The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-19

which would ordinarily be applied TO Il.
Even the tail of the falcon has a hawking
term by which 4 Is known. II e not
cry other part has Its own peculiar name.
A glossary OF hawking terms looks like
the translation OF Assyrian cuneiform
characters or Egyptian hierogiyphics. His
tory, fiction and poetry have made per-
sons more or less familiar with the de-
scription Of the picturesque chase.
After the gayy plumed knights and
gorgeously attired ladies have ridden out
into the open. the falconers follow, bearing
the long square Of wood on which the
closely hooded falcons sit, waiting TO be
set free as soon as the quarry Is sighted.
When the hunting ground Is reached the
birds are transferred TO the wrists OF the
talconers, or IN many cases TO those or
the owners. The hands are guarded by
thick gloves TO prevent injury from the
sharp taions Of the falcon. The bird Is Sc
cured to the wrist by tesses, made of
strips OF leather fastened to its legs. AS
the game Is sighted the iesses are un-
fastened, the hood Is removed. and the
quick-eyed bird soon sees the quarry.
One swift sweep, then a lightning-like
stoop, and the falcon has struck It's prey
to the ground.
When the quarry was a heron or some
other strong hying, swift bird long chase
was usually run before the falcon made a
successful stoop. The heron always en-
deavors to KEEP above It's foe, and thus TO
avoid the deadly swoop OF the falcon As
they fly circling. one above the other un-
I'll they are lost In the clouds, the caval-
cade sweeps onward behind the pursued
and pursuer. Enthusiasm wakes higher
as the falcon, now the heron, Is on top.
The owners encourage their birds by
strange cries, which nevertheless have
soul inspiring ring which maddens with
excitement the hearers
''Yo-hup, yo-hup. yo-hup." and ''hi-
away, hi-away, hi-away," are among the
many cries heard. 'Hoo-ha-h -ha, hoo
ha-ha-ha," Is another expression consid-
cred to possess peculiar efficacy They all
sound like parts of a college cheer, but
when uttered by the lips OF some beautiful
Diana they probably possessed consider
able charm.
The falcon makes his stoop when he at
last surmounts the gallant heron, and both
come hustling to the ground. BY flashing
the lure before the falcons eyes the bird
rs soon replaced on wrist and the jesses
again contine It's legs until another quarry
/ Is sighted The lure is made of few fresh
wings tied together. at which the hawk
can bite without doing any damage. There
IS great difference between hawk and
q falcon. The former Is the short-winged
hawk, and the latter the long-wingcd
hawk. Falcons are the nobler birds, and
are used for herons and powerful birds
which would be too swift for the hawk.
Hawks are also called hawks ''of the
fist, and falcons hawks 'of the line"
The majority OF the hawks were bred
from nestlinBs and trained to hunt prey
under command. BY far the best birds
were those which were captured when full
grown and afterward trained They were
called passage. hawks, and were far
stronger and swifier than the birds reared
IN captivity. A good parallel may be found
III Nut uiltftlcE between the non OF the
desert and lion of Central park The man
who could train a passage" hawk to XIII
ana yet be under control was thought
much more of 800 years ago than the man
who could speak five or six languages and
was full 10 the brim with learning. Even
to-day first-class falconer can earn a
handsome income in England
There are many kinds of hawks, all used
In hunting. They range In size from the
tiny merlin, used for larlSs and small birds,
to the proud Jerfalcon capable of striking
to earth full-grown heron or crane. Some
| instantaneous photographs have been
| taken OF a hawk In the act of striking itg
prey. The photograph shows that the hawk
| In its lightning stoop strikes its hind claws
| into its victim and ploughs through the
feathers and flesh. The force of the blow
generally tumbles the unfortunate quarry
stone dead 20 the ground, or so cripples 1t
that its capture and dispatch are easy.
Some hawks, however, seize their prey In
The air or bind" as II Is technically
termed.
The velocity of hawks stoop is very
! great. 1t flies downward for a few strokes,
and then closing its wings, swoops on as
| victim with velocity three or four times
/ as great as the Nero force OF gravity
would give It. A hawk will often knock
! the head off a partridge in its stoop, as
clean as If II were cut with knife.
The decay of this sport IS principally due
/ to the gradual closing IN of land by fences
and hedges. For hawking, q clear sweep
Of fenceless ground is absolutely necessary
/ and the difficulty of obtaining this has
helped the pastime to fail into disuse. The
era Of firearms has, moreover made COM
paratvely easy the task Of killing winged
! game which was much more difficult gen.
erations ago. The sentiment to-day would
hardly tolerate the re-introductton of the
sport Many would find II essentially cruel
The Office Of Keeper of the Royal
News was recently abolished in Eng
| land. There was good salary attached to
| the post, though 1t has been a sinecure for
| over two hundred years.
/