Evening star., 1935-12-15
December rs. 1885

Twas soon to see both the power and
weakness of the haggard. Heating
unhooded her and at once the power
full bird sprang into the air. Higher
and higher over the field she rose,
until she was no bigger than a butter
fly in the clear sky. There she hung,
waiting on" while the dogs moved
through the brush.
began to understand Howell's
oft repeated boast that no hunting
dog can equal falcon-dog AS these
pointers changed from field to field,
they would hesitate each time, looking
up to make sure the falcon was fol-
lowing. The haggard also understood
perfectly, and she followed every move
they made.
Suddenly, by the edge of an old
ditch. the dogs came to point. The
hawk. which had been waiting at a
tremendous height to command the
whole field, closed her wings and fell
for hundred feet or so. Then, OPEN
ing her sails, she fioated motionless.
Without needing a signal from
Howell. the dogs sprang the game as
soon as they saw the falcon had de-
cided on her pitch. Three pheasants
whirred up and flashed across the field.
At more than hundred miles an
hour. the peregrine was after them.
The pheasants turned in mid-air and
scattered, but she had picked her prey.
An old cock, flying low, tried to dodge
toward patch of woods. The falcon
was there before him. Then the terrible
thunderbolt stoop. blow we could
hear distinctly, and the pheasant
dropped in a mist OF feathers. his back
and ribs broken.
Keating whistled shriIly, but the
falcon ignored him. Making her
point" by swooping up over the
bushes where the rest of the covey
had vanished. she waited on for the
dogs to drive them out. The dogs,
nothing loath. rushed in again.
Heating whistled anxiously. He
knew that both dogs and falcon were
perfectly willing to go off hunting
together on their own responsibility.
An old crow broke from patch of
sumac bushes and made a desperate
rush for the woods. The peregrine
swept down toward him. This black
corn thief was beneath her notice, but
half contemptuously, she stopped.
The falcon missedl By terrific
bank, the wise old crow had avoided
her blow.
At once the angry haggard shot up
again, striving for the pitch, this time
in deadly earnest. But the crow was a
veteran of many seasons and knew
the ways of hawks. When the haggard
had completed the great curve that
should have brought her over the
crow, he was still a dozen feet above
his grim pursuer. flying desperately
upwards.
AS the falcon must be above her
quarry for kill. the swift bird again
tried to reach her pitch. Again she
found the crow still above her.
Due to his shorter wings, the smaller
bird was able to fly almost perpendi-
cularly upwards, while the falcon had
to rise in series of great circles. Each
one trying to get over the other. the
two birds "ringed" up until they were
pin pricks in the blue sky.
At last, the haggard turned, and
leaving the crow, began to fly in
great circle that would unquestionably
bring her to her pitch. The crow re-
allied the powerful, streamlined hawk
would beat above him. With a swift
bank, he rushed off toward patch of
woods far below. The hawk ignored
him, and steadfastly continued her
circle.
Then we saw the falcon come
around. So did the crow. He had man.
aged to get above the woods. and,
closing his wings, he fell like stone.
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