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.

Of feeding a Hawke.

TAke héede that you féed not your hawke with two sorts of meat at once, for that is perillous. Forasmuch as the sub∣stances of them being diuers, they striue in disgestion, or en∣dewing, and bréede euill humors and wormes in a hawke, and fill her with wind. And beware also that you féede not your Hawke with flesh of beasts that be olde, nor that be hurt or tainted: For such meanes are hard to endew, & full of venome and corruption, bréeding diseases. Beware also that you giue not your hawke the flesh of a broode hen. And it shall not be a∣misse sometimes to change your hawkes meat and féeding.

Gooose flesh (if you vse it oftentimes) will bréed many fleg∣matike humors in a Hawke, and the cray in the pannell.

The flesh of a yong calfe is good for a gorge or two: but if you giue it oftener, it it ingendereth fleame and cold humors in the head,* 1.1 and bréedeth lice in her. The heart is much better for common féeding than the rest.

The flesh of a Ram goate, a female goat, or a gelded goate, is good to set vp a hawke. But some are of opinion that it brée∣deth the gowte, and moist watrie humors, and opilations in the gorge.

Mutton is not good, for it bréedeth humors in the head, as the Rie and such like: it dries vp and enflames a hawke, and makes her hose sit close to her leg.

Lambes flesh, and the flesh of a Kidde, is good giuen with Goates milke, especially when your hawke is poore, and hath béen hardly dealt withall.

Hares flesh, or Conies flesh, either cold or hote, is very good to endew, and sound meat for a hawke: but take héede that you giue her none of the braines, nor any of the hairs or bones, for they are perilous, and bréed wormes in the gorge, and in the guts.

Cats flesh is vnholesome, and hard to be indured, and brée∣deth perilous wormes, and stoppeth a hawke in the gorge, and marreth her wind.

Rattes flesh is good and wholesome: it consumeth choller, helpeth to loose the head, giueth good appetite and digestion.

Dogges flesh is good and very sound, and very méete for those kind of Falcons which are hote Hawkes of Na∣ture.

* 1.2Wolues flesh is naught, and contrarie to a Hawkes nature.

The flesh of a Fox (as mine Author affirmeth) is holesome, and setteth vp a Hawke.

If your Hawke happen to sit abroad in the cold ayre, & es∣pecially in the night, giue her small birds to féed vppon because they are hote of nature & comfort much: but beware that you

vse it not continually, for it will make her too stately, and cause her forget you, in such sort that you shall hardly reclaime her from her coynesse.

To feede with riuer fowle, and such like, there are some of them good, and some bad, as I will briefly declare.

Some hold opinion, that the bones and bloud of a Bargan∣der, Moorehen, and such like may be giuen to an hawke: but that the skinne, flesh, or feathers of them are not good, because they breed euill humors.

The flesh of a Ducke or of a Crane (as they report) is good and wholesome.

The flesh of a Partrich is most excellent when a hawke is sicke and diseased.

The flesh of a wild Goose, or of a slecked Crow, is good: but you must giue your Hawke but litte thereof, and none at all of their blood, for it is salt, brakish, & of an euill nourishmēt.

The flesh of these flesh Crowes, and of the Wagtayles, (a Dishwasher as we tearme them, in Latine called Motacilla) & the Cormorant, is of euill nourishment and digestion.

The flesh of a white Storke, and also of the blacke Storke, called (Saraciresia) is euill of nourishment, and hard to be en∣dewed, and stincking.

The flesh of the Bitter, and Sea Coote, is good and sound, especially when the Sea Coote doth feed and scoure her with sand, it is good to enseame and breath a Hawke: although na∣turally all water fowles are cold of complexion, moyst, and hard of disgestion.

The flew of the white Heron, otherwise called the Shoue∣ler, and of the blew and ashe coloured Heron, is of good digesti∣on, and nourisheth well.

The flesh of Finches, hedge Sparowes, and such like, are in maner all one: and you must beware that you giue not your hawke too much of them at once.

The Cuckoes flesh is indifferent good for a hawke.

The flesh of a Hearon royall, that is to say, the gray Heron, is reasonable good, according to the opinion of many auncient

Falconers: but Ptholomeus King of Egypt doth alleadge the contrary, saying, that naturally all fowles which liue vppon fish, frogs, or snakes, and such like venemous wormes, are euill of disgestion, and that their blood bréedeth opilations and euill humors, although they séeme to delight hawkes to féed on them for their delicate swéetnes and taste.

The flesh of the red Hearon is good: but you must giue but little of it.

The flesh of the Swan, and many other kinds of Water fowles, too long here to be rehearsed, are to bée vsed according to the time and circumstances of occasion.

The flesh of Sea-crowes, and Rauens, Cormorants, and such like, are of a brakish bloud, and therefore you may now and then giue your hawke a gorge thereof: but you must not vse it often.

The flesh of rauening birds, as Kites, Puttocks, Harpies, Eagles, Eyrons, and such like, all these are very contrary to the nature of Falcons, and are stinking, of euill disgestion, & chollericke. Their bloud and braines are worst of all, for they bréed perillous wormes.

The flesh of all birds which féed vppon séeds, as Feasants, Partridge, Quailes, and such like, are the best that can be, e∣specially when a Falcon or any other hawke is sicke.

Doues flesh is excellent, either when a Hawke is sicke, or to mew withall: for it makes a hawke to mew well and quickly.

Pullets flesh, and Chickens flesh, is good at all times, and alwaies in season, as the flesh of that faire fowle Bella Dounais.

Notes

• * 1.1

  These fee∣dings are for the most part contra∣ry to our English or∣der in Fal∣conrie.
• * 1.2

  This fee∣ding we vse not.