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.

How a man should manne a Sparow∣hawke, and make her fleeing.

FOr as much as Sparowhawkes are of sundry sortes of plumes, and sundry shapes and proportions, there are also sundry manners of manning them and making them, and there is much lesse paines to bée taken with some one, than with some other. For the more eager and sharper set that a Sparowhawke is, the fooner shall you winne her, and man her.

First to winne her to féede, rubbe her féete with warme flesh, chirping and wistling to her, and sometimes present the flesh vnto her beake, and if shée will not yet féed, rub her féet with a quick birde, and the birde will crye, and if the Sparowhawke doe seaze it with her féet, it is a token that shée will féede. Then teare off the skinne and feathers of the birdes breast, and offer it to the Hawkes beake, and shée will taste thereof. For a Sparowhawke which féedeth immedi∣atly after shée bée taken, doth shew that shée is eager, and hath good appetite. And you may giue her as much more at eue∣ning, yea and sometimes in the day time, so that shée be not gor∣ged first, but that shée haue put ouer her meat. When shée is thus well entred, & will féed when you chirpe or wistle to her,

then may you hood her with an hood that is large & déep inough, so that it neyther hurt nor touch her eyes when she will indure to be hooded and vnhooded, without bating, & that thée will feede hooded, then must you abate her meals, giuing her lesse meate, and féede her betimes in the morning when she hath endewed, (that is to say, when shée shall haue put ouer her meate, so as there remayneth nothing in her gorge,) then may you giue her a beaching in the day time, taking off, and putting on a∣gaine her hoode, to make her the more eager. For it will not bée amisse, to giue her a bitte or two of meate euery time that you hood her. When it is euening then sup her vp, giuing her the head or braines of a hen or pullet vntill the morning. And if you perceiue that shée is become very eager, then loose the threade wherewith shée is séeled, but let it be night first, and that shée haue séene backwards as before sayd.

If shée may abide Companie, yet watch her all that night that you vnseele her, to the end shée may also be accustomed to heare people speake, and be acquanted with them, and when you hoode her againe, giue her two or thrée bittes of meate. In the morning betimes, put a birde in her foote, whome if shée seaze hardilye, and plume thereon eagerly, then may you boldely take off her hoode, but if shée bate them, hoode her againe, and watch her vntill shée bée thorowly wonne and manned: but if shée féede well before company, and be∣come familiar and quiet before them, watch her no longer, but kéepe her on the fist some part of the night amongst company, making her to plume, giuing her now and then a bitte or two of flesh, and putting her hoode on and off there∣withall.

When you goe to bed, set your Hawke neare to your beddes head vpon some trestle or stoole, that you may wake her oftē in the night. Then rise before day, & take her vpon your fist, & off with her hoode, that shée may sée the people about her, & when shée beholdeth them, put a quick birde in her foote, as before sayd. When shée féedeth thereupon, hood her againe, giuing her

the rest of your bird hooded, and when it is further foorth day, you may looke whether shée haue any thing in her gorge, or not. If shee haue nothing aboue, giue her some little beaching, and beach her oftentimes before company, hooding and vn∣hooding her. But at night she should be alwayes vnhooded, that shée may see people, and become acquainted with them, gi∣uing her to féede of a Hen or Pullet. To heale the places where shée was seeled, to the end thée may sée the better: when thou goest to bed, holde her in a darke corner, & spirt a little Water vpon her head, that shée may frote her eyes against the pini∣ons of her wings. Then in the morning when shée perceyueth the day light, and hath warme meate ready vpon your fiste, and is cleane loosed that shee may sée both before, and behind her, and séemeth to bée familiar and bolde amongst people, then may you make her as before sayd. But remember that you giue her no plumage that day, in which you haue giuen her washt meat, yea and allow her no plumage vntill shée bée well manned. For vntill shée bée throughly manned, shée will not dare to cast. Then if you would throughly manne your Sparowhawke, and kéepe her eager, take her earely in the morning vpon your fist, and goe into some place where no body shall interrupt you, where first cause her to plume with her beake vpon some quicke bird, then vnseaze her, and set her vpon some thing, and reach her your hand, and shew her your fiste, giuing her a bitte or two thereof. And if shée come there∣vnto willingly, then call her againe morning and euening, further and further off, but euer before company, to acquaint her the better with them, fastning a long line or cryance vnto her limmes: if it be fayre weather, and that the Sunne shine, you should then proffer her the water, to the end shée may bathe her. Prouided alwayes in so doing that shée bee sound, well manned, and that she be not poore nor gorged. For ba∣thing is a thing which maketh a Hawke familiar and lustye. But remēber that alwayes after shée hath bathed, you giue her some liue birde to féede on, and alwayes when you call her

or féed her, you must chirpe with your mouth, or whistle, to the end shée may become acquainted with your whistle, and come therevnto. You must féed her amongst horses and dogs, to make her also the better acquainted with them. If shée haue flowen, and you would set her in the Sunne to weather, set her vpon the ground on some cudgell or truncheon, making her fast, and shee will alwaies loue the better to sit vppon the ground. After shée hath bathed, if you perceiue your Spar∣rowhawke lusty, you may flée with her the next day towards the euening, but first you must haue reclaimed her to come out of a trée, and called her to you sitting on horsebacke, béeing alwayes prouided of some Pigeon, or other quicke thing, to take her downe the more easily. For before a man flee with a Sparrowhawke, shée would be throughly well reclaymed by watching, carrying, féeding and plumming before people, that shee loue her kéepers fist, and his countenance, that shée can abide both horses and dogges, that shee be cleane within, as well skowred with washtmeate, as also with plumage, and that shée bée sharpe set, and well comming, as well from the pearch, as from off the ground, or out of a trée. (∵)