The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-12-20
FALcoNsY
A sport That stIii Belongs TO tho L,fs
of tho Earth.

sport That stiii Belongs TO the L,fe
of tho Earth.
Most persons today think of falconry
as sport belonging to the picturesque
past-to the day when knights and
pages and fair ladies'. mounted on
steeds with rich trappings. their hood
ed hawks perched on their gauntleted
wrists. rode through green fields in
such a gaily moving rageant as poets
and painters loved to celebrate. But in
Chitrol, State on the northwestern
frontier OF India, under British suzer-
ainty, 1t is still the popular pastimc.
and the skilled Chitrali falconers think
nothing of training a wild bawk-the
widest of wild creatures-to obedience
and servlceabeness in fourteen days,
and have even been known to ac-
complish the feat in FIVE. Major II. l..
Kennon. who went hawking with
Shuja-ul-Mulk. the mehtar, or native
ruler, of the country. has recently de-
scribed the sport as he saw and shared
it,
The ground covered was wild and
preciptous. and the quarry. driven up
on the approach of the hunters by
beaters posted beforehand was the
chakor. n kind of fine, large native
partridge
almost as the first distant shouting
of the beaters reached us, yell of
Hail Hair Coming! ComingD and
garments wildly waved In the air
signalcd a single chakor. A stiff wind
was blowing down the valley, and he
passed out of gunshot below us at a
terrific pace. AS he went by. the
mehtar balanced and swung forward
the goshawk ON his fist and the bird.
with two strokes of her powerful
wings, was launched in pursuit.
"As she got under way the Chitralis
raised prolonged shout, and the excite
ment was so infectious we could barely
refrain from cheering her on ourselves.
We leaned over the wall to watch the
result. and were in time to see the fly
ing chakor brown ball 200 yards
away: but a bigger brown mass was
rapidly closing on it, and the two came
to earth together A falconer at once
plunged down the hill to retrieve the
quarry and take up the hawk
"The mehtar Immediately turned and
took a fresh hawk on his fist but
scarcely had he done SO when shouts
of Ham! Haniv MANY comingD came
from the stops. and covey flew down
the wind close below us. The mehtar
threw off his goshawk. and another
of the party a shaheen falcon.
"And now the game was at its height.
Cries of Hal! Hair or HAM! Hanir
followed each other in quick success
sion. and the chakor shot by in single
birds and coveys. One after another
the hawks were thrown off, and 1t
was magnificent sight to see the
great birds wheel round in the wind
and dart in pursuit AS each was
thrown OFF. a falconer dashed after
her at full speed to take up the hawk
if kill had been scored. or to call
her off If unsuccessful"
1t will be observed that these swift
hunters of the air were all "she."
Male birds. or tercels. are also em-
ployed. but never at the same time
with the female, because in the falcon
family the lady is unmlstakably the
better man. She is larger and stronger
and at least equally fierce; and in the
excitement of the occasion is too like
ly to mistake her neighbor's mate. or
even her own, for the quarry, and to
strike him down without allowing time
for explanations.