Page 138 - Arabian Studies (II)

130 Arabian Studies II

the gazelle and it would seem to have been very many years since it
was hunted by hounds in Arabia.
All flights are ‘from the fist’ and often ‘out of the hood’. Waiting
on is not a tactic employed by bedouin falconers, as they consider it
grossly unfair to the quarry. The Happing of a hawk’s wings may
start alert quarry before the falconer has positioned himself. Thus, to
keep the hawk still, it may be kept hooded until the last possible
moment when the quarry is Hushed. The hawk is then unhooded in
view of the quarry and slipped.

1. The Houbara
Once the houbara has seen the pursuing hawk it may Hy away
straight in a fast and steady climb to preempt its stoop from above,
or seek safety on the ground. In the latter event, the hawk may stoop
at the landed houbara or alight near it. It will close with the houbara
as soon as possible, seeking to clutch its head and thus quickly
paralyse it. If the houbara climbs and the hawk follows, trying to get
the advantage of height, a thrilling flight may ensue across the sky,
the slow beating, heron-like wings of the houbara appearing
deceptively slow in contrast to the hawk. Hopefully it will be ended
by the hawk putting in a hard stoop killing the houbara, or driving it,
if it jinks clear, lower and lower until a successful stoop is made. The
bedouin consider the houbara an easy quarry for the hawk, if the
latter can close quickly and not be led away in a long flight. The
much smaller stone curlew is faster at the start and a more dextrous
flyer, but in spite of the fine sport it can show, is less popular
because of its size.

2. The Hare

The flight at the hare is held to be the most difficult and dangerous
because of the strength of the hare in the tussle at the end of the
chase and the danger to the hawk’s feathers from the hard surface of
the ground. The hare’s powerful kicks can not only throw off a half
determined bird, but also inflict severe wounds. Nor is the chase
easy. The hawk follows in much the same way as the saluki,
responding to every jink and turn of the running hare. The peregrine,
being a hawk specialised in killing birds, is not often given the
opportunity to show its flying ability in hawking hares and is
i therefore less often flow at them, though the photograph, (Plate 8)
shows a peregrine with its hare victim. The lanner is unsuited to this
ground quarry by reason of its inferior size and strength.

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