The Art and Practice of Hawking. By E. B. Michell.
(Methuen and Co. 10s. 6d.)—This is a prettily bound and well-printed hook, light to handle, illustrated by a few excellent drawings by Hr. G. E. Lodge, and some photographs of unequal merit. The revival of falconry is carried out in such perfection at present, and the illustrations obtained are so vivid, picturesque, and life- like, that anything not highly finished, whether by way of writing or illustration, seems out of place in dealing with it. One of those in the present book shows part of a falconer's beard and a row of coat buttons (on the margin), and a by no means interesting little kestrel in the centre. Others, some of which originally appeared in Country Life, are worthy of the subject. Hr. Michell is an expert falconer, lark-hawking with merlins being perhaps his best subject. There is a capital chapter on the rue of the aparrowhawk, and a less adequate one on the goshawk. Game-hawking and rook-hawking are dealt with sufficiently, and
the whole art and business of falconry is covered by the book. But the form of the letterpress rather lacks distinction, and after a careful perusal we cannot my that we have learnt from it anything new, except in a short chapter on anecdotes and adventures ; perhaps because this ancient sport has already been carried to the limits of improvement.
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