it would be easy to fill a large volume with dissertations on the antiquity of the art which is now called falconry, and with records of its history in different countries during the many centuries that have elapsed since it was first practised. in a treatise on practical hawking, such as the present, there is no room for such matter; and the omission will be the more readily excused when it is explained that only a short time ago the antiquities of the art, and the literature in which its records are embodied, were most carefully and ably explored by mr. j. e. harting, the erudite secretary of the linnean society, whose catalogue of books on hawking contains a reference to every known publication on the subject (bibliotheca accipitraria, london, 1891). the actual origin of hawking, as of other old sports, is naturally hidden in the obscurity of the far-away past. no one would suppose that it was practised as early in the world’s history as the sister sports of hunting and fishing. but mr. harting’s researches have resulted in convincing him that it was known at least as early as 400 b.c., although its introduction into europe must clearly be placed at a much later date. it is remarkable enough that the greeks, whose country abounds in wild hawks, should have known nothing of their use in the service of man. homer, indeed, speaks of the mountain falcon as “the most nimble of birds,” ( ??τε κ?ρχο? ?ρεσφιν, ?λαφρ?τατο? πετεην?ν il. xxii. 139); but sophocles, in alluding to the triumphs of man in taming and using wild creatures, omits all mention of the training of hawks, which is certainly more worthy of notice than mere bird-catching or the breaking-in of oxen (soph. antig. 343). even the later ? 2 ? roman authors refer to the use of trained hawks as an unfamiliar practice, in vogue only amongst some of the barbarian tribes.
until at least some centuries after the christian era, china and other countries in the far east seem to have been the chief if not the only homes of falconry. but the lombards, when they settled in north italy, in the latter half of the sixth century, were acquainted with the art; and before the end of the ninth century it was familiar to the saxons in england and throughout the west of europe. henry the fowler, who became emperor in 919, seems to have been so nicknamed on account of his devotion to this form of sport, which was already a favourite with princes and magnates. the saxon king ethelbert wrote to the archbishop of mayence for hawks able to take cranes. king harold habitually carried a trained hawk on his fist; and from the time of the norman conquest hawking was a sport as highly honoured in the civilised world as hunting. the greatest impulse that was ever given to the sport in western europe was derived from the returning crusaders, many of whom, in the course of their travels to the east, had become acquainted with the oriental falconers and the asiatic modes of training and flying hawks. conspicuous amongst such crusaders was the emperor frederick ii., who brought back with him some asiatic hawks and their trainers, and who not only was himself an enthusiastic and accomplished falconer, but even declared that falconry was the noblest of all arts. from that time—early in the thirteenth century—for more than four hundred years falconry flourished in europe, as well as in the east, as a fashionable sport amongst almost all classes. as in the case of hunting and fishing, its attractions as a sport were supplemented by the very material merits it possessed as a means of procuring food. while the prince and the baron valued their falcon-gentle for its high pitch and lordly stoop, the yeoman and the burgher set almost equal store on the less aristocratic goshawk and the plebeian sparrow-hawk as purveyors of wholesome delicacies for the table. even the serf or villein was not forgotten in the field, and was expected, or at least allowed, to train and carry on his fist the humble but well-bred and graceful kestrel.
during this long period the example of henry the fowler was followed freely by many of the most celebrated and powerful rulers in european countries. hardly a prominent personage amongst the great conquerors and lawgivers in medi?val times was unacquainted with the art. most of them were as enthusiastic ? 3 ? in their devotion to it as they were to the more serious objects of their ambition. it would be wearisome to recount the long list of royal falconers; and it will suffice to merely mention a few of the most notable examples. thus edward iii. was accompanied on his warlike expedition with a whole train of falconers. his father had been indulged in his imprisonment with liberty to go hawking. shakespeare has familiarised his readers with the hawking parties of henry vi. and his queen (2 hen. vi. ii. i); and few people have failed to read the story of the broken leaping-pole which precipitated henry viii. into a ditch as he was following a hawk. louis xi. and a host of french kings, including francis i., were ardent falconers, as were many of the kings of castile and arragon, sardinia, and hungary. henry of navarre was excelled by few men in his passion for this sport. james iv. of scotland gave a jewelled hood to one of the flemings, because the latter had won a match in which his hawk flew against the king’s. and james i. of england enjoyed nothing more keenly than a day’s hawking, declaring that if a man had only patience and good-temper enough to contend with the disappointments inseparable from it, the sport would be preferable to hunting. catherine ii. of russia was as great at falconry as at most other things, and specially delighted in the flight with merlins. ecclesiastics, both great and small, were not a whit behind the laity in their devotion to the sport of the air. it was thought no scorn for a holy-water clerk to carry a “musket” or male sparrow-hawk. not only did cardinal beaufort fly his falcons with those of the great duke of gloucester, but no less a potentate than pope leo x. was constantly in the field at ravenna, and even incurs the blame of the great d’arcussia for being in the habit of too soundly rating his comrades during a flight. the hawking establishments of all the earlier bourbons were kept up in more than royal style, and were supplied annually with rare falcons from many parts of the world.
it was the invention of shot-guns that struck the first and most deadly blow at the popularity of hawking. it was soon discovered that wild-fowl, rabbits, and most kinds of game could be captured much more easily and cheaply by the aid of “vile saltpetre” than by the laborious and costly processes involved in the reclaiming and moulting and conditioning of hawks. economy, as well as novelty, pleaded in favour of the new sport of shooting. at the same time, the common use of fowling-pieces added a fresh and formidable danger for the owners of hawks, already exposed to a thousand unfair risks of ? 4 ? losing their favourites. in the unsettled state to which europe was reduced by the innumerable wars consequent on the reformation, it was impossible for falconers to identify or punish those who recklessly or deliberately slaughtered a neighbour’s lost hawks; and although the offenders were still liable to serve penalties, they could snap their fingers at the protective laws. finally, the more rapid subdivision of the land, and its enclosure with fences for agricultural purposes, spoilt, for the falconer’s purposes, large tracts of country which had formerly been the most suitable, and was especially hurtful to the flying of the long-winged hawks, for which an expanse of open ground is indispensable. on the continent these various causes operated surely but slowly to displace falconry in the public estimation. but in england a special circumstance almost ruined it at one blow. the outbreak of the great civil war interrupted rudely all peaceful sports, and its disasters destroyed a vast number of those who were the best patrons of hawking. from the blow then struck english falconry never rallied in any general sense. certainly it did revive, or rather survive, to a certain extent. it would be wrong to suppose that the sport has ever been extinct in the british isles, as so many writers are fond of reiterating. but its devotees have kept it up without any of the pomp and show which once distinguished it, carrying on in comparative privacy, and in the retirement of rather remote spots, an amusement in which the difficulties always besetting the sport were aggravated by a thousand new dangers and annoyances.
the annals of falconry, since it was deposed from its fashionable place—in england by the great rebellion, and afterwards in france by the revolution—are obscure, and for the most part buried in oblivion. here and there the name of a notable falconer, professional or amateur, emerges from the mist, showing us that the sport was still carried on with vigour by a few. in the middle of the eighteenth century lord orford flew kites in the eastern counties, and this sport, as well as rook-hawking and heron-hawking, was successively carried on by the falconers' society, the falconers’ club, and the high ash club, which latter existed from about 1792 to later than 1830, and included amongst its members lord berners, colonel thornton, and other sporting celebrities. in scotland falconry has always been kept up. the life of john anderson covers the whole of the last half of the eighteenth century, as well as more than a quarter of the nineteenth. this accomplished trainer of hawks was for the first twenty years or so of the present century in ? 5 ? charge of the renfrewshire establishment kept by fleming of barochan, and flown chiefly at partridges and woodcocks. during the early years of the same century, until 1814, colonel thornton did a great deal of hawking on his own account, at first in yorkshire, and afterwards at spy park, in wiltshire. from 1823 to 1833 mr. john sinclair flew woodcocks with success in ireland. in 1840 lord o’neill and colonel bonham took a moor in ross-shire for hawking; and in the following year the loo club was started for heron-hawking in holland, under the auspices of mr. e. clough newcome. this influential club continued to flourish till 1853. its place was taken, not many years after, by the old hawking club, which, although it has never undertaken the flight at herons, continues to carry on an annual campaign against rooks and game with great credit and success. in france a hawking club was started in 1865, under the title of the champagne club, but was not long-lived; and several minor attempts at organising new clubs have been made in england during the last thirty years. there are at the present moment at least thirty private establishments in england alone where trained hawks are kept and flown, besides several in scotland and ireland. the names of several of the leading amateurs now living will be mentioned in this and following chapters.
of professional falconers, the supply has sadly dwindled away since the time when the office of grand falconer was something more than the hereditary title of the dukes of st. albans. it was not, however, until quite recent years that the supply became quite unequal to the demand. at the death of john anderson in 1832 there were able successors to keep alive the best traditions of the old scotch school. foremost among them was peter ballantine, of whom, as well as of mr. newcome, excellent likenesses are published in mr. harting’s fine work, bibliotheca accipitraria. this accomplished trainer survived until 1884. nearly contemporary with him were the brothers barr, whose names are frequently mentioned in these pages. while these and others upheld the sport in scotland, england, ireland, and france—for john barr acted as the falconer of the champagne club—john pells in norfolk, once falconer to the duke of leeds, attained to great efficiency and repute; and the names of bots and m?llen became celebrated in holland as the successful hawk-catchers and servants of the loo club. later still, john frost acted for eighteen years as the energetic and skilful falconer of the old hawking club. he was succeeded ? 6 ? by george oxer, who, with the retfords (james and william) and the sons of john frost, is still living. there are at the present moment several very young falconers who bid fair to attain distinction, though their training is derived mostly from lessons imparted to them by the amateurs who have brought them out. it is to be hoped that, now the facilities for travelling are so immensely increased, some modern imitator of frederick ii. will bring back from india a native falconer or two, whose experience in the tropics would be invaluable, and thus infuse new life into the professional world of europe.
of amateurs there has been for some years past no lack in england; and want of space alone prevents the enumeration of the distinguished falconers who still keep up in the british islands and dependencies the best traditions of their art. amongst these it would be unfair to pass over the most conspicuous names, such as those of the late lord lilford and captain salvin and mr. william brodrick, the first named as justly famous for his acquaintance with hawks as for his knowledge of ornithology. captain salvin first familiarised the modern english people with the training of cormorants, and with the flight with peregrines at rooks. mr. brodrick illustrated with his own admirable coloured figures the handsome and useful book on falconry which he published jointly with captain salvin. another joint-author with the latter was the rev. gage earle freeman, who for many years most successfully flew, in a far from perfect country, peregrines at grouse, merlins at larks, goshawks and sparrow-hawks at various quarry. the small book which owes its authorship to these two masters of the art has long been out of print. it is impossible to praise it too highly as a handbook for beginners. of living falconers, no one can be compared in experience and general knowledge with major hawkins fisher, of the castle, stroud, whose game-hawks have for more than fourteen years annually killed good bags of grouse at riddlehamhope, in northumberland, and whose favourite peregrines, such as “lady jane,” "lundy," and “band of hope,” have been a terror to partridges in wilts and gloucestershire. mr. st. quintin, of scampston hall, yorkshire, probably the most successful game-hawker of whom we have any record, has recently brought to a high degree of perfection the flight with peregrines at gulls. the fine sport shown at rooks every year in wiltshire by the old hawking club, is due chiefly to the ability and energy of their secretary, the hon. gerald lascelles. in flights with short-winged hawk of both descriptions, mr. john riley, of putley court, herefordshire, is ? 7 ? facile princeps. the late rev. w. willemot did some good work with falcons at gulls before this branch of the sport was taken up by mr. st. quintin; and the late mr. t. j. mann, of hyde hall, sawbridgeworth, was successful with rooks and partridges in cambridgeshire. probably the most splendid establishment of hawks in england during the last forty years was that of the late maharajah dhuleep singh at elvedon. falconry in india has been extensively practised by many english officers quartered in that part of the world, and notably by general griffiths, and more lately by captain s. biddulph, who has probably killed a greater variety of wild quarry than any european now living, and whose portraits of trained hawks are above all praise. colonel delmé radcliffe, colonel brooksbank, colonel watson, captain crabbe, the late sir henry boynton, mr. a. w. reed, major anne, and mr. arthur newall, are all enthusiastic and successful falconers. colonel ayshford sanford, major c. w. thompson, of the 7th dragoon guards, and the writer of these pages, have had considerable success with merlins.
in france, the names of mm. barachin, sourbets, arbel, and belvallette for the short-winged hawks, and mm. pichot and paul gervais for other kinds, require honourable notice; and in russia that of the late m. constantine haller will always be remembered. it is not many years since the latter originated and carried into effect the scheme of an international hawking congress, to be held near st. petersburg. this was attended by many asiatic falconers, and one from england. but the impossibility of finding suitable wild quarry in accessible places sadly interfered with the success of the meeting; and the result was not proportionate to the great trouble of organising it.
it will naturally be supposed that a sport so fashionable, so prevalent, and so difficult as falconry, has been discussed at length in many writings and in many languages. for the very extensive literature treating of its art and practice in different parts of the world, the reader is referred to mr. harting’s bibliotheca accipitraria, already mentioned, in which a full account is given of no less than three hundred and seventy-eight works on the subject. of these, eighty-two are in english, and eighty-four in french. the german publications number forty-six, the italian thirty-eight, the japanese fourteen, and there are several in spanish, russian, latin, greek, and chinese.
the most notable works, besides those already mentioned, are the latin treatise written by the emperor frederick ii.; the boke of st. albans, by dame juliana berners, 1486; the volumes ? 8 ? published by turbervile in 1575, by latham in 1615, and by bert on the short-winged hawks in 1635. still more interesting are the books written in french by charles d’arcussia, which date from 1598 to 1627. the nineteenth century has produced several important works, including the small treatise by sir john sebright, 1826, and the splendid illustrated volume by schlegel and wulverhorst, 1853. the badminton library contains half a volume on falconry from the very able pen of mr. gerald lascelles; and the encyclop?dia britannica has an article on the subject by colonel delmé radcliffe.
to look for any real revival of falconry in europe would be altogether quixotic. lucky indeed may the falconer of the future consider himself if the art even survives. already the goshawk, the ger, and the golden eagle are almost extinct in england; sparrow-hawks have become so rare that constant advertisements offering to buy one remain without response; the harmless hobby and innocuous merlin are ferociously persecuted, and have been exterminated in most of their favourite haunts. a lost hawk has become almost a synonym for a murdered hawk. owners are beset with enemies on every hand, besides being plagued and pestered by ignorant and impertinent intruders, if ever they venture with their hawks into a public place. the country becomes more and more unsuitable for hawking purposes. upon many of the most open spaces bricks and mortar intrude; upon other parts the vexatious small plantations designed as shelters for game. even when a suitable grouse-moor or partridge-ground is found in want of a tenant, obstacles may be raised. a baseless but deep-rooted prejudice deters many lessors from allowing trained hawks to be flown over their land, on the absurd plea that it will spoil it for subsequent tenants. in short, the impediments with which the modern falconer has to contend are too many and too great for any but a few very determined sportsmen. these, when they have once mastered the initial difficulties, usually persist in preferring the sport to any other. “once a falconer, always a falconer,” is a maxim of universal truth. and the fraternal spirit which animates most english falconers—and, for that matter, most falconers throughout the world—is not the least agreeable feature presented by this ancient and honourable field sport.
