The booke of falconrie or havvking for the onely delight and pleasure of all noblemen and gentlemen : collected out of the best authors, aswell Italians as Frenchmen, and some English practises withall concerning falconrie / heretofore published by George Turbervile, Gentleman.

Of Hawkes Lyse.

Hauing hetherto spoken of such diseases and gréefes, as for the most part hawkes are troubled withall within their bodies: now remayneth that in few spéeches I shew you a re∣medy for vermine and Lise, a particular passion and affection that lighteth on the skin of a hawke, and specially about her head, the plye of her wings, and her traine: for indéede these lise and mytes doe chiefly raigne and lodge in those thrée parts of the hawkes, more than in any other.

Falconers doe vse to ridde these vile wormes and lise in the winter time by takfng of pepper beatē to powder two drams, of warme water one pound, or as much as will suffice, ming∣ling the pepper and water well together, and thē to pepper (as we terme it) or wash all her feathers with the saide lotion or bath, and specially those parts of the hawke whereof I spake before, where the mites and lise doe most haunt: which done, they set the hawke on a perch with her traine and backe to the Sunneward, holding in their hands a small stick, one handful

long, on the toppe whereof they fasten a péece of waxe, either red, or gréene, & with that (while the Hawk doth weather her) they take away the lise and mytes crawling vpon the fethers, so as before the hawk be throughly dried and weathered, what with the waxe and their own dropping away, there wil not be a vermine leff about the hawke. For the pepper and water doth so much disease them, as they are enforced to leaue their accustomed lodgings: then the heat of the Sun or fire, helps to make them shew themselues: and the waxe by cleauing to thē, vtterly and clearely rids the hawke of them.

I haue séene some Falconers adde vnto the pepper & water, a quantity of Stauesager, as an enemy to the lise and mites, by meane of strength and force that is in it: and I take it to be very necessary to be added in this medicine to the Pepper for the better dispatch of those vile vermines which doe so much vexe and annoy the hawke, as shée can by no means kéepe her selfe in good state whilest shée is incumbred with them.

You must remember to pepper you hawke in this maner as I haue shewed you in a very warm sunny day, when there is no wind at all blowing in the skie. But if by fortune you be enforced to doe it in another time when the weather is cold and the Sunne not shining, then must you set your hawke by the fire to weather her, and drie her feathers: but neither must the fire bée ouer hote, nor the gorge of your hawk towards the fire, whereof I haue giuen you aduertisement before, in those precepts which are to be obserued of a good Falconer. For if you set her with the gorge to the fire, no doubt shée wil receiue no small harme and inconuenience thereby, and for the most part death ensues of it.

In the Summer time you may dispatch your hawke of the lise & mites with Auripigmentum beatē into very fine powder, bestowing and sifting it betwixt the hawks feathers w^t your fingers, & specially in those places where they do most vsually haunt, alwayes hauing regard that none of the powder come into your hawks eyes for offending her. And after the bestow∣ing of this powder, you must in no wise bespowt her w^t water

(as some vse to doe) to the great hurt and mischiefe of those poore birds. For the bathing or spowting her with water, is a meane to make the powder to frette away, and consume the Hawkes feathers.

Some other affirme that Mint leaues boyled in water, to the consumption of a third part, bathing the Hawke therwith somewhat warm, wil dispatch the Lyse and Mites, but for my part I neuer approued this medicine, and therefore can say little of it.

Let these suffice as touching the peppering of lowsie hawks, for of all other plagues that be fall the Hawke, I account this the least, because they may most easily be destroyed, as dayly experience doth teach vs: and yet the remedies for them good to be knowne, because you shall seldom or neuer buy a Hawk from the Cage that is not lowsie, or set your hawke on a perch where a lowsie hawke hath stood, and shée shall bée assured to bée neuer a lowse the worse for it.