How to know the health and disease of a Hawke by her casting.
FAlconers do vse to giue 2. sorts of casting to their hawkes, either plumage, or cotton: & becaus most cōmonly they giue the Falcon pellets of cotton for her casting, I wil first speake therof. You must make choyce of fine, soft, whit cotton, & ther∣of fashion & frame your casting as big a great nut, & at euening conuey it into her gorge, after you haue supt her: & in the mor∣ning betimes make diligent search to finde it, to peruse it in what maner the hawk hath rolled, & cast it, because therby you shall perceiue her good or euil state: for if she cast it, round, whit not lothsome in smel, & not very moist or waterish, it is a ma∣nifest token that she is sound. But otherwise, if shée rol not her casting well, but cast it long, not white, stinking, very moist, & slimy, it doth argue, that she is ful of diseases, as I shall more specially declare vnto you eftsoon. You must obserue this, that these castings do import & betoken the greater euill, by how much more they doe resemble the muet of a hawk in color and smell. For by that they do make shew that your hawk doth a∣bound wt too much euil humor. Wherfore you must the more diligently mark it, & wring it betwixt your fingers, to sée how much, & what kind of moisture doth drop frō the casting, & wt∣al note the smel & color therof. But now it is hie time to procéed to a more speciall declaration of those castings, that you may be perfect in each condition.