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 bath your Hawke beeing but lately reclaimed, how you shall make her fleeing, and to hate the checke.

WHen your Falcon is well lured aswell on horsebacke as on foote, and that shee is ready to bee cast off, and hath béene well rewarded vppon the lure, and is now alto∣gether reclaymed from her ramage toyes, and when shee is also somewhat recouered of the paine and trauell which you haue put her vnto in making and reclayming her, and bee yet in good plight, and haue her thighs ploompe, and well brawned, then offer her Water to bath her, spie out a faire day when the Weather is cleare and temperate, then take a Bason so deepe that your Hawke may stand therein vppe to the Thighes, and fill it with water, and set it in some secret place: afterwards your Hawke being lured and well rewarded in the morning with warme meate, beare her

vp vpon some high place or banke, and there hold her in the sun vntill she haue endued her gorge, taking off her hood, that shée may proyne and picke her selfe: that being doone, hood her again, and set her neare to the bason, afterwards taking off her hood againe (if shée will) let her leape downe into the Bason or vpon the grasse by it, and to make her know the water, slappe there∣in with a little wand, and let her bath therein as long as shée lift: when shee commeth out of the Water, take some meat in thy hand, and proffer it vnto her, and be well ware that shée come not out before thou proffer her thy fiste to giue her a bitte or twaine, then take her vp, and hold her in the sunne, and she will picke and proyne her on your sist, or vp∣pon your knée; if shée will not bath her in a bason, then proffer her to bath in riuer water at some foorde. Bathing giueth an Hawke great courage, much boldnesse, and eager appe∣tite: that day that shée batheth, giue her no washt meat. To make a new lured Falcon, and to make her vpwardes, the morrow after shée hath bathed, get on horsebacke in the mor∣ning or in the euening, when she is sharpe set, and choose out some field or pasture, where fewest doues or choughes bée, then take your lure well garnished on both sides, and hauing vnhooded your Hawke, giue her a bitte or twaine vppon the lure, then taking it away for her, hoode her againe, then going fayre and softly against the wind, vnhoode her: and be∣fore she bate or find any checke in her eye, whistle her from off your fist fayre and gently, and when shée flyeth about, (trot∣ting forwards with your horse) cast out your lure, and suffer her not long to flée about you at the first. Continue this both morning and euening for a few dayes, and if you perceiue that your Hawke haue no great list to flée about you, nor to stoope to the lure, and that shée maketh no semblance to loue other Hawkes, then must you make her flée with one which loueth other Hawkes, and which will not gadde out to any change or checke: and that must first be done at the Par∣tridge, for they flée not farre before an Hawke: and if your

Falcon haue slowen, and returne to you twice or thrice, cast out the lure vnto her, and reward her vpon your Horsebacke, and afterwardes féed her vppe on the lure vppon the ground with good hote meate, to make her resolute in her fléeing, and that shée may returne to you with the better will, and if the fowle which you flew vnto be killed by any other Hawke, let your Hawke feede with the other Hawke, and when shée is so rewarded a little, take her off, and feed her vpon the lure.

If you flée to the Riuer with your Falcon, and that the flight be fayre and likely to be landed, staye and draw vnder the wind, and taking off your Hawkes hoode, cast her off with the rest. When you would haue your Hawke proue vpwards and a high flying Hawke, you must let her flée with a very high fléeing Hawke, but sée that your Hawke be well taught to hold in the head, and that shée loue well to flée with the o∣ther Hawkes, and if the fowle be in a poole, or on a pitte or plash, you must first cast off the high fleeing hawke, and hee which holdeth your new lured hawke, shall doe well to gette him vnder the wind, and when hee séeth his vantage let him vnhoode her, and if shee bate then, it is to get vppe to the other Hawke. Then let him cast her off, and she will clime against the wind right vnto the high fleeing Hawke, and before shee weary her selfe too much with clyming to reach or couer that other Hawke, lay out the fowle, when the high fleeing hawke shall be at her pitch, and lay them out behind her, if she kill the fowle, then giue your Hawke reward of the Heart and the breast with the other Hawks. If your hawke goe out to any checke, and kill a Doue or a Crow, or any other checke and feed vppon it, or haue fedde vppon it before you come at her, seeme not roughly to rebuke her at first, but take her downe to the lure, giuing her a bitte of meat, and hood her vppe, and flee not with her in two or three dayes after, but when you doe flee, flee as neare as you can where there be no checke, but if by no meanes you can keepe her from checking and going out, then for your last remedy, doe as followeth. If your

Hawke haue killed a checke, and you come to her before shee haue fedde thereon, take the gall of a Henne, and annoynt therewith the breast of the checke which she hath killed, when shee hath plumed it, and is come to the bloud, and let her feed but little thereon least she make her sicke, for shee will surely cast it againe, yea though she should not cast it, yet would shee haue small lust to flee at such a fowle againe, but will hate and loath the meat thereof, or put any bitter meat therevppon, as powder of Mirre, or yong small wormes cut in gobbets, but take heed that the bitternesse bee not ouer strong, and if that the bitter taste haue discouraged the Hawke, then wette her meat in sugred water. Some put on two payre of belles vp∣pon their Hawkes legges, or stitch together the princi∣pall long feathers of their wings, and also it shall be good when shee goeth from checke, to cast her out the lure, or to lay out an hurt fowle before her which shee may kill.