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.

To enseame a Falcon and to make her.

[illustration] depiction of hawk

TAke your Falcon, and vse her as you vse the Goshawke in manner before declared, sauing that when you feede her you shall call and lure, as if you called her to the lure: and eue∣ry day you shall proffer her water, and euery night giue her casting accordingly as you shall sée that she endeweth: & take off her hoode oftentimes amongst companye: and to the end she shall not bate, hold alwayes the hood by the tassell in your hand ready. And in the euening when day light beginneth to fayle, take off her hoode amongst companye of people by the candle light, vntill she rowze and mewte, & then set her on the pearch and not before, and set light before her, and when shée is well wonne to know the fist, then beginne to make her know the lure, and so by little and little reclayme her, vntyll you may call her loose without Cryance. Euerye Falcon hath néede of a make hawke to teach her to holde in the head, and especially the Haggart Falcon, the which may be peraduenture an Hag∣gart of two or thrée Cotes, & yet shall be the better Hearoner: but if a Haggart mewed will not holde in the head, then cutte off some part of her two princypalles in each wing, the long feather, and that which is next to it, and that shall force her to hold in. You must also feat her beake, & cope her reasonably. They alwayes giue their Hawkes tyring both morning and euening, but the Falconers of the East parts are of a contrarye opinion, and say that it weakeneth a Hawkes backe. If you would make your hawke vpwards, or high fléeing, then after shée is reclaymed and lured, and ready comming, when you lure her, and that shée commeth towards you, stoope the lure vpon her, and let her passe by you, and when she retourneth to∣wards you, throw her out the lure, and make much of her, and do thus oftentimes vntill you may suffer her to flee longer about you, and to get vp higher, the which you must doe in a plaine field where no wood or trées are: & if shée get vp to any pitch, then let her flée a turne or two of iollity, and when shée is at the highest, and right ouer you, throw her forth the lure, or a Pigeon or Pullet, and giue her a good gorge thereon,

making the most of her that you can deuise, and take héede that you cast not your lure into the water, least shée should thereby be rebuked. And when she is at her gate, if percase she gadde out after some check, and kill it, then take the prey from her angarly, and beate her therewith about the head, and hoode her vp without any reward: and hereby shee will the lesse de∣light to rake out after a check. When your hawke hath kil∣led a fowle, take it out of her foot, and cast her vp againe, and when shée is right ouer you, cast out the lure, and féede her vp vpon it, to make her loue the lure the better. But at the beginning reward her and féede her well vpon the quarry, and that shall encourage her and kéepe her from going out to the checke. When shee is well in blood, and well quarried, then let her flée with other hawkes, vntill shée be well acquainted and invred.

If you would make your Hawk to the Crane, take an Ny∣asse Falcon gentle, and in entring of her, let her kill the grea∣test fowle that you can find. Her lure should also be a coun∣terfaite Crane. And when you would make her fléeing, lette her flée from the fiste, and succour her quickly. For you must haue dogges made for the purpose, which may helpe and suc∣cour her sooner then a man can doe. And let such dogges féede alwayes with your hawke, to make them the better ac∣quainted. If you would make a Falcon to the hare, her lure should be then a Hares skinne stuffed with strawe, and when shée is well lured, and that you would enter her, tie the sayde Hares skinne to the end of a cryance, and fasten it to your saddle pummell, and when you gallope it will bee like vnto a running Hare. Then vnhoode your Hawke, and cry, Backe with the Greyhounds, backe with the Greyhoundes. And when your Hawke commeth to seaze the sayde Hares skinne, let goe hour cryance, and suffer her to take it, and re∣ward her well vpon it, and make the most of her that you can deuise. And when you go about to enter her the second time, let not slippe your cryance at the firste, but rather pull it from her

by force, and afterwards let her seaze vpon it, and so by little and little you shall teach her to beate it and stoope at it. For so must she doe at a wild Hare. And you must feede her alwayes amongst the dogges, and when she is well nousled and entred in this manner, take a liue Hare, and breake one of her hin∣der legs, and let her goe in some faire place amongst your dogs, and your Falcon will stoope her and ruffe her, vntill the dogs may take her. Then take her from the dogs, and cast her out vnto the hawke, and cry backe, backe.

If you would make your Hawke fleeing to the Partridge, or Feasant, when she is reclaymed and made, then euery time that you lure her, cast your lure into some low tree or bush, that she may learne to take the trée or the stand. And if shée take the stand before shée espie the lure, let her stand a while. And after draw the lure out before her and cry, Loe birde, lo, Hey lo bird, hey lo, and rewarde her well. For in this man∣ner shée will learne to take stand. But feede her alwayes on the ground, and in some thicke place, for in such places shee must encounter with the Fesant at Pearch. And at the first flée with her at Feasant, or Partridge that be young, to giue her the aduantage, and afterwardes at the old. If a Falcon will not take stand, but will kéepe her on wing, then must you flée with her in plaine places, where you may alwayes sée her vpon you. Sacres and Laners will commonly take stand both in a trée, and on the ground, but the Falcon gentle taketh stand more willingly vpon the ground. And when you draw a Hawke out of the mew, bear her not much in hot weather, for feare least by much bating in heate, shée may get the Pan∣tise. But if there be no remedy, then kéepe her alwayes hooded, and take as good héede to her as you can. If your Hawke be coy and dangerous, then giue her salt with her meat, I meane a dramme of the salt called Sal Inde, or Sal ge∣me, or Salis albi pulverizati, and giue her water, for shée shall haue néede thereof. And make her Ieouke all night in payne, &

in a moyst or colde place, and so shall shée watch most of the night, and thereby her grease and pride will be abated. Sacres must be nousled and entred as soone as they be manned, for else they be very hard to be entred. Draw your Hawke out of the mew twenty dayes before you enseame her. If a Falcon trusse and carrye, to remedy the same, you must cope her tal∣lons, her powlse, and her petty singgle. Neuer reward your hawke vpon riuer fowle, but reward her, and make much of her vpon the lure, to the end shée may the better know it, and estéeme it. The Souldan fléeth to the Crane, wilde Goose, & Bustard, with thrée or foure Hawkes at once, (or more) from the fiste, yea and those of all kind of Hawkes also, as Sacres, Gerfalcons, peregrine Falcons, and Mylanes. And ofter∣wards a man may make them flée to the mowntye. You should flée to the Crane before Sunne rising, for shée is slug∣gish and slothfull, and you may cast off to her a caste or a lease of Falcons, or you may hawke to her with the Goshawke from the fist without dogs. Wilde Géese are flowen to in the same manner. And if you haue dogs to helpe and succour your hawkes, sée that they be stanch and gentle, and well made for the purpose, and a Greyhound will be most readily made ther∣unto. You shall flée but once in a day at the Crane, and there∣vpon reward her liberally, and make as much of her as you can. The Millaine should be let flée downe the wind. The Al∣maines doe flee at the Pye with a lease or two cast of Falcons at once, and they make them to mount and to stoope, as they doe at the Riuer. But this must be in a playne, where there be no trées nor wood, but little shrubbs and bushes. If you vse to giue your hawke a breakefast or beaching very timely in the morning, it will make her eager to flee at such time as will be conuenient for her to flee. And especially a Falcon which you would haue high fleeing, & those should not be highly kept, but should be fed nyne dayes together before Sunne rising, and at night late in the fresh or coole of the Euening. So shall

you make them high fléeing, & by that means they will euery day get gate higher and higher, so that they bee flowen with euermore in the plaine champion. The Falcon gentle is com∣monly better inward when shée hath mewed, than in her soarage. The Falcon will kill the Hearon naturally, if shée be a peregrine Falcon, and yet you shall doe well to giue them traines. A Falcon may flee ten slights at riuer in one day, if the season be not extreame, and that is the most that you shall flée with her. The Falcons which are riuer Hawkes, should alwayes be borne vpon the fiste. A hawke shall haue forty ca∣stings before shee be perfectly made. For a hawke which hath not casting euery night, will be surcharged with abundance and superfluity of humors, the which doe (from the stomake) so ouerflow their braine, that they cannot flée so high as else they would doe. And therefore all hawkes should haue casting euery night naturally, if you would haue them sounde and cleane: and it is good to giue them tyring or plumage at night, especially field hawkes, but not riuer hawkes, for weakening their backes. And euery third day you shall present them to the water at the longest. Touch your Hawks feathers as little as you can, for much handling will make them out of order. The Millaine and the Laneret may bée set vppon the stone incontiuently, as soone as they be made. When your hawke hath flowen or bated, féede her not as long as shée panteth, or bloweth, nor vntill shée be in breath againe. For if you should, it is perilous to bring her into the disease called Astum, and (in a Hawke) the Pantise. If a hawke (eyther Falcon, or o∣ther) chance to be out of heart, and discouraged, (which hap∣peneth oftentimes) then take such paines with her, that shée may kill some prey, and féede her vpon it with a full gorge euen as long as shée will eate, and the same night sette her a∣broade that shée may Ieouke in the open ayre at her owne plea∣sure: and on the morrow take her and féede her with small birdes to enseame her, neyther more nor lesse than you would doe with an Hawke that were new drawne out of the mew.

If a Falcon or other hawke will not seaze or gorge, take the quill of a wilde Gooses feather, and tye it vnder her long sin∣gle, and shee will seaze and gripe. And when she beginneth to seaze, take away the sayd quill, and shee will seaze long af∣terwardes. If you cannot giue couert to your Falcon, or your Goshawke, then cast her off with the Sunne in her back. All hawkes may be made flee at the sowrce or spring. But in what sort soeuer you flée with your Goshawke, let her haue the Sunne in her backe.