Dissertation on Birds of Prey and the Sport - the Falconry Heritage ...

earlier; second, that there is a perceived hierarchy of birds that mirrors the hierarchy of
feudal Europe, in which the ranking of an eagle above a hawk parallels the difference in
status between the king and his nobles; third, that birds acting in ways really quite normal
for their species-attack and defense-can be interpreted as having anthropomorphic
emotions and motivations for their actions which permit them to be judged as if they
were humans; and fourth, that this anthropomorphizing allows humans to learn moral
truths from the birds' actions.
In following tales, hawks and falcons continue to be models for human morality
and behavior. The next tale is a simple anecdote: in the cold season, Neckam tells, a
hawk will catch a bird at night and keep it close in order to keep warm. In the morning,
the hawk releases it unharmed, in return for its services. Neckam provides a few
different interpretations for this action; the one he prefers is that the action demonstrates
the generosity and fairness of the hawk. Neither does the hawk go to recapture the bird
after releasing it, because of "memor nobilitatis propriae": its awareness of its own
nobility.
Neckam also includes two instances in which humans are inspired to imitate the
actions of falcons. He begins Chapter 26 by recognizing the useful role of both hawks
and falcons in filling the larders of the upper class; he is the first encyclopedist to do so.
Then, he tells of a type of human entertainment that is derived from watching falcons: he
states that the practice of jousting in tournaments came from watching falcons pursue and
catch their prey with marvelously agile dives. In Chapter 27, he tells of more military
maneouvres learned from birds. It is a story about two falcons, friends, who fight over
territory with an eagle. Eventually, the eagle catches one of them alone ahd kills it.