Evening star., 1921-10-30

~ fashionable sports or customs
Of other times. falconry being
the training Of certain birds to
chase others.
Some nine species Of hawks and
falcons were employed, and we hear
Of the sport being pursued as early
as four hundred years before Christ.
SO that 1t Is one of the most ancient
on record.
1t is still In vogue in the vicinity Of
Abasheher. in Persia, the Bedouins Of
Sahara capturing large numbers of
birds to sell for this purpose.
The extent to which the sport pre-
vailed in olden timss iaay be imagined
when 1t is learned that in the year
1890 Kubla Khan. that famous Tartar
prince. owned no fewer than ten
thousand tame birds (falcons). When
hunting he rode an elephant. his men
forming a great circle. so that Kubla
Khan could enjoy the flight OF the
birds as they darted after their VIC
Tins driven into the air by the
| beaters
In the seventeenth century one Of
the kings of Persia was a famous
falconer. He owned at least 800
finely trained birds that were edu-
Gated to follow game Of large size.
as void boars, asses, antelopes and
foxes.
So thoroughly did these birds know
the work required of them that when
following q large animal they in
variably struck at its eyes, under
| standing that by binding it the hu-
man hunters could more readily effect
a capture.
The subject Of falconry was so i'm
portant that the strictest of rules
were formulated to govern 1t, and in
the time of Edward Ill of England
SO stringent were the laws that a
person who killed a falcon was put
to death, the law showing what a
demand there was for the birds by
royal sportsmen.
Falconry. or hawking. as it was
sometimes called, is known to have
been practiced in China as long ago as
500 BIC, and probably. according to
some authorities, 1t was known one
thousand years earlier than that. 1t
| was not. however, introduced into
Europe until about the middle of the
| ninth century, and for the seven or
eight centuries following it was ex-
clusively a royal sport popular in
the extreme.
The birds were in the greatest de-
mand by monarchs and knights. and
even ladies paid vast sums for famous
| birds possessing exceptional records
in the sport.
1t would seem to have been a very
| cruel sport. but 1T was probably not
more SO than our modern method of
n 10
| ton. 1t may be pointed out that some
| of our hunting dogs have been valued
as high as $4,000.
The game killed was not wasted.
and to train the birds and capture
| chem gave employment to thousands
living directly from the sport.
The falcon trainer was quite as i'm
portant a parsonage then as the
horse trainer or driver Of today, and
these men devoted their entire lives
| to the business and often accumulated
handed down from father to son for
generations.
| How these persons were appreciated
we learn in history
| 'In the court Of the King of Wales
says the historian. there were only
three officers of his household above
the master of the hawks. This per-
son occupied the fourth place from
the sovereign at the royal table, but
he was prohibited from drinking more
| than three times. lest he should be-
come intoxicated and neglect his
birds.
Not only had he the management
Of the hawks and of the people en-
ployed in the sport. but when he had
been very successful in it the king
was accustomed to rise up and re-
| ceive him on his entrance, and oven on
some occasions to hold his stirrup."
| In France the grand falconer was
an officer Of great Importance. His
! salary was 1000 forms, and he was
attended by fifty gentlemen and fifty
assistant falconers. Besides this. he
was allowed to keep 900 falcons for
vender of hawks in the kingdom pay
license. and, moreover. to pay him
fee on every falcon sold. The king
never rode out unattended by this
| oficer.
| In the time Of Henry VII the taking
Of an egg Of hawk or falcon was
punishable by Imprisonment for a
year and a day and a fine at the
| kings pleasure even II the eggs
or birds were on the offenders own
land. No one but the king or queen
! could use the peregrine falcon. a
yeoman the goshawk, a priest the
sparrowhawk, and a servant or at
tendant was obliged to confine him.
self to the kestrel.
/; From this 1t will be seen that the
! sport was most popular. and offered
much study to its devotees. 1t grad
ually fell into disfavor. however. per-