Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-01-25
FALCON FLYING
a SPORT IN WHICH WEALTHY
PE8sIANs INDUh0E.
How the Young ISoordish Mobiles
Fly Their Falcons After Wild
PiRoons-An American Bi-
oyclers Experience.

combined. Almost all the Persian no.
b!es and Koordish chiefs keep falcons,
and among their retaincrs may always be
seen the fatconer loafing about, with one
vi these birds resting OH little portable
perch, to which he is attached by means
OF tiny brass or silver chain.
Beside their use in their egitmato field
Of sport, the Keeping of falcons is con.
sidered sign of nobility. and SO many
well-to.do Persian gentlemen, who, in
these degenerate days of their country.
are altogether too indolent to care about
sport, still keep falcons for the sake of
the prestige It gives then.
Ono dry, on the Tabreez Plain in
Western Persiu, I fell in with q party of
young koordish noble, engaged in fly
ing their falcons after wild pigeons.
They were, of course, greatly impressed
with my novel modeo Of conveyance such
thing as a bicycle mover having been
seen in their country before. They in
vitetl me to accompany them us long as |
cared to do so, and prvmi,ed me rare
sport in return for riding back and forth
over asmooth stretch of gravel several
times OH my wheel for their amusement,
Their falcons, l observed, instead of
oc'ng hooded in the way practiscd by
European falconers, Ind their eyes
blinded in manner that impressed mo
AS being cruel.
Small holes had been bored in tho eve.
llds and threads of silk fastened there II.
The threads were passed over the ton of
the falcons head und tied SO that he
could not open his eyes. When the
European falcoper desired to make n
| hight he used to remove the hoods ::
he koordi h or Persian sportsman
simply 'ooscns the silk threads. Thus
the bird is permit ed to open his eyes,
and he tics after the game with the lit.
Tic silk threads streaming from his
pierced cyelids.
On all the plains Of Persia arc miles
and miles OF ancient, underground water.
bitches called Kanaats. The water is
conducted along these subtcrranean
passagc-ways from far-olf mountain
streams and springs to the cities on the
plains, chiefly to avoid the waste by
evaporation and absorption that would
occur In surface bitches i'm hot desert
country. The cour of such water
ways can always be traced by mounds
Of earth above the surface. which repre- =.
sent the excavations from perpendicular
shafts, at the bottom of which the CRY stall
water can be seen couIsing along toward
It's destination. The shafts arc man
holes Tor the purpose of readily clearing
but the channel of the Kannnts.
The kanaats are the resort of llocks of
wild pigeons, that descend the shafts in
search OF water, us well us to find cool
tetreat from the heat of the Persian sum-
II was III quest of pigeons thus in
vadlng the Kanants that the Koordish
talconers were turning their horses heads
toward long line of mounds when /
olned thcir company.
Excitement ran high rs we approached
tho kanant, for VIC had already seen
pigeons ascending and descending tho
shafts i'll the distance. When we arrived
near enough, two rctniners were sent on
IN advance to scare the pigeons out OF
their hiding places. This they would do
by throwing stones down the shafts.
The shafts were but hundred wards
apart, and when the farrashcs threw
stones and shouted down the shaft il
there were any pigeons there they would
iintter along the er-tunncl and fly vi
the next one.
We had not been ut the Kanaat above
five minutes when up flew brace oil
pigeons about hundred and fifty wards
away. AS the pigeons rose in the air,
a pair OF falcons, whose eyes Ind alrend y
been united, were turned loose after
them. With swift, eager fight they
gave chase and in short time were
winging their way in close, hot pursuit.
The pigeons appeared to become be-
wildered with terror, and instead OF
hastening away in stright, rapid flight,
| circled round and mounted in short. &C.
centric curves. Now mounting higher,
now diving swiftly downward. fitting
hither and thither, rs though in thor
terror they fancicd themselves sur.
rounded on all sides with hawks in
vengeiul pursuit, the pigeons tried to
elude their falcon foes. Like evil spirits
( logging their every movement, how.
ever, the eager birds of prey pursued
their game.
Sometimes falcon would seem TO lie
to have secured his victim, but the next
moment would find the pigeon again
with many yard of blue sky between
MIN and his enemy. and the falcon still
in hot chase after him. Once or twice
we saw the feathers fly, ana then we
| knew the end was not far off.
| Presently we saw one of the falcons
make short, hurried swoop, and the
next minute he was winging his laborcd
flight toward our party, bearing in his
talons one Of tho pigeons. The pigeon
was barely dead when he reached no
but one Of the Koords at once ripped
him IN and fed his quivering liver to
the orious falcon.
TIL other falcon still doggoGly pur
sued his prey, but he never brought IT
home. We saw the pigeon descend
with the rapidity of falling rocket.
stick to earth, and we saw tho faloon
swoop after it with that rapid cycloid
curve peculiar to birds of prey; but he
returned to us without the pigeon.
Some of The party were of the opinion
that the pigeon, in sheer desperation,
had flung himself recklessly headlone
from height of several hundred feet
into one of the Kanaat shafs, and thug
escaped. Others thought that he had
fallen dead, and, failing to overtako the
body in its fall through mid air, the fal.
con had disdained to pick the carcas,
up from the ground.
remained with the party for Oil hour
or two, and witnessed several other
flights, in which the pigeons were cap.
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