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 the infirmity and disease in the gorge of a Hawke. when shee doth cast her gorge.

SVndry are the diseases that Hawkes are pestred withal, by meane of the indisposition of the gorge, when the parte is out of tune: among which, the most ordinary and perillous is the casting of the gorge, when a Hawke doth cast her meat vndisgested, in the selfe same forme she receyued it: or else cor∣rupted, and of a loathsome sauour, both which they do many times.

If shée cast it cleane, and not stinking, but of good smell, there is no great feare of the matter, nor any great danger: be∣cause it may procéede by mean some small bone is crossed and turned in the gorge of the Hawke, which doth cause her to cast it againe for her more ease and quiet: Wherefore in this case it shall bée good for the more surety, and to know the worst of the accident that may happen thereby, to beare your hawke to the water, or to offer her abasō of water, to trie whether she will bowze or no. For by bowzing, besides the good that she shall receiue by it, you shall haue euident proofe and vndoub∣ted shew of her disease, and that indéede shée is sicke, and doth stand in néede of Physicke: but if shée bowze not at all, it ar∣gueth her to bée in good tune.

Those accidents are wont to happen by meane of ouer much moysture and humidity, and through excessiue rotten humors engendred in the gorge.

Wherefore if the Hawke cast her meat well sauouring, and of good colour, neyther stinking to smell, nor loathsome to viewe, and doe bowze after it, it shall bée good to heat and com∣fort the gorge with the powder of Nutmegges and Cloues, with a quantity of Muske, all enwrapped in a péece of fine cotton or bombast, giuing it to the hawke when shée is emptie

pancid, as custome is to doe, holding her on the fist, vntill shée put ouer her said casting into her gorge. Then two howres after she hath cast it againe, it shall be very necessary to feede her with young Doues, giuing but halfe a gorge, or somwhat lesse at a time: & at night when hée sups her, to let her plume a little, and if the Hawke will bowze, to giue her leaue to doe it, for truely it will be very holesome for her. By this meanes I promise you, I haue recouered sundry sicke hawkes, and chiefly Sparrowhawkes.

I haue ouer and besides this, vsed with great good successe good Rose water altred with a quantity of powder of cloues, and muske, preparing it after this manner.

I haue taken Rose water two ounces, powder of Cloues two scruples, of fine muske fiue graines: and of this haue I giuen my hawke fiue ounces, or thereabout, after that as my hawke hath béen eyther poore or hie in state, holding her on the fist, vntill she hath made a mewte.

This medicine will bring her to a good appetite, a swéete breath, and will besides all these scowre very well.

But if that which she doth cast, be corrupted and stinking: ouer and besides the foresaid remedies, which indéede are ex∣cellent good, I can allow well that you take the roote of Celi∣donie, or Celondine, remouing away the vpper rynde, and pill off the roote vntill it looke redde, and droppe againe, then to infuse it in a quantity of luke warme water, stirring the roote vp and downe in the water, to cause it to receiue the effect and quality of the Celydonie the more. Of which root you must (after you haue so done) conuey a pellet as bigge as a beane for the huger sort of hawkes, into the beake of your Hawke, thrusting it downe with your forefinger into the ve∣ry gorge of her, to the end it may the better descend into your Hawke. Besides this, it is very good to open her beake, & conuey into her one spoonefull of the water aforesaid, not all at once, but at twice or thrice, closing fast her clappes a∣gaine,

because she may the better kéepe it, and not cast it vppe presently.

This béeing done, kéepe her a space vpon the fiste, vntill the roote and licout bée well setled in her gorge. After which, cast her on the pearch in such a place where is no resort, ey∣ther of people, Dogges, Chickens, Cattes, or other such like things, to the end you may the better discerne her scow∣ring: and besides, that shee may haue the lesse cause to bate. There let her stand vntil shée hath cast all the roote which shée receyued, and that the water hath made her mewt, and s••se sufficiently, which will doe her very great good. Then after two howres it shall bee well to giue her a yong Rat or Mouse, newly stripped out of the skinne hote, and for lacke thereof, a young Pigeon, whome you shall kill, by throwing her for∣cibly against the ground, with the raines downeward, be∣cause the bloud may gather together and stand: whereof féed your Hawke giuing her the heart also, and the raines thereof, without any more allowance of any of the Pigeons flesh. When shee hath dispatched and ridde this beaching of the Pi∣geons heart and bloud, or of the young Rat, then giue her in like manner the like quantity, onely of the dead Doue: onely twice a day to a Sparowhawk, but to a Falcon or Goshawk, foure or fiue beachings in one day, euer obseruing the selfe same order that I haue prescribed you.

The next morning you may, if néede bée, in a little lint, or flaxe, or such deuise, giue a scowring of Incense or Oliba∣num, I meane the leaues of it brused in your hand, as smal as is possible, giuing her but a small gorge, to the end that towardes the Euening, you may allow her a reasonable Supper.

By this vsage and order haue I cured sundry Hawes of mine owne, and other mens.

You must note y^t when these remedies aforesaid do not profite

nor doe the feate, and that the Hawke doth cast her more than twice, then is it a desperate case, and so much the worse, if the Hawke bée low and poore, for then in that case haue I séene very few or none recured.

Neuerthelesse I haue sometimes séen a maruaile wrought in this case, by making the greater kind of hawkes, as Fal∣cons, Gerfalcons, and such like, drunk with a spoonful or two of strong Malmesey, conueied by force into her gorge: but to the lesser hawks you must not giue so much of the malmesie, but in lesse quantity. Which done, they haue béen placed vpon a bed or a cushion, for on the pearch they cannot stand, being drowsie, but will lie as thinges in a trance for the space of a quarter of an howre, and many neuer recouer themselues a∣gaine, but if happily any doe after they are thus dealt withall recouer and slise, and scowre away their medicine, no questi∣on that hawke shall throughly recouer: then is it good to giue her of the bloody parts of a Pigeon vsed in that manner as I foreshewed you, but this dangerous medicine is not to be gi∣uen, but in desperate cases.