Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/66

 come up with her, but even then, on disengaging the captive, it proved so little the worse, as to afford a flight of average length to another falcon. The stroke of this hawk is more fatal than its clutch. Land-rails, as well as woodcocks, in consequence of being seized merely by the wing, have occasionally been carried a considerable way by these birds without injury.

Mr. Sinclaire, when once on a visit at Redhall, county of Antrim, after having spent a week there with his hawks and gun, gave up a day specially to this sport, which the neighbouring gentry were invited to witness. The host, on going to have a view of the hawks in the morning, found, to Ins great chagrin, that they were missing. The falconer had given them liberty for an ailing, and it was feared that the intended sport was hopeless. It was afterwards discovered, that, at this very time, the hawks were at their home at the Falls, nearly twenty miles distant, whither they flew on being let off,* but finding no food on the lure there, they retraced their way, and were both back at Redhall, in time for the chase of the first woodcock that was sprung after breakfast. Their presence was then made known by a "chevy" that one of them gave the woodcock, which it killed within a few yards of the spot where the ladies were assembled in their carriages to see the flight. The second hawk gave evidence of its presence, by joining the other in pursuit of the next bird that was raised. Six or seven woodcocks were killed by them on that day. My friend's hawks never, in any other instance, flew so far, and returned immediately to him; but they have frequently, from a distance of five or six miles, flown home, and finding no food there, returned to him without delay.

A woodcock, pursued by a falcon at Redhall, was not only killed, but split open at the breast, by the force with which it accidentally struck against the top of a wall. To the hawks themselves, casualties during the chase have twice occurred.

Upon one of the early days of February, 1837, when this gentleman was hawk- ing at some miles distance from his-p lace, one of his falcons was lost in consequence of a heavy fog coming on, but she re-appeared in the hawk-yard a week afterwards ; others of them have similarly returned after a much longer absence. The first flight of a falcon, given by Mr. Sinclaire to a gentleman resident about four miles off, was to her old quarters, from which she had been taken six months before.