath must always be offered to a trained hawk at least twice a week,
and oftener in fine and warm weather. And it is not a thing which
can always be improvised very easily. The best baths are sunk in the
ground, so that there are no upstanding sides round or under which a
leash can get entangled. But of course, unless great care is taken,
the ground round the edges of such a bath is apt to become slushy and
dirty, if much used. Whenever it is impossible to sink the bath in the
earth it is necessary that some person should be at hand when the hawks
are bathing, so that if the leash gets entangled he may come to the
rescue.
Many hawks have a tiresome way of jumping on and off the sides of the
bath, and running round it--in fact, as Winchester boys say, "funking
on the bank"--in complete oblivion of the fact that they are thereby
hitching up their leashes. For such hawks it is best to take off the
leash and substitute a creance three or four yards long, attaching the
end of this to the block on which they are deposited at the side of the
bath. All baths should be of a sufficient size. For gers they should be
nearly a foot deep at least, and well over a yard in diameter. For the
smallest jack-merlin they should be not less than four inches deep. A
hawk will not fully enjoy her bath unless she can wade into it, if she
chooses, up to her shoulders and over. In shallow water she is more or
less uncomfortable. Like Alexander the Great, in the small world of
antiquity, _æstuat infelix angusto in limite_; and her back and the
nape of her neck are never properly wetted, however much she may splash
about in the endeavour to throw the water over them. The bath should be
tilted up, so that it is shallower at one end than the other, and the
bather may get in, if she chooses, at the shallow end, and wade out as
far as she likes towards the other. According to immemorial custom a
few pebbles should be thrown in to lie on the floor of the bath. When
the weather is very cold, a cup or two of hot water may be added, to
take off the chill; and if the water used is taken from a deep and cool
well it should be allowed to stand for some time in the sun before
being put out for the hawks. Cemented basins in the ground make, of
course, capital bathing-places. But they are troublesome to keep clean,
and even to empty; and the surrounding edges are likely to become
small quagmires. Perhaps the most serviceable bath is a common flat
bedroom bath, sunk into a cavity in the ground, and removable at will.
A pretty tall block or for short-winged hawks a bow-perch, should be
placed near the bath, so that the bather, having finished her ablutions
may at once jump on to it.
In some places it is possible to indulge the hawks with a natural
bath. When there is in the neighbourhood a stream of clean water with
a sandy or gravelly bottom and shelving banks, the hawk may be carried
down to a suitable part of the bank, the block set up, and the creance
attached. She may be left on the block while the falconer retires to
a short distance, and will come back, when bathed, to her post. After
the bath, every hawk should remain out, bareheaded, for about an hour,
in the sun, if possible. She will busy herself first in spreading her
feathers to the sun and wind, and then in pluming and arranging them--a
work exceedingly agreeable to those hawks which are particular about
their own appearance.
The lure will be more particularly referred to later on. It may suffice
to say here that it is a rough imitation of some bird--or, if the hawk
is to be trained to ground-game, of some beast--used as a bait to which
the hawk is taught to come for food. It is attached to a strong cord
or thong a yard or more long, and sometimes to a swivel. It is the
invariable companion of the falconer in the field, though never allowed
to be seen by the hawk, except when she is required to come to it. The
lure should be a sort of magnet, operating to draw the hawk towards it
as surely as iron will attract a magnetised needle.
A cadge is a most necessary apparatus when a man is the possessor of
more than one hawk. The orthodox and historic cadge--such as one sees
in representations of _As You Like It_ on the stage, or, as once I
remember, at a Lord Mayor's Show--is a circular or square or oblong
frame of wood, three or four feet across, having straps by which it
can be suspended from the shoulders of a man, who in classic phrase
is termed a "cadger," and who stands or walks in the middle, with the
frame surrounding him. At each corner of the frame is a small jointed
leg, which can be hooked up when the cadge is being carried, and let
down when it is to be deposited on the ground. The bars which form the
body of the frame are padded on the top, and on these stand the hawks,
hooded of course, and fastened by their leashes to the frame. The man
with the cadge (whom in these days you will not address by his right
title, unless you wish him to give you a month's notice) will, if he
is a sharp fellow, so carry the cadge that all or most of the hawks
upon it face the wind. On windy days--and at rook-hawking time it is
mostly pretty windy--the cadge should be rested as much as possible
under the lee of some shelter, generally a rick. All hawks very much
detest a wind; and should not be unnecessarily exposed to it. In fact,
trained hawks must be, in this and in all other things, whether at home
or in the field, subjected to as little vexation and annoyance as can
be. Like other creatures, they have tempers of their own--sometimes
very queer ones; and they have enough to put up with, as it is, when
trained, without any extra trials that can fairly be spared them. A
cadge is shown in the illustration.
A still greater luxury for the field, especially in rook-hawking, is
the hawk-van, which is a sort of omnibus, fitted with screen-perches,
and hung on very easy springs. In it are conveyed the hawks which are
not for the time being in use, and also spare lures and other furniture
and properties, not forgetting the luncheon-basket. Such a vehicle
will be too pretentious, as well as too costly, for most private
individuals, but it is used successfully by the Old Hawking Club, whose
excellent arrangements and methods of training and managing hawks will
be repeatedly noticed in these pages.
The box-cadge is a very simple apparatus used for the transport of
hawks by train or other wheeled conveyance. It is nothing more than a
frame resembling the body of a box--very often a box itself--without
the lid. The four upper edges of the sides are padded to form perches.
Holes are bored in the sides an inch or two below, through which the
leashes can be passed and made fast. In the bottom of the box is
sawdust to catch the mutes; and the hawks are put on, as naturally they
would be, facing outwards, with their tails towards the inside of the
box. You will be surprised, if you have never seen it tried, how small
a box will accommodate six or eight great big hawks sitting in this
simple fashion. By the bye, the box-cadge should be heavily weighted,
to prevent upsetting or jolting, in case any hawk should unluckily bate
off.
[Illustration: CADGE WITH PEREGRINES]
The writer of these pages has invented an apparatus which may be called
a pole-cadge, and will attempt to describe it, because in his own
experience he has found it very useful and handy, especially for small
hawks. It consists of a plain pole--a broom-handle does very well--over
which a single or double fold of green baize is stretched and fastened.
About nine inches from each end of the perch thus formed, stout wire
is firmly twisted round it, and the ends of the wire are allowed to
project at an angle of about 90, from one another downwards. When the
perch is being carried, it is simply grasped by the middle in one hand;
and when it is desired to put it down, the four ends of the wire are
rested on the ground, or pushed into the earth if it is soft enough.
The hawks are, of course, attached by leashes tied round the pole, as
if they were on the screen-perch; and four can be accommodated with
the greatest ease on a short stick--one near the bearer's hand on each
side of it, and one near each end of the pole. A long stick would hold
six or eight hawks. There is no reason that I can see why a stouter
pole should not be used for big hawks. The advantage of this over the
ordinary and time-honoured cadge is that all the hawks, if properly
placed, must necessarily face the wind, and need never stand sideways
to it. The pole-cadge can also be picked up and set down much more
quickly. And for carrying hawks when driving in a dogcart or riding on
a bicycle--a not impossible feat in these days--this form of cadge is,
I think, unsurpassable.
Hawking-gloves, for wearing when a big hawk is on the fist, are
gauntleted half-way to the elbow, and made of buckskin or very strong
leather. They should, of course, be kept clean and dry. For the smaller
hawks a two-button dogskin glove is strong enough, and preferable. Some
hawks, when they are very sharp-set, or fidgety and in a bad humour,
will pick and tear at the glove or perch in a tiresome way, and even
tear it to pieces after a while. A cure for this is to rub the exposed
part of the glove or perch with onions or a solution of alum, the taste
of which will generally soon disgust the offender with that bad habit.
Very often, however, it is good to provide such a hawk with a very
tough piece of "tiring," such as the bare pinion of a goose or fowl,
upon which to expend her superfluous energy. Worn gloves should not be
patched or mended, but replaced by fresh ones. A glove which has once
become thoroughly greasy or sodden should be regarded as spoilt.
Mews, or hawk-houses, are more particularly described in Chapter XIII.
They should be absolutely free from draughts, and not liable to get too
hot in summer or too cold in winter. The doors should fit well, and
be kept locked as a rule; and the windows should all have well-fitting
shutters. They should be ventilated at the top, and be kept bare of
furniture and rubbish of all kinds, and scrupulously clean. The windows
should by preference face towards east and north. And in hot climates
there should be a verandah outside, and double roof above.