The gentlemans recreation in two parts : the first being an encyclopedy of the arts and sciences ... the second part treats of horsmanship, hawking, hunting, fowling, fishing, and agriculture : with a short treatise of cock-fighting ... : all which are collected from the most authentick authors, and the many gross errors therein corrected, with great enlargements ... : and for the better explanation thereof, great variety of useful sculptures, as nets, traps, engines, &c. are added for the taking of beasts, fowl and fish : not hitherto published by any : the whole illustrated with about an hundred ornamental and useful sculptures engraven in copper, relating to the several subjects.

CHAP. XIX.

Rules for Ordering Hawks in the Mew.

AS to the Mewing your Hawks, In the first place it is necessary to know when she ought to leave fleeing, and accordingly prepare her for it, which by most is agreed to be about our Lady-day; so that about October she will be fair Mewed, hard and home set.

Your Soar and Ramage-Falcon may be kept out longer, and flee her to May-day; but your Haggard, of all sorts, ought to be put into the Mew by the first of April: And the older the Hoggard is, the sooner she ought to be put there∣in; for Nature will incline her sooner than young∣er Hawks.

It is necessary that immediately after you leave fleeing, and before you put her into the Mew, you feed her up to be full of flesh and lusty, which is not acquired by letting her have of the best, and her fill; for then out of a greediness and the heat of her Stomach, she will take too much into her Gorge, over-pressing her self, and consequently rather retard through indigestion, than promote by due Concoction the end of your desire. My advice therefore is, that you continue, as to quantity and times of seeding, the same Rules as in the time of her fleeing for two or three days, only let her have then unwash't Meat to scour and Enseame her; then afterwards increase your hand a little by degrees, and let her not glut her self too full, lest she thereby fill her Stomach with tough raw Humours, and so fall in∣to Distempers. About a Fortnights observance of this course (if she be sound) will raise her Flesh to your desire, and then you may be bold to feed her once a day; but with young Pigeons, for three or four days; for they are moist and hot, of easier digestion, and more nourishing than old ones: But for want of young, you may use such as you can get, always remembring that her first Gorges are reasonable as to quantity, because at that time of the year most old Feed is drier and harder of digestion than at other times.

With these Observations you shall find your Hawk raised in her flesh, and setled in her health, otherwise she must be put into the Mew: And without this preparation she will soon be at a stand, which will give you cause to fear it pro∣ceeds from some bruise or inward grief, whereas it is meerly for want of care in the preparing and feeding her in the Mew.

When you put her into the Mew, be sure let her be free from Mites and Lice, for such like Vermin (which generally attend lean Hawks) will obstruct her thriving. You should also put on her Legs, instead of her old Jesses, a pair of strong new ones, that you may not be necessita∣ted to put her on others at your drawing her out, which can't be done without heating and disturbing her, which at that time should be pre∣vented,

as being in the prime of her Grace. And she should also have Bells on, that if in case she break out of the Mew she may be heard.

Keep the Mew clean swept, and let there be a large broad Pan of Water set therein for her ba∣thing, which must have fresh Water every other day. She must have Stones also lying by her in Gravel; for by her taking and casting of these Stones you may know the condition of her Bo∣dy; and they may be carefully gathered up, clean [ 10] wash't, and laid for her in convenient places to take them again.

If whilst she continues in the Mew you give her any Fowl killed by a Gun, be sure to take a∣way all the Shot and bruised Flesh, both being very hurtful and offensive to the Natures of all Hawks.

As to the situation of the Mew (which should be a pretty large ground Room) it should be so disposed that no Vermin, as Weesels, Polecats, [ 20] Rats, or the like, annoy it; nor should it be nigh any Highway, or where there is great resort of People: And the Perches should be lined to keep their Feet from hurting. Whilst she is in the Mew none should come near her but her Feeder or Keeper: And it were not amiss if you had a Feeding-stock in the Room, with a String fixed thereto to make fast her Meat in it, to prevent her dragging it up and down in the dust or filth, which renders it unfit for her feeding: But if you [ 30] give her no more than she can eat, this Rule is not to be observed.

Stale Meat is very hurtful, nor should you come into the Mew but when you bring some∣thing to feed her.

It is convenient that the Air have a free pas∣sage into the Mew, and that it have the benefit of the Sun, therefore I hold that broad Lettice Windows are very good: And you must not let any Rain drop upon your Hawk whilst she is in [ 40] the Mew.

As for her Meats whilst she is in the Mew, all small Birds are very good; also Chickens and Kid, and Eels cut in pieces, and dipt in warm Sheeps blood; and indeed most sorts of Flesh, provided it is fresh and sweet. And as to the quantity, let it be rather too much than too little.

Let her bathe once in two or three days if she will.

A Hawk is not full and firm drawn out of the [ 50] Mew until her Sarsels be full grown and hard penned; and when you intend to draw her out, do it with all expedition you can, putting on her Rufter-••ood very gently, and immediately set her on the Perch, that she may rest quietly for that Night, until her first heat and fury is allayed, which will be by the next Morning; for should you at that time use much striving with her, it would indanger the over-heating her, which will occasion many Diseases. [ 60]

When she is on the Perch let some Company be discoursing or walking near at hand, that she may observe them, yet not ••o as to disturb her: And when you perceive her pretty quiet, take her gently to you•• Fist, stroaking her with a Feather. If she be troublesome and very coy, set her down again, and take her up a second time about an hour after, and so continue until you have gained her love, then proffer her a bit of Meat, after∣wards accustom her to more carriage; but in∣deavour with all your Art to prevent her from Bating.

After she is taken out of the Mew, hood her until she hath a good Stomach; feed her bare∣faced, and suffer her Hood to be put on gently; and then in an Evening by Candle light you may unhood her, and the next Day shew her the Glove, and your Fist, suffering her to tyre and plume Morning and Evening. And sometimes in the Morning when her Gorge is empty, if you give her Sugar Candy it will help her to endew.

When by her eager feeding you think she is Enseamed, and that you may flee her, carry her into the Field, and if empty, she will Bate and fly of her own accord, and if she kill Reward her.

There is more danger in heating a Hawk ta∣ken out of the Mew, than one newly taken being a Ramager; for the latter comes from her Exer∣cise, and although she is fat, yet peradventure her fat and flesh is firm, and so made from her daily Exercise.

There is also more danger in a Mewed Hawk than in one taken out of the Cage; for though they are fat, yet their long Carriage by Sea and Land makes them less apt to Bate, and over∣heat themselves.

Those that are taken from the Mew get their Fat by ease and rest, so that when they are brought to eat they must be fed twice a day with good new Meat well wash't and clean drest, that all the Blood may be well wrought out. As to the quantity you may use your discretion, giving her enough.

For the first ten days after your Hawk begins to feed, give her neither Stones nor Castings, but afterwards give her every Night about half a do∣zen Stones after she hath put away her Supper from her Gorge, and you will find that she will have rendred them all again in the Morning.

The third Week begin to give her Castings, and so continue the same course for dyet and feeding as before directed, until she be fleeing: And all the time of her feeding add to her Meals, and forbear to wash altogether so hard, for it is care∣ful and due feeding that makes her serviceable: Nor is there any Hawk but what will flee as she is taught; and if her Stomach be right, will flee with courage and attention to her Keeper.

After a long, tedious, and laborious flight, if you mistrust any Grease or uncleanness in her, give her Plumage, and Blood to content her, but not much Meat, half her usual Gorge being suf∣ficient: Then when her Meat is put over, give her Stones, and set her up warm, and you shall find the Stones preserve her in a due proportion of heat for the present, which is very necessa∣ry for her, rendring her cool and temperate for the future.

To conclude; Concerning the giving Stones, you must use the Stones and Casting with discretion: The latter without the former in a Hawk (sup∣posed to be clean) will work no effect, and thereby deceive you. For Example: Give such

a Hawk as you suppose to be very clean, Casting for a week together, and she will render it fair and white; and do but then give her some Stones, and then Casting, and you shall soon find some filth and glut which the Stones had made fit to remove by the Casting, and which without these Stones the Casting could not have wrought off.

Some times it happens that a Hawk may break out of the Mew, to regain, or find out the place where she Percheth in the Night, then [ 10] take with you a dark Lanthorn, and at your ap∣proach hold the light to her, that she may not see your Face, but be employed in looking al∣together on the light, which is accustomary to all Birds; then having espied her, climb up the Tree with as little noise as possible, ringing a Low-Bell at the bottom of the Tree, and hold∣ing the light towards her, until she is taken, which you may easily do; for she will hardly stir. [ 20]

About a Fortnight or three Weeks before you intend to draw your Hawk out of the Mew, let her be fed twice a Day with clean drest, and wash't Meat; and you will find her thereby well ad∣vanced towards her Enseaming; She will likewise thereby have scowred out of her Pannel and Gut, much of that Glut and Grease which hath there engendred, which vvill prevent many Dangers, that might have befallen her through Heat, oc∣casioned by the least stirring, or Bating in the [ 30] time of her drawing out of the Mew.

Of Mewing at the Stock.

THe place for this purpose, should be a Ground Room, free from Noise; and there must be as many Turfs or Sods placed therein up∣on the Ground, as you intend to Mew Hawks; and let the Distances be so wide, as not to reach [ 40] one another, Let the Ground be covered with Sand; and your Turfs must be raised so high one upon another, that your Hawks Trains may not touch the Ground.

For the fastning her to the Turf, put a Stick through the middle of the Turf, so that about two Inches of the Stick is beyond the Turf at each end; then fasten your Hawks Lease to the one end, and draw it over the top of the Turf, with a Swivel fixed in the middle of the [ 50] top of the Turf, and drawing it hard, fasten it to the other end of the Stick; then fasten your Hawk by the Jesses, to the upper part of the Swi∣vel, which will give her leave to bate round about the Turf, but not to get off; and as oft as your up∣per Turf grows dry, supply it with fresh.

Note that all Gerfalcons and Jerkins are to be Mewed this way, and not loose, as also all Hag∣gards are unquiet in the loose Mew.

Every Morning when the Falconer comes to feed [ 60] the Hawks thus Mewed, as he enters the Room, he must give them his Voice, that they may know of his Approach; then with a Broom sweep away all their Mewtings; and then Feed each Hawk, as usually. The Sand thus swept away must be renewed to keep all sweet and clean.

All Hawks Mewed this way, should have Cop∣hoods, which are large and easie, which must be taken off about once a Fortnight, that no∣thing may hurt their Eyes.

Having Treated of the several sorts of Hawks, together with instructions for their Feed∣ing, Reclaiming, and Mewing; the next business shall be to Treat of some Necessary things, fit for a Falconer to understand and observe.