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 you shall manne a Falcon, and bring her out of her ramage∣nesse.

SOme say, that the soare Falcon which hath béene timely taken, and hath already passed the seas, is both the best Fal∣con, & also the hardest to be wone & māned. Wherfore obseruing the order which is before rehearsed, you must féed such a falcon w^t good & warme meats (as pigeōs) & such like quick birds vntil

shée be full gorged twice a day for thrée dayes. For you must not breake her of her accustomed dyet all at once, and being lately taken, shee will more willingly féede on warme meats, than any thing else. When you féede her, you must whoope and lewre as you doe when you call a hawke, that shée may know when you will giue her meat. You must vnhoode her gently, giuing her two or thrée bittes, and putting on her hood againe, you must giue her as much more. But take héed that shée bée well and close séeled: three dayes being passed, if you perceiue her to be eager and gréedy of meat, and that shée fée∣deth with good appetite, then beginne to abate her her meat, that is to say, giue her but little at once, and often, so that shée haue not much aboue at one time, vntill it be Euening, and beare her late vppon your fist before you goe to bedde, set∣ting her vppon a trestle or stoole very neare you, so that you may wake her often in the night. Afterwards you should take her on your fist againe before day, with some quicke bird or such like meate: and when you haue obserued this order with her two or thrée nights, and that you perceiue shée beginnes to bee much better fellow than shée was woont, and that shée séemeth to beginne to bée reclaymed, and fée∣deth eagerly vppon good meate, then beginne to change her di∣et, giuing her often, and little at once, the heart of an Hogge or a Shéepe. In the Euening when it beginnes to bee late, (without casting of her) lette her féeling thread a little loose, spowting water on her face, that shee may ieouke the lesse, and watching her all the night, hold her vppon your fiste vnhooded. But if shée sée any thing that mislikes her, and make semblance to bee afeard, then let her bee car∣ryed into some darke place, where you haue no more but light to hoode her againe. And afterwardes giue her some beaching of good meate, and let her bee watched diuers nights together, vntill shée bee reclaymed, and Ieouke vpon the fiste by day time, although to let her Ieouke also some∣sometimes

in the night, is a thing maketh her the sooner man∣ned. In the morning by breake of the day, let her haue some warme meat to beginne with.

And because there be sundry Falcons of sundry sortes and conditions, as some mewed at large in the Woodes, some other taken at stand, where they haue long vsed, and some other taken soare Hawkes (whereof we now treate) whether they be Soare-hawkes, Mewed, or Nyasse, yet are they of sundry natures and properties, and therfore they must be di∣uersly gouerned and entred, which is the cause that it is hard to giue generall Rules. For those which are Gentle, easie to be reclaymed, and of a good kind and nature, ought also to bée the more fauoured, and the more gently handled. But when your Hawke is brought to the poynt before rehear∣sed, as well for the hooding, as also for her eagernesse to féede, if you peceiue that shee beginne to be acquainted there∣with, you may vnhoode her by day time, farre from com∣pany, first giuing her a bitte or two of good meate. After∣wardes hoode her againe gently, giuing her a little meate a∣gaine hooded.

Aboue all thinges you must beware to hoode or vnhoode her in any place where shee may bée frayed, for that were able to marre her at the first. When shée beginneth to bee acquainted with Companye, if you perceiue that shee bée eager or sharpe set, vnhoode her, and giue her a bitte or two of meate, holding her right against your face and countenance. For that will cause her to dread no company. And when it is night, cut the thread wherewith shée is seeled, and you shall not néede to watch her, if you perceiue her bold inough a∣mongst company. But yet let her be set vpon a trestle by you, that you may awake her two or three times in the night, and take her on your fist before day. For ouerwatching of a Hawke is not good, as long as a man may reclayme her other∣wise.

And if by such good gouernment, and by dealing courteous∣ly with her, and keeping her from sodayne feare, you perceiue that she beginne to be acquainted with you, and to know you assuredly, and that shée feedeth eargerly, and sucketh to her meate before company, then giue her washt meate, and beach her in the morning, so that shée may alwaies haue somewhat in her gorge: which meat you shal lay in cleare water halfe a day, and you shall cause her to féed in company, giuing her in the morning about Sun rising the wing of a Hen or Pullet, and at euening, hooding her againe, take the foote of a Cony or an Hare, which is cut off aboue the ioynt, and flay it, stripping a∣way the Clawes also, and temper and steepe the skin in faire Water, (pressing and wringing it a little) the which you shall giue her with the ioynt of the pynion of the Hennes wing.

You must take good héede how you giue your Hawke any Feathers, vntill shée be throughly reclaymed. For vntill shée be throughly wonne and reclaymed, shée dares not cast vppon the fist. And on the fist you must beare her continually, till shée be throughly manned. But when she makes semblance to cast, vnhood her gently by the tassell of the hoode.

You may giue her two dayes washt meat, and the third day plumage, according as shée is cleane or fowle within. And when shée hath cast, then hoode her againe, giuing her nothing to feed on, vntill she gleame after her casting. But when shée hath cast and gleamed, then giue her a beaching of hote meat, in company giuing her two or thrée bittes at once: and at euening make her plume a hennes wing in company also.

When you find her well reclaimed, and throughly manned, and eager, and sharpe set, then it is time to féed her vppon the lure.

And you must marke whether the feathers of your Hawkes casting bée fowle or slimie, and whether the slime thereof bée

yellow or not. For if they bee, you must bee very circum∣spect to make her cleane with washt meat and casting, and if shee be cleane within, then giue her not so strong castings as Hares feet or Conies feet: but giue her the Pynions of an old Hennes wing, or the plumage that is to bee taken there∣vpon, or the necke bone chopped foure or fiue times betweene the ioyntes, washed and steeped in faire water. To make an end of this Chapter, it is certaine that it requireth more time to winne and to watch a Falcon once mewed in the woode, then one which is taken sore at passage. And like∣wise it is harder to winne a Hawke taken at stand, when she hath long time beene accustomed, then it is to make a Hawke which hath beene handled before.