The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1882-02-11
TRAINING HAWKS.
fMacminian's |

u hood - cap led oh his head, and he
is persuaded to eat his food while wearing
it, Aftera lesson or two he is induced
to wear it without objection, perceiving,
as he soon does in the hands of skillful
manipulation, that by enduring to be
hooded he is sure of substantial reward
in the shape of dainty morsel of food
All this while, even when he was at
hack, the young hawk has been wearing
"jesses," which are short strips of fine
leather or stout kid, fastened around the
ankles and hanging few inches behind.
Through some Sits in these straps is now
passed swivel, with a leash attached to
it, and by this leash the small and still
Withholding pupil is fastened to the
gloved fist. of his instructor. He is ''car-
red" for some hours among men, children,
dogs and horses, SO as to become accus-
toned to their presence, and by this
means, being by nature neither shy nor
ill.tempered, is soon manned" Or recon-
ciled to human society. 1t remains only
to break him to lure, and to ''enter' him.
First, the hawk, confined to his perch by
short string, is "called off" to piece
of food held in the hand; next to
lure" which consists only of sham
bird weighted with lead and baited with
food. At the second lesson the shorter
string is exchanged for long one and at
the next the hawk, free from all restraint,
is made to come hundred--two hundred
perhaps nearly half q mile--to the
swinging bunch of lead and feathers.
Here is a reclaimed" hawk; he can be
let fly when hungry in any open place,
and recovered as soon as his owner
pleases by the simple exhibition of the
lure" The process sounds simple
enough, and is so when once understood.
An experienced falconer will "take up" a
young merlin from hack, and have him
trained in three or four days. Beginners
will take longer, for they are sure to
make q mistake or two, and each mistake
throws the hawk back some twenty -four
hours. But q week, or at least a fort
night, ought to see the most obstreperous
and unmanageable of all young merlins
perfectly under command Arrived at
this stage, the hawk may be taken al
most at once to the stubbles or the moor.
side to make an essay at u lark. Very
probably he will at once fly off in pursuit,
if the place is favorable and he has good
start, with the lark between him and the
wind But to make sure it is well to feed
him for two Or three days before on lark;
killed or caught or his behoot, and the
wing and feathers with which the lure Ii
garnished will, of course, if the trainer il
wise, be those of the lark. The merlir
which has once started in persuit of ;
wild lark will do so again on the follow
ing day, whether he has been successful
or not at the first attempt. But he mus
be flown each time in tolerably favor
able place, so that out of his first few
flights one at least may be successful
With an occasional success he will perse
we're and improve, whereas repeated fail
ures will assuredly disgust and spoil him
As long as he continues to fly with alac
rity he will become each day more skiilfu
and more deadly. He will get to kno,
the enemies tactics and how to defea
them. He will become better ''footer
more clever at seizing the quarry in hi
talons-as we'll as stronger and bolde
flyer; and, it all goes wen and no feather
are broken, no colds caught and no othe
mistakes made, each merlin ought to ki
between the middle Of August, when h
begins work, and the end of Septembe
his average of about one lark day.
With all our boosted civilization "