pleasure When shee hath bathed and is weathered agayne throwe hir a liue Pigeon and let hir kill it and take as much of the bloud of it as shee lysteth but let hir not eate past one of the legges at that tyme Afterwarde set hir downe on some high thing with water by hir and beware of giuing hir any great gorge Then for foure or fiue dayes togyther giue hir fiue or sixe cloues of Maces lapped vp in a hennes skinne and that will recouer hir Of the disease that is called the priuie and hidden euill in a Hawke for vvhich vve haue no speciall terme SOmetymes Hawkes perishe for want of knowledge of some secrete disease that happeneth to them and therefore I will tell you how you shall know it The Hawke that hath that disease is alwayes greedie to feede insomuch that when ye haue giuen hir a great gorge in the morning shee will haue indewed it out of hande and if ye giue hir another at Noone shee will put it ouer by and by and if yee giue hir the thirde at night shee will dispatch that quickly also and the more shee feedeth the more greedie and nippie shee is This disease commeth of this that when your Hawke is verie poore and lowe in state and you desirous to set hir vp quickly thinking to bring hir in good plight with great gorges you feed hir with Pigeons and other fleshe which she cannot indew by reason of hir pouertie weaknesse for want of heate in the liuer the heate whereof is the cause of all kindly digestiō indewing Also you may know this disease by hir often muting which is waterish thin besides she doth slise further thā she is wot to do by reason of spedy induing hir meat Maister Mallopin in his booke of the Prince sayeth that for remedie of this disease yee muste stiepe a sheepes heart cutte in small peeces all one night in Asses milke or Goates milke and the next day giue your hawke a quarter of it in the morning for hir beaching as much at noone and the rest at night forcing hir to receyue as much of the milke as ye can and continue it fiue or six dayes togither till yee see hir mute kindely Then feede hir reasonably with good meate stieped in Oyle of sweete Almondes continuing it for three or foure dayes space twice a day And as ye find your Hawke to mend so increase hir meales by little and little till shee bee in as good plight as she was before alwayes continuing the sayde Mylke for some are of opinion that milke is good for all diseases of a Hawke Master Amé Cassian saith that to remedie this disease yee must take a Tortoys of the land and not a water Tortoys and stiepe the fleshe of it in womans milke Asses milke or Goates milke and giue your Hawke a quantitie of it for a beaching three or foure tymes and a little more at hir feeding tymes sixe or seuen dayes togither Afterwarde feede hir with sheepes heartes stieped in Womans milke by little and little at once till shee bee recouered and let hir not stande in a dampishe or moyste place but in warme places in the Winter and in coole places in Sommer and alwayes hooded Of the disease and weaknesse in the reynes WHen your Hawke cannot iumpe the length of hir lynes and Criance to your fist or from your fist vp to the perch nor bate with hir wings Ye may well thinke that she hath the disease of the reynes Therefore maister Cassian willeth you to chop a Hares skinne haire and all in verie small and fine peeces and to mingle it with Cattes fleshe and to feede your Hawke with it seuen or eight dayes togither and if shee indew it shee shall recouer of hir disease Of Havvkes that haue the ague or feuer TO knowe whither your Hawke haue the Ague Marke whether hir feete bee more swollen than they were woont to bee or no if they bee then hath shee the Ague To remedie this mischiefe Michelin sayeth you muste mingle Arsenicke and Capons greace togyther well sprinckled with Vineger whereof you must make a little Ball whiche you muste cause your Hawke to take by casting hir and vse it in such wise as she may keepe it and it will ridde the Ague Of the Havvke that voydeth vvormes IF a Hawke voyde Wormes by maister Martins aduice yee muste make this Medicine following Take of the fine fylings of yron and strewe it vpon your Hawkes meate which if you doe well must bee Porke and feede hir so three or foure dayes wyth that kynde of flesh so seasoned and it will cure hir Of the Teynte in a Hawkes feather and hovve many kindes of it there be HItherto ye haue read of the inwarde diseases of Hawkes Nowe I will tell you of the outwarde accidentes and first will speake of the Teynte whiche the Frenche Falconers call Taigne the Italians Zignuole and Tarmae whereof there are three sortes The first is when theyr principalles or long feathers beginne to droppe off by meanes whereof many Hawkes are marred and cast awaye without knowledge howe to helpe it Maister Amé Cassian sayeth that this commeth sometymes of the Lyuer and of the excessiue heate of the bodye by meanes whereof small pymples ryse vppon theyr wings or on their traynes whiche afterwarde cause theyr feathers to droppe off and when they are gone the holes where they stoode doe cloze agayne wherethrough the Hawke doeth perishe if shee bee not remedyed This disease is contagious and one of them will take it of an other and therefore yee muste not let the Hawke that is affected with it stande neare a Hawke that is sounde neyther must you touche or feede a sounde Hawke on the Gloue whereon a sicke Hawke hath beende fedde And yee shall knowe that shee hath that disease by hir often picking with hir beake vppon hir principall feathers of hir wings and trayne and by theyr dropping awaye Therefore cast your Hawke and let hir bee well perused and yee shall fynde the sayde disease For remedie whereof Maister Martin and Maister Cassian say you must cast your Hawke and when you haue sound the small pimple whence the feather dropt first you muste get a little sticke of Firre whiche is by nature gummie and fatte make a little pegge of it not sharpe at the foreende nor thruste it in with violence but softly as you may And if ye can get none of that Woodde then take a grayne of Barlye and cutte of the forepoynt of it and annoynt it with a little Triacle or Oyle Olife and conuey it into the hole so as it may sticke a little out and the hole not cloze togyther and stoppe agayne Then with a small Launce or Penknife you muste slitte the pimple and let out the redde water which you shall finde there After this take Aloes Cicotrine in powder and put it into the gall of an Oxe coyled in a dishe and with those two mingled
that is bestowed on them as my Italian Author doth call them is that they are tearmed Marzaroli and so are they called from Ianuary February Marche Aprill vntill the middest of May. I haue no proper englishe phrase for them but they are very tedious and paynefull and the reason is for that they must be kept on the fiste al that space Diuers of them are great baters and therfore not very greedy of meate or hungrie they are but badde Hawkes muche subiect to Filanders and the wormes who lookes to win credite or good by keeping them must be of good experience and no lesse pacience 5 Fiftly they are called Entermewers or Hawkes of the first cote that is from the middle of May till Iune Iuly August September October Nouember December Those Hawkes are called Entermewers for that they cast the old and haue new feathers and they proue very good and hardie Hawkes but no great trust is to be giuē them for that they are giddy headed and sickle wherefore he that lookes to haue good or credite by keeping of them must be very circumspect and regarde their natures very well and must keepe a good hard hande on them and muste make his fiste theyr pearche and neuer in a manner lette them bee from the fiste Besides in those seuen kyndes of Falcons whiche I spake of in the first deuision there are included sundrie sortes tearmed according to the Countries and places where they are eyried and whence they come the speciall names and properties of all whiche I holde it not so needefull to discourse vppon speaking fullie and sufficiently of those seauen kyndes of Falcons in theyr tymes and places as they shall offer them selues in order vnto me to be deciphered vnto the Reader to whose good iudgement and industrie I meane to referre and leaue sundry things whiche I leaue vnspoken of for that there is no man that is desirous of skill but may with ease and will with diligence I doubt not flee ouer to those very Authours in Frenche and Italian from whence I haue made this briefe collection where he shall be assured to fynde things more at large set out but the effect vnlesse I be deceyued comprysed in these fewe pages of paper aswell concernyng the kyndes of Hawkes as also their mannyng luring flightes mewing diseases and cures in euery condition as I trust to the pleasure and profite of the gentle and willing reader Wherfore I wil now proceede to the Haggart Falcon a most excellent byrde if hir nature and propertie be obserued in dewe maner Of the Haggart Falcon and why she is called the Peregrine or Haggart I Haue many times studied with my selfe for what cause the Haggart Falcons the most excellent byrdes of all other Falcons haue bene termed Haggart or Peregrin Hawkes And at first was of opinion that men so called them for that they are brought vnto vs from farre and forayne countries and are in deede meere strangers in Italie and as a man may call them trauaylers And this I know for truth they are not disclosed or eyred in Italie and besides that there are few in Italie that do take them at any time but the greatest store of them are brought and conueyed thither from forayne regions· but if they shoulde be termed Peregrine or Haggart Falcons for this onely cause and onely in respect hereof and nothing else then might we as well bestow that name also vpon all other Falcons that are not bredde in Italie as vpon the Tunician and other Hawkes that are passengers Wherfore I am of opinion that for three causes principally and in chiefe they are called Haggart or Peregrine Falcons 1 First bicause a man can not finde nor euer yet did any man Christian or Heathen fynde their eyrie in any Region so as it may well be thought that for that occasion they haue atchieued and gotten that name and terme of Peregrine or Haggart Falcons as if a man would call them Pilgrims or Forayners 2 The second cause is bycause these Falcons do rangle and wander more than any other sorte of Falcons are wonte to do seeking out more straunge and vncouth coūtries which in deede may giue them that title of Haggart and Peregrine Hawkes for their excellencie bycause they do seeke so many straunge and forayne coastes and do rangle so far abrode 3 The thirde and last cause I do thinke may be their beautie and excellencie bycause this worde Peregrino or Peregrine doth many tymes importe an honorable and choyce matter had in great regard but it skilleth not muche whiche of these three alleged is the true cause wee will not stande vpon the nyce poynt for that a good Falconer ought much more to regarde the searchyng out of the true nature and propertie of Hawkes than to haue so great and speciall respect vnto their names and termes Wherefore I conclude that these Haggart Falcons are not of Italie but transported and brought thither from forayne places as namely from Alexandria Cyprus and Candie And yet this is for certayne that in Italie there are taken of these Haggart Falcons as in the dominiō of the renowned Duke of Ferrara and in the countrie neare Rauenna beyng brought thither by force of weather and winde And by that meanes there are none of those Haggarts founde eyesses but they are all eyther soare Hawkes or mewed Haggarts Of shape and proportion they are like the other Falcons and are of three sortes as touchyng their making and moulde that is to say large little or Falcons of a middle sise Some of them are long shapte some shorte trussed Falcons some larger some lesse They are ordinarily of foure mayles eyther blancke russet browne or turtle maylde and some pure white maylde without any iote or spotte of any other colour but those a man shall ver seldome see And for that cause I meane not to say much of that kinde of mayled Falcons but will deale with suche as are more ordinarie in vse Of the good shape of a Haggarte Falcon. A Good and right Haggart Falcon ought to haue hir head of a darcke or blancke plume flatte on the toppe with a white wreath or garlande enuironing hir head a large blew bending beake wide nares a great full blacke eye hie stately necke large brest brode shouldred a great feather in colour like the feather of a Turtle log vanes and sayles but slēder shapte long traine hie thighes and white on the inside I meane hir pendant feathers shorte and great armed large wide foote with slender stretchers and talons and the same to be eyther pale white maylde or pale blewysh tending somewhat to azure These are generally the most assured tokens of an excellent Haggart Falcon How to know a Haggart by hir fleing A Good skilfull Falconer will quickly discerne a good Haggarte Falcon from a sleight Falcon though he be farre of by the stirring of hir wings For that a Haggart Falcon vseth not a thicke stroke but stirreth hir wing
as other feathers are vsually shapte and proportioned but are like vnto the downe which is to be founde on eyther side the necke and on the vpper part of the plye and bent of the wyng in which parts the down is so white that it glistereth and is as soft as silke The Vultures haue this one poynt speciall and peculiar to them selues in that they are rough legged a thing that hapneth not to any other kynd of Eagles or byrdes of praye Of the lesse Vulture whiche is the browne or whitish Vulture THe browne or whitishe Vulture doeth differ from the blacke maylde Vulture in that hee is somewhat lesse than the blacke Vulture is hauing the plumage of hir throte or gorge of hir backe the fethers vnder the belly neare the pannell and of the whole bodie tawnie or browne of colour but the brayle fethers and of the trayne like to those of the blacke maylde Vulture whiche induceth some to thinke that there is no difference at all betwixte these twoo kindes saue that the one is male and that other female in the same gender kind But this is most certaine assured that with Noble personages you shal see as wel the one kind as the other Eyther sort hath a short trayne in regard of the largenesse of their wings whiche is not the nature and shape of other birdes of rauine and praye saue onely that fowle whome the Frenche terme Piscuerd the Italians Pigozo and in our mother speache I may call the Woodwall You shal euer finde the Vultures rough and heary legged whiche is an euident signe that they frotte and rubbe them agaynste the rockes where their chiefe abode and staye is And further you shall note that the browne or blancke Vultures are more rare and dayntie to bee seene than the blacke or ashemaylde bee Agayne this is peculiar to them in their kinde that the fethers on their heades bee shorte in respect of the Eagles fethers which hath bin some cause that they haue bene thought to be balde and without plume thoughe in verie deede it bee nothing so The Vulture that is ashecoloured or blacke maylde hathe shorte armes all beset with plume euen to the very Talons whiche is a speciall note among all those birdes of rauine only peculiar to them and not to any other fowle hauing crooked Talōs vnlesse it be the Owle who is roughlegged euen in sorte as these Vultures be To discerne the browne from the ashemayled Vulture you muste note that the browne Vulture hath hir necke fethers very strayght long muche like to those that the Cocke hath or the Stare In regard of those feathers on hir backe sides and the corner of the plye of hir wings whiche are little and slender in manner of scales but the breaste feathers as also those on the backe and the couert feathers of the trayne are to the redde Vulture redde and to the black Vulture blacke and to bothe kindes verye large by meane of their hugenesse they can not be vppon their wings nor ryse from the stande without some aduauntage A man shall seldome see them vpō the playnes and champion of Italie Almanie and Fraunce vnlesse happily sometime in the winter for then they rangle and wander into euery parte for at that tyme in chiefe they abandone and forsake the toppes of the stately and high mountaines to auoide the extremitie of cold doo take their passage into more hote regions and countries where the clymate dothe better serue their purpose and better agree with their nature The Vultures at the moste doo not disclose aboue twoo or three chickens or yong birdes and it is a very harde matter and almoste impossible for any man to robbe their eyrie for that moste commonly they buyld in some hanging cliffe whether there is very harde and daungerous accesse They may bee nourished and fedde with tripes offell and inwardes of beastes And bycause they doo vsuallye haunte the fieldes of purpose to deuoure the offell and refuse partes of suche beastes as men haue slaughtered and slayne and suche like carrion some men are of opinion that they doe presage and betoken greate murther and bloudy spoyle of men that are in armes The opinion of William Tardiffe a Frencheman concerning the diuision of birdes of praye and other things woorthe the obseruation BIrdes of pray sayeth he which we vse in Falconrie be of three kindes The Eagle The Falcon The Goshawke Of Eagles there are two kindes the one is absolutely called the Eagle the other Zimiech Aquila Zimiech A redde mayle in an Eagle and deepe eyes specially if the be bred in the west mountaines as is before sayd is one speciall signe of hir goodnesse Whitenesse vpon the head or backe of an Eagle betokeneth the excellencie of the Eagle whiche in the Arabian tongue is termed Zimiach in the Syrian language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greeke Philadelph among the Latines Mylyon The Eagle must euer be taken when she is in the eyrie for hir condition is to waxe afterwards very bold outrageous It is sayde that when the Eagle beginneth to growe to lyking neare cawking or calling time she cōmonly flyeth with other Eagles bearing with them to their stande where they vse to praye a peece of Arsenicke otherwise called Orpiment whiche doth delay and mortifie their luste and desire The Eagle will seaze vpon the Goshawke and any other fowle of rauine or pray that doth flye with Iesses making sure accompt that it is a fitte pray for hir And for that only cause and none other coueteth to apprehend and take them in their flight for when they are wilde and ramage vsing the deserts she offereth them not any suche violence A meane to auoyde the Eagle when a man is determined to flye with his hawke is to plucke of the hawkes Iesses before shee flye for otherwise let hir do hir beste shee shall not escape the Eagle That Eagle which is the kindly and right Eagle in deede will slaye the Hare the Foxe and suche like beastes of the Forest and fielde The Eagle called Zimiech will kill the Crane and other lesse fowles A deuise and remedie for you when the Eagle doth moleste and hinder your game in hawking Fynde the meanes to get an Eagle and seele vp hir eyes but yet in suche sorte as shee may haue a little sighte to aspire and clyme to hir mowntee into whose tuell and fundamente conueye a little Assa fetidà and sowe vp the place Then tye to hir legges eyther a wing a peece of fleshe or a redde clothe whiche the other Eagles maye coniecture to bee fleshe and so lette hir flye For then will shee in hir flyghte for hir owne safetie and assuraunce pull downe all the other Eagles from their stately gate and pitche which otherwise she woulde neuer do were it not for the payne of that whiche is conueyed into hir tuell Now will I laye you downe the report of Frauncis Sforzino Vicentino an Italian
Mouse newly stripped out of the skinne hote and for lacke thereof a yong Pigeon whome you shall kill by throwing hir forcibly against the grounde with the raines downeward bycause the bloud may gather togither and stande whereof feede youre Hawke giuing hir the hart also and the reynes thereof withoute anye more allowance of any of the Pigeons fleshe When shee hathe dispatched and rydde this beaching of the Pigeons hart and bloud or of the yong Ratte then giue hir in like manner the like quantitie onely of the dead doue onely twice a day to a Sparowhawke but to a Falcon or Goshawke foure or fyue beachings in one day euer obseruing the selfe same order that I haue prescribed you The next morning you may if neede be in a little lint or flaxe or such like deuise gyue a skowring of incense or Olibanum I meane the leaues of it broosed in your hand as small as is possible gyuing hir but a small gorge to the ende that towardes the euening you may allowe hir a reasonable supper By this vsage and order haue I cured sundrie Hawkes of mine owne and other mens You must note that whē these remedies aforesaid do not profit nor do the feate and that the Hawke doth cast hir more than twice then is it a desperate case and so much the woorse if the Hawke be lowe and poore for then in that case haue I seene very few or none recured Neuerthelesse I haue somtimes seene a meruayle wrought in this case by making the greater kind of Hawkes as Falcons Gerfalcons and such like dronke with a sponfull or two of strong Malmesie conueyed by force into hir gorge but to the lesser Hawkes you must not giue so muche of the Malmesie but in lesse quantitie Which done they haue bin placed vpon a bedde or a cusshen for on the pearch they cannot stande being drowsie but will lie as things in a traunce for the space of a quarter of an houre and many neuer recouer themselues againe but if happily any do after they are thus dealt withall recouer and slise and scoure away their medicine no question that Hawke shall throughly recouer then is it good to giue hir of the bloudy parts of a Pigeon vsed in that manner as I foreshewed you but this daungerous medicine is not to be giuen but in desperate cases Of diuers accidents that happen to Hawkes by meanes of fowlenesse of the gorge and indisposition thereof IT hapneth sometimes that a Hawke can hardly put ouer hir meate which may be discerned by this when in the morning she hath of hir supper aboue This misfortune chaunceth partly by reason hir meat was ouerdrie and as we may say so hard baked in the gorge as she coulde not put it ouer and partly agayne for that the Hawke cannot endue sufficiently neyther yet dothe fyll in the pannell as shee oughte to doe In the firste case I haue holpen diuers with gyuing the Hawke water at wyll to bowze hir pleasure bathing besides hir feete pearche with freshe colde water whiche not seruing the turne I haue thruste my forefinger into hir gorge and so holpen it along and somtimes my little finger or a waxe candle and by that meanes haue caused hir to fill in the ventricle sooner than otherwise she woulde haue done The weakenesse of which part diuers times is a cause that the hawke doth not well endew nor fill in the Panell Somewhiles againe I haue vsed chiefly to Falcons to giue a skowring in Cotton of powder of Mummie prepared of Cloues and Nutmegs rolling aloft vpon the cotton a litle lynte of Flaxe bicause they should the sooner caste it And by this meanes haue recouered them presently When a hawke doth endew but slowly hath by that meanes smal lust to hir meate you must thus do to make hir more eger sharpe wrappe hir meate in the feede of Nasturciū or watercrassies and so cause hir to take it But this muste be vsed onely in winter by reason that kinde of seede is very hotte The meate being thus vsed will bring hir to be very sharpe sette and cause hir to be well breathed and besides make hir lustie for in deede it is a medicine very excellent and of infinite vertue Besides sometimes the gorge is so out of tune as it is the cause that the hawke at hir accustomed houre doth not caste but retayneth hir casting within hir Wherevpon it behooues some arte to be vsed to make hir caste The nexte remedie for that as I haue sayde already is to gyue the roote of Celendine prepared in forme aforesayde Moreouer Mustard seede otherwise called Senvye seede is an excellent a present remedy for that mischiefe being cōueyed into the hawkes throte of the bignes of a beane to the huger sort of haukes but to the lesser haukes a lesse quātity ought to be giuē and besides that one graine of Cloues with a litle pure Aloes wel washt albeit that wil somwhat vexe wrōg the hauke in this ease But aboue all other do I commend and preferre a skowring conueyed into a little cotton casting that is made of the pouder of Aloes Epaticke washt of Cloues Nutmegges and Ginger of eache of these equall portions rolling the cotton in a little Tow or Flaxe making it as hard with your hande as you may then rolling it in the pouder of Cloues and forcing it downe the hawkes throte and presently you shall see your hawke caste it vp with the olde casting whiche she had before This besides the benefite of that will comfort greatly strēgthen the gorge and skowre the heade of all such euill humors as are there surcharging the same The vse of this deuise nowe and then will be very necessarie and beneficiall to your hawkes without doubt If your hawke will not cast take Aloes Pepper pouder of Cloues and honie of Roses making of all these a long pyll and as bygge as a casting gyue it your hawke and she shall presently caste vpon the taking of it Of woormes that molest and trouble hawkes out of measure NOwe do I holde it high time and the place very conueniēt to write of such kinds of woormes as do trouble and vexe the poore hawke as hir mortall enimies which after a sort do depende of the gorge through whose weakenesse there are engendred grosse and viscuous humors in the bowelles of a hawke where beeing weakely wrought by default of naturall heate the humor conuertes into small woormes a quarter of an ynche long and more You may perceyue these woormes to plague and trouble your hawke when you see hir caste hir gorge when hir breath stynckes when she trembleth and wrytheth hir trayne when she croakes in the night offreth with hir beake to hir pannell when hir mewte is not cleane white nor in suche abundance as it oughte to bee And besides all this when your Hawke keepes at one staye and is lowe of flesh continually In this case it behooues you