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.

The way and manner how to ympe a Hawks feather, howsoever it be broken or bruised.

SOmtimes it so falleth out that y^e fethers of a hawks wing, or train may be broken, whereupon it is both necessarie and néedefull, to set other like in their steades. Which feat wée tearme the ymping of a hawkes feather.

This may be done in foure seuerall manners and fashions after that the feather is broken.

For first, in the greater and huger sort of Hawkes, if a feather be broken one fingers breadth or thereabouts mith∣in the quill, then your next remedie is, to sheare it off with a payre of Syssers or sheares, to the end it may not cleane or riue any further. Then hauing prepared a like feather to the same of some other Hawke or Fowle, resembling the broken Feather: you must cut the quill off it, and so force it together, as it may enter the broken quill of the Hawkes feather, annointing it before you thrust it in, or séeme to place it for good and all, in the Gummie fatte of a Figge, the Yolke of an Egge, or some kinde of Semonde made of purpose, thrusting it very directly into the truncke and quill of the broken feather, and as wée may tearme it, graffing the one in the other. And to the ende

it may haue the better hold, and the faster stay, it shall not bée amisse to clynte or nayle them fast together with the point of a Partridge feather, taking the very toppe of it, and stripping away the Feathers on eyther side the webbe: and after that, making a small hole with a slender Néedle, so as it passe through both the quilles, as wel that which sticketh fast in the Hawkes wing, as the other borrowed and a∣dopted Feather, drawing through the hole made with the Néedle, the point of the Partridges feather to fill vp the hole againe. Which done, cut it off close by the Webbefinely on eyther side, and so will it stand very handsomely fast, and al∣most not to be discerned, but to bée the hawkes naturall Fea∣ther.

But if a Sarcell, a Flagge, or a Traine feather bée broken or sliued amid the Quill, so as another Feather ymped in him after the maner aforesaid, can well take no hold, or stand sure: Then shall it bée necessary to take a Iunyper sticke, or such like drie timber, and thereof to make a small sharpe Pegge so as it may enter the Quill, which done, dippe the one end of it in Glew, Semond, or the slime of the fishe, whome my Author tearmeth a Colpisce, the Germaines a Leymefische, (a fish as Gesnerus reporteth so soft and tender, as béeing sodde or fryed, he falleth all to a gellie, or glew, for which cause hée is detested greatly, and banished al mens tables.) Hée is headed like an Ape, and for that occasion (called of diuers Marmotum, as we may interprete it, a mar∣moset, or an Ape.) In the slime (I say) of this Fish, dyppe your Iuniper sticke, thrusting it into the broken quil, remē∣bring to place it so aptly as it may bee without the quill, of iust size to answere the length of the feather whē it was found, and vnbrokē. Then do put the other end likewise in the glew or se∣mond, conueying it by force into y^e quil of the fether which you haue gotten, so close as the one quill touch the other directly. After all this, fasten and clynt both the quils to y^e iuniper peg, w^t a Partridge his feather as before. And if it were so, as the

quill were sliued or rent, pierce it through with a néedle and thréed, and with the threed bind it hard to the sticke on both sides the quill, and it will hold very fast, and serue the hawks turne in her flight in stead of a naturall feather.

If a sarcell or other feathers be broken aboue the quill, to∣wards the point of the feathers two or thrée fingers breadth, you must cut it off w^t a sharpe penknife a slope, (and as they say) a swash, & then take another like feather to the same, cut∣ting it in like maner as you did the other, so as it may fit with the same feather both for length and cut. Which done, with an ymping néedle layde in vinegar and salt, so close them together as they may bee thought to bée one feather.

The last maner of ymping is, when a feather is not quite broken off, but bruised, and (as it were) but markt, so as it cannot be holpen and righted againe with warme water. In this case it shall be bether rather to cut away the feathers, one∣ly to cut away the nether part of the web, iust ouer against y^t bruised place, leauing the vpper part whole and vntoucht: then to take a long slender néedle like a Glouers néedle, and to thréed it, and bauing so done, to thrust the eye of the néedle being thréeded into the greater part of the feather towards the quill, forcing the point of it so hard with a thimble, as it may bée cleane hid in the feather, and no part of it to bée séene. Af∣ter that, ioyning both sides of the bruised feather together, where you cut the web, draw the thréed as hard & as straight as you can possible, so as the point of the néedle, by pulling off the thréed that hangeth out, may so farre enter the vpper part of the feather, as it may be halfe on the quill side, and the o∣ther halfe on the point of the bruised feather, which will strengthen the feathers maruailously. This done, cut off the thréede which was for none other purpose put there, but to draw the point of the néedle backe into the vpper part of the feather. (∵)

Notes

• The first way to ympe a hanke.
• The second manner of ymping.
• The third manner of ymping.
• The fourth & last man∣ner of ym∣ping.