FAL
(8)
FAL
the Beak thick and (hort, the Neck long, the Shoulders broad, Thighs long, Legs (hort, Feet large, the Feathers of the Wings (lender, Pounces black, &c.
The Falcon is excellent at the River, Brook, and even Field; and flies chiefly at the larger Game, as Wild-goofe, Kite, Crow, Heron, Crane, Pye, Shoveler, l§c.
It muft be added, that the Name Falcon is retrain'd to the Female 5 for as to the Male Falcon, 'tis much fmaller, weaker, and lefs courageous than the Female, and there- fore denominated 'Taffel^ or 1'iercelot.
yohn de 'Janua, and feveral others, take the Name Falcon to have been occaiion'd by its crooked Talons, or Pounces, which refemble a Falx or Sickle. Giraldus de- rives it a falcando, becaufe it flies in a Curve.
As in the Courfe of this Work, the feveral Terms of Falconry are explain'd, it may be here neceffary to fay fomething in the general, of the Management and Difcipline of the Falcon, as being the Foundation of the Art of Fal- conry. For the reft, the Reader may have Recourfe to the "Heads Hawk, and Hawking.
When a young Falcon is firft taken, file muft befeel'd; and the Seeling at length gradually flacken'd, that /he may be able to iee what Proviuons are brought her. Her Fur- niture is to be Jefles of Leather, maild Leafhes, with Buttons at the End, and Bewets. Befide, a fmall round Stick hanging in a String to flrokc her frequently with- al; which, the oftener 'tis done, the fooner and better will fhe be man'd: Two Bells on her Legs, that Hie may be the more readily found, or heard when fhe flirs, fcratches, &c : And a Hood rais'd, and bofs'd over her Eyes. Her Food to be Pidgeons, Larks, and other live Birds, of which file is to eat twice or thrice a Day, and till file be full gorged. When the Falconer is about to feed her, he muft hoop and lure, that file may know when to expect it. Then unhooding her gently, he gives her two or three Bits, and putting her Hood on again, gives her as much more ; but takes care file is clofe fceled, and after three or four Days leffens her Diet. At going to bed, he fets her on a Pearch by him, that he may awake her often in the Night ; continuing to do fo, till /he grow tame and gentle. When file begins to feed eagerly, he gives her Sheeps- heart ; and now he begins to unhood her by Day, but it muft be done far from Company : Feeds her and hoods her again ; and feeds her as before, but takes care not to fright her with any thing, when he unhoods her ; and if he can, reclaims her without over-watching. The Falcon muft be born continually on the Fift, till fhe be throughly man- ned, and induced to feed in Company : For two or three Days give her wafli'd Meat, and then Plumage, accord- ing as you efteem her foul within ; if file caft, hood her again, and give her nothing till (he gleam after her Call- ing: But when (lie has gleamed and caft, give her a little hot Meat in Company ; and towards Evening let her plume a Hen's Wing, likewife in Company : Cleanle the Feathers of her Calling, if foul and (limy: If (he be clean within, give her gentle Calling ; and when fhe is well reclaimed, manned, and made eager and fliarp fet, you muft venture to feed her on the Lure.
But three things are to be confider'd before your Lure be (lievv'd her. 1 . That (he be bold and familiar in Com- pany, and not afraid of Dogs and Horfes. 2. Sharp-fet and hungry, having regard to the Hour of Morning and Even- ing when you would hire her. 3. Clean within, and the Lure well garnifii'd with Meat on both Sides. When you intend to give her the Length of a Leafe, you muft ab- fcond your felf : She muft alfo be unhooded, and have a bit or two given her on the Lure, as file fits on your Fift. That done, take the Lure from her, and fo hide it that fhe may not fee it : When (he is unfeeled, caft the Lure fo near her, that (he may catch it within the Length of her Leafli; and as foon as (he has feiz'd it, ufe your Voice as Falconers do, feeding her upon the Lure on the Ground.
After having lur'd your Falcon, in the Evening give her but little Meat ; and let this Luring be fo timely, that you may give her Plumage, (gc. next' Morning on your Fift : When (lie has call and gleamed, give her a little beach- ing of warm Meat i About Noon, tye a Creance to her Leafe, go into the Field, there give her a bit or two upon the Lure, and unfed her ; if you find (he is (harp-fet, and has eagerly feiz'd on the Lure, let a Man hold her, to let her off" to the Lure ; then unwind the Creance, and draw it after you a good way, and let him who has the Bird, hold his Right-hand on the Taffel of her Hood readily to unhood her, as foon as you begin to lure ; to which if (lie come well, (loop roundly upon ir, and haftly feize it, let her caft two ot thtee bits thereon. That done, unleize take her off the Lure, and deliver her again to the Perfon that held her ; and going further off" the Lure, feed her as before ; and fo daily farther and farther off the Lure. Afterwards, you may lure her in Company, but do not fright her ; And having us'd her to the Lure on foot, do it
alfo on Horfe-back; which may be fooner accomplifti'd, by cauling Horfemen to be about you, when you lure her on Foot : 'Tis alio fooner done, by rewarding her upon the Lure on Horfe-back among Horfemen. And when fhe is grown familiar this way, let fomebody a-foot hold the Hawk, and he that is on Horfe back, muft call, and call the Lure about his Head, while the Holder takes off the Hood by the Taffel ; and if (he feize eagerly on the Lure without fear of a Man or Horfe, then take oft" the Creance, and lure at a greater Diftance, Laftly, if you would have her love Dogs as well as the Lure, call Dogs when you give her Plumage. See Bathing, Enseaminc, cjfr. FALCON, ? ... „ nn J Faucon, and
FALCONET, 5 ln Gunnet yl See FAucONET. FALCONER, a Perfon who brings up, tames, tutors, and manages Birds of Prey 5 as Falcons, Hawks, g£c. See Falconry.
The Grand Seignior ufually keeps fix thoufand Falconers in his Service.
The French King has a Grand Falconer, -which, is an Office difmembred from that of Great Hunt, Grand Ve- nder. The Hiftorians take notice of this Poft as early as the Year 1250.
One great Bufinefs of the Falconer, \s to confider the Qua- lity and Mettle of his Birds, to know which to fly early, and which late. He muft alfo be bufy and cleanly in freeing them of Lice, Kits, and Vermine. Every night after flying, he fhould give his Bird Cafting 3 nor mutt he forget to water her, unlefs fhe have been bath'd. After this, Hie muft be put in a warm Room, having a Pearch with a Candle burning by her 5 where /he is to fit unhooded, that /lie may prune and pick her felf. Next Morning /lie ftiould be weather'd, Oyc.
FALCONRY, or Fauconry, the Art of taming, ma- naging, and tutoring Birds of Prey, particularly Falcons and Hanxks'y and employing them with Advantage in the Purfuit of Game, call'd alfo Hawking.
The Word is form'd of Falco, Falcon, or Faucon, the Bird of moft Ufe and Efteem in this kind of Sport. See Falcon.
Falconry, as now pra&Ic'd, was unknown among the Greeks and Romans. All their Writings don't furni/h fo much as a proper Name to call it by : So far are they from teaching us the Terms. 'Tis the French Language a- lone, that has particular Words for all the Parrs of Fal- conry and Hunting j and from them moft of our Terms, as well as what we know of the Art it felf, are borrow'd.
The Writers of Reputation on Falconry, are 2)eJparotr 9 Franchiere, "Tardif, Jlrteloucbe, tDalagona, and Latham, M. de S. Martha has put the Principles of the Art into fine Latin Verfes, in his Bieracojbphon, Jive de re accipi- traria, libri ires.
FALDAGE, an antient Privilege, which feveral Lords referved to themfelves of fetting up Sheep-folds, or Pens, in any Fields within their Manors, the better to manure them ; and this not only with their own, but with their Te- nants Sheep.
This was alfo term'd Secla Falds ; and in fome old Char- ters Fold-foca i and in fome Places a Fold-courfc, or Free- fold.
FALL, Ziefcent, in Phyficks, the Tendency of any heavy Body towards the Center of the Earth. See Descent.
Gallileo firft difcover'd the Ratio of the Acceleration of falling Bodies, viz. That dividing the whole Time of fal- ling into equal Parts, the Body will fall thrice as far in the fecond Moment, as in the firft 3 five times as far- in the third ; fev'n times in the fourth s ££c. and fo on in the Order of the uneven Numbers. See Acceleration.
For the Caufe of the Fall of Bodies, fee Gravity. For the Laws of the Falling Bodies, fee Descent. Waters 'all, fee Cataract.
Fall, is alfo us'd in a moral Senfe 5 as the Fall of Adam. See Original Sin : The Fall of the Roman Empire, &c. Authors contend, that Tlato had a Notion of the Fall of Adam, which he had learnt from Mcfes. Eiifeb. de IPrteparat. Evangel. X,. c». c. it. quotes a Fable in 'Plato's , Sympof. wherein he finds the whole Hiftory, allegorically related.
Fall, in Mufick and Poetry. See Cadence, Epi- gram, t£c.
FALLACY, a Deception, or falfe Appearance or Re- port. See Ep.ror, and Truth.
The Epicureans, deny that there is any fuch thing as a Fallacy of theSenfes. According to them all our Senfations, and all our Perceptions, both of Senfe and Phantafy, ar0 true : So that Senfe is the firft grand Criterion of Truth. That the Senfes are never deceiv'd, they argue from their being incapable of all Ratiocination and Remembrance: Hence they can neither add, take away, couple, nor disjoin 3 they cannor, therefore, inter, or conclude, or invent 5 & n0 - confequently cannot deceive by any Inference, or Inven- tion. This the Mind may do, but not the Senfe, whofe
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